SCMAT Exclusive Wrestling Article 11-25-24
Coaches that have wrestled and coached in the
SC All-Star Wrestling Classic
Coach Kevin Knoerr (coaches corner, standing, tie)
Kevin Knoerr would become the first wrestler in a SC All-Star Wrestling Classic (1989 for Seneca) that would also coach in a SC All-Star Wrestling Classic (1999 and 2004).
Credit and thanks for this content from the SCWCA
Our SC Wrestling Coaches Association has improved SC wrestling every year. One of the most successful events the SCWCA leads is the SC North/South All-Star Wrestling Classic.
For the content of this article, credit and thanks go to the SCWCA and Greg Brewer for going through archives and compiling the history for this article's focus.
The primary focus of this Exclusive will be highlighting Coaches that have wrestled and coached in the SC All-Star Wrestling Classic.
There is always some history to cover ... so let's roll.
The History of the SC All-Star event
In 1989, the South Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association (SCWCA) launched the 1st Annual S.C. All-Star Wrestling Classic.
The first SC All-Star match was a one-day event held on Saturday. The event would run for three years as just an All-Star match before converting to the team format in 1992, with North versus South.
Herald-Journal article from 1989 on the first All-Star match in S.C.The idea for the All-Star match came out the SC Wrestling Coaches Association with Coach Jim Barnes (Rock Hill) receiving primary credit from his peers.
Coach John Checkovich (Brookland-Cayce) would become the leader and organizer of our All-Star event for many years.
When Coach Checkovich retired from coaching, Spring Valley took the lead as hosting our All-Star event. Coach Ken Wilson (Spring Valley) generated fan interest expanding the pairings to create Featured matches.
Coach Charlie Clay (North Myrtle Beach) was able to obtain major sponsorships for the All-Star event (Best Western, Outback, etc.) ... and North Myrtle Beach began hosting in 2004.
The All-Star event grew from a 1-day event on a shoe string budget to a 4-day event.
Coach Charlie Clay of North Myrtle Beach established a pinnacle of traditions with our All-Star event and it will be great to see Coach Clay inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April 2025 through the SC Chapter.
Locations for SC All-Star Wrestling Classic:
Brookland-Cayce - 12 years (1989-1993, 1995-2001)
Lexington - 1 year (1994)
Spring Valley - 2 years (2002-2003)
North Myrtle Beach - 22 years (2004-2025)
Let's get to the spotlight of this article - Coaches that have wrestled and coached in the All-Star event
Coaches that have wrestled and coached in the SC All-Star Wrestling ClassicCoach/Wrestler Senior All-Star & School Coached at All-Star Coached at these Schools -------------- ------------------------- ------------------- ------------------------ Kevin Knoerr 1989 Seneca 1999, 2004 Edisto, Lugoff Elgin Andre Dreher 1990 Lexington 1999 TL Hanna Chad Singleton 1991 Blue Ridge 2002, 2010 Riverside, Woodruff, Dorman Greg Abercrombie 1992 Belton-Honea Path 2006 Palmetto Michael Lynch 1993 Hartsville 2016 Hartsville Eddie Cook 1995 Rock Hill 2011 South Pointe, Rock Hill Chris Strickland 1996 Belton-Honea Path 2005, 2022 Crescent, BHP Russell Gray 1996 West-Oak 2015 Seneca, West-Oak Tommy Bell 1996 Hillcrest 2007 Fort Mill, Hillcrest Mike Newton 1996 Hilton Head 2011 Hilton Head Joe Lovier 1997 Dutch Fork 2014 Columbia Robby Bell 1998 Hillcrest 2008 Fort Mill, Hillcrest, Foutain Inn Brian Hedgecock 1999 Lexington 2020 Sumter, Lower Richland, Spring Valley, Pelion Reuben Daniels 2000 Summerville 2014 Summerville Matthew Love 2001 Northwestern 2020 Conway, Spartanburg, Sumter Tim Sexton 2002 Pickens 2014 Woodmont Ashley Powell 2003 Lake City 2017, 2025 Lake City, Westwood, May River Andrew Young 2004 Summerville 2024 Fort Dorchester Kyle Kimrey 2004 Dutch Fork 2015 Dutch Fork, Battery Creek, Irmo, White Knoll Chris Newton 2004 Hilton Head 2016 Hilton Head Steve Sisk 2005 Irmo 2018 Airport, AC Flora Chauncey McElheney 2005 Clover 2018 Clover John Allen Griswold 2007 Byrnes 2024 Byrnes Brandon Feix 2007 Fort Mill 2024 Myrtle Beach, River Bluff Bill Glace 2008 Abbeville 2022 Georgetown, Abbeville Brandon Johnson 2011 Hillcrest 2025 Greenville, Fountain Inn
How many Team State Titles have these coaches won?
