SCMAT Exclusive Wrestling Article 10-21-24
2024-2025 SC Wrestling Season Preview #6 - 10-21-24
Rock Hill Girls - 2024 Girls State Champions
Serenity Davis (left) and Madilyn Beck (right) both won individual state titles within minutes of each other, sealing the 2024 team title for Rock Hill Girls.
Season Preview #6 will cover 4 key topics for the Girls classification.
SCHSL Realignment impacts to Girls wrestling
The SCHSL Realignment has no impact to Girls wrestling. Girls will continue to have all classifications together competing for the State Title.
At some point in the future, Girls State Duals will launch when 16 teams have been confirmed through the SCHSL. Until then, the Girls State Title will continue to be decided by team points at the State Individual Tournament (Traditional State).
11 returning individual state champions are expected to wrestle in Girls this season.
Significant Transfer news - Angelique Garcia-Rosiles returns to Greenwood after wrestling in Virginia last season. Angelique was a SC State Runner-up in 2023 at 106 lbs.
Will SC crown a first-time Team Champion in Girls State this year?
1 team in Girls has won a Wrestling State Championship.
Rock Hill Girls appear in great shape to three-peat with their returners, so if another teams becomes a first-time champion it would be with a few surprises.
Our Girls State Champions are listed below with the overall number of championships on the left and the years on the right.
Girls
2 - Rock Hill - 2023, 2024
Girls High School Recordbook launched at SCMAT
If anyone missed the launch of the Girls High School Recordbook at SCMAT, we made great progress since March.
SC had some exceptional seniors graduate after last season, solidifying their names in the Recordbook ... we expect to see continued success for each at the collegiate level:
Zao Estrada (Hilton Head) - William Penn University Women (IA) NAIA
June Welch (Woodruff) - North Central College Women (Naperville, IL) WCWWC
Annalise Maralit (Ashley Ridge) - Presbyterian College Women (WCWWC)
SC could see several new Records established in the next few seasons.
SC anticipating a first 3x state champion (SCHSL) ... with the possibility the new record could be accomplished by three wrestlers this season:
Jada Lawrence - Bluffton Girls (Sr., 2024 145 1st, 2023 145 1st, 2022 153 3rd)
Tiyanna Mack - Blythewood Girls (Sr., 2024 130 1st, 2023 132 1st)
Bianca Connell - Mauldin Girls (Jr., 2024 155 1st, 2023 152 1st)
Going into year 3 of the SCHSL State Tournament, it will be February 2026 when we expect the first 4x State Placers (SCHSL) .. the seven wrestlers vying for this Recordbook entry are:
Chloe Osteen - Boiling Springs Girls (Jr., 2024 105 3rd, 2023 Upper 106 3rd)
Anna Hannon - Gaffney Girls (Jr., 2024 120 3rd, 2023 113 4th)
Rory Travis - Gilbert Girls (Jr., 2024 145 2nd, 2023 145 2nd)
Rylee Berghorn - Hartsville Girls (Jr., 2024 235 2nd, 2023 195 1st)
Addie Shaw - Indian Land Girls (Jr., 2024 100 2nd, 2023 Lower 106 2nd)
Bianca Connell - Mauldin Girls (Jr., 2024 155 1st, 2023 152 1st)
Madilyn Beck - Rock Hill Girls (Jr., 2024 110 1st, 2023 113 3rd)
Another possible record will be a sister combination with each winning a State Title ... with several seeking to be the first in the Records:
Claira Hannon - Gaffney Girls (Sr., 2024 115 4th, 2023 120 1st)
Anna Hannon - Gaffney Girls (Jr., 2024 120 3rd, 2023 113 4th)
Ella Sheppard - Conway Girls (So., 2024 105 2nd)
Emma Sheppard - Conway Girls (So., 2024 110 3rd)
Why is Rock Hill considered the imposing favorite?
Assuming Traditional State settles the Team race, and a Girls State Duals awaits to be implemented in a future season, the key to reviewing teams at this point will be Returning Points.
Top 15 teams with returning points from 2024 State:The top 12 teams above, with the exception of Blythewood Girls, return ALL of their State Qualifiers/Placers and team points from last season.
Blythewood Girls graduated a state placer and another state qualifier, yet have solid depth in their program to contend with the top teams again.
Greenwood Girls, 2x State Runner-up, should also contend for another Top 5 finish. Though Greenwood graduated three key seniors and only have 18 returning points from 2024 State, they do have Angelique Garcia-Rosiles returning to the lineup after a year in VA.
Ashley Ridge Girls, a Top 4 team the last two seasons, graduated all three state qualifiers including two individual state champions. This is a rebuilding year, but we will see state qualifiers from this team in 2025.
Marlboro County Girls, 2024 Lower State Champions, return 5 state qualifiers and will definitely improve on last year's success.
Coaches know the challenge with the Girl's season (until timeline changes can be made) is the siginificant length of time between Upper/Lower State and the State Individual Tournament. In 2024 it was 4 weeks between the Girl's State Qualifiers and Girl's State Tournament.
Last season Rock Hill improved in those 4 weeks after finishing 2nd in the Girl's Upper State ... and that is why they are so imposing ... they just keep getting better.
Next week on 10-28-24, SCMAT will have Season Preview #7 and cover the SCISA classification.
If you notice any updates related to the Season Preview above, please send an email to scmat@hotmail.com
thanks,
Mark Buford
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