By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
Wolverines Complete Remarkable Turnaround Season
It has been a fantastic turnaround for the Woodruff wrestling program this season, with the Wolverines finishing with a winning 11-8 record in team duals. Now, 11 Woodruff wrestlers will compete in the state tournament after excelling in the upper-state qualifier tournament last weekend.
(Photo courtesy of JoAnn Wilson Smith )
Lady Wolverines Secure State Tournament Spots
In total, nine boys and two female wrestlers will have a chance at individual state championships. The girls’ upper-state tournament took place first, with Rachel Hayes (2nd) and Tylar Smith (3rd) qualifying for the state tournament. All told, the Lady Wolverines finished 16th out of 56 teams in the combined classification event.
Boys Team Finishes Strong at Upper-State Qualifier
The next day, the boys’ qualifier was held at West Oak, where the Wolverines finished seventh out of 15 3A teams overall.
“It’s awesome,” said Woodruff head coach Austin Weathers. “You know, wrestling is a sport where a lot of it is decided in the wrestler’s own mind, and these wrestlers are mentally tough individuals. These kids have gone through the whole range of self-confidence, self-doubt, rebuilding that confidence, and building up each other. It’s really been great to see, it’s always great to see, how resilient these young people can be when they’re trusting a process and using it to try and reach goals that are truly meaningful to them.”
Mulak Wins Upper-State Championship
Josh Mulak won the 3A individual upper-state championship in the 150-pound weight class and will be among the favorites to win the 3A title this weekend.
Adrian Hill (285) finished as upper-state runner-up, and Grayson Butler (106) and Dyonnee Hall (215) finished in third place.
Additional Wolverines Earn State Tournament Berths
The Wolverines’ other state qualifiers include C.J. Smith (4th), Aaron Young (7th), Dawson Clevenger (7th), Jah Griffith (8th), and Jackson Richard (8th) in their respective weight classes.
Mulak Focused on State Championship Opportunity
Having the chance to potentially win a state championship is a special opportunity, says Mulak, a junior.
“I was the number one seed going into (the state qualifier), so I was expecting to win,” Mulak said.“I don’t really think about my matches before going in; it’s just another match. But winning an upper-state title, that was three years of work going into that. Winning a state championship would be special. My brother didn’t even get that. I literally have no hobbies; all I do is wrestle. That is my only focus, so it would be huge (to win state).”
State Tournament Set for Florence Civic Center
The individual state tournament takes place this weekend at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, SC.
Author: gmitchell85