10 Team State Titles have been won by the head coaches of this unique group of All-Star coaches and prior All-Star wrestlers.
3 - Chris Strickland - Crescent (2A-1A) - 2006, Belton-Honea Path (3A) 2012, 2021
2 - Tommy Bell - Hillcrest (4A) - 2011, 2012
2 - Chad Singleton - Woodruff (2A-1A) - 2001, Dorman (4A) - 2016
2 - Robby Bell - Hillcrest (5A) - 2019, 2020
1 - Kevin Knoerr - Lugoff-Elgin (3A) - 2003
Brothers coaching at the SC All-Star Wrestling Classic
SCMAT always looks for additional trivia, and we found 3 sets of brothers that coached at the SC All-Star
The years and schools reflect coaching at the SC All-Star
Brothers:
B.D. LaPrad (1992 - Irmo, 1998 & 2002 - Dutch Fork, 2006 - Fort Dorchester) and Steve LaPrad (1992 - Summerville)
Tommy Bell (2007 - Hillcrest) and Robby Bell (2008 - Hillcrest)
Mike Newton (2011 - Hilton Head) and Chris Newton (2016 - Hilton Head)
Fathers and Sons coaching at the SC All-Star Wrestling Classic
SCMAT also found 2 sets of father/son combinations that coached at the SC All-Star
Father and Son:
Malcolm Singleton (1992 & 2001 - Blue Ridge) and Chad Singleton (2002 - Woodruff, 2010 - Dorman)
John Abercrombie (1992 - Belton-Honea Path) and Greg Abercrombie (2006 - Palmetto)
Programs from early SC All-Star events
Here are several All-Star programs - one from the last year of the traditional All-Star (1991) and one from the first North/South All-Star (1992).
Note - records were sent in before the season had finished, due to the length of time using typewriters and copiers to put a program together! So, records that you see in early All-Star programs were not end of season records.
1991 program from the SC All-Star Wrestling Classic
1992 program from the SC North/South All-Star Wrestling Classic
S.C. holds the longest active national streak of consecutive annual events for H.S. Wrestling All-Stars
As we approach the 37th consecutive year holding this All-Star Classic, SCMAT wants to congratulate the SCWCA for the dedication and national leadership with this elite event.
Several years ago South Carolina became the the current national record holder with the longest active national streak of consecutive annual events for High School Wrestling All-Stars
Let's highlight the background to this national record holder streak ...
The S.C. All-Star Wrestling Classic has been one of the longest running state All-Star events of its kind.
South Carolina was the fourth State to start and maintain an Annual All-Star Wrestling Classic and only 3 states had H.S. Wrestling All-Star events before S.C.:
Kansas - started in 1987 by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association
Nebraska - started in 1982 by the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association
Pennsylvania - started in 1975 as Dapper Dan and now known as the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic - PA All-Stars vs. USA All-Stars
When the 2020 and 2021 COVID challenges hit - wrestling cancellations paused All-Star events in Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and many other states.
South Carolina held our Wrestling All-Star Classic in both years and the SCWCA worked to great lengths to meet safety concerns, guidelines for gym compacity, overnight restrictions by some school districts and numerous logistics.
That effort by the SCWCA in 2020 & 2021 was rewarding in so many ways - for the wrestlers and fans - as well as now owning the new national record streak.
Beginning in early December, SCMAT embarks on the most ambitious ten-week Exclusive series yet - the Top 10 S.C. Wrestling Seasons (and teams) Of All Time.
If you notice any updates related to the All-Star information above, please send an email to scmat@hotmail.com
thanks,
Mark Buford
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