Liberty wrestlers fall short again in state final
The Greenville News (Greenville, SC)
February 13, 2016
Author: Bob Castello, Staff Writer
COLUMBIA – As painful as the other three were, this one had to have been worse.
Liberty's wrestling team led from start until the final weight class Saturday but wound up losing in the Class AA/A state final for the fourth year in a row, this time by 35-32 against Marion.
"It's so hard," Red Devils coach Dale Burrell said. "We get so close every year."
After heavyweight Dee Mansell won by pin to give Liberty a 32-26 lead with two weight classes to go, 106-pounders Nathan Hellams of Liberty and Jesse Brown of Marion began a back-and-forth tussle that had both sides' fans on their feet.
Hellams, a freshman, was nearly pinned in the first period, but he recovered and had Brown on his back the next period.
Brown wound up getting a reversal with about 30 seconds left in the third and held on for a 13-12 decision.
Then the Swamp Foxes' 113-pounder, Dilan Gillard, whom Burrell said the Red Devils figured to be "pretty much unbeatable," won by pin to give Marion (37-2) its first lead of the match and its first state championship.
"Our 106, we didn't know how good he was going to do in this match, and he fought the whole time," Burrell said. "He had the kid on his back for a great deal of the second period. I just wish the referee would have seen it. If he'd have come down there and slapped the mat, we'd have been state champions.
"It came down to if we could win that match, we were going to win, and it's a done deal. He gave it everything he had. He's a freshman. He cuts a lot of weight to get to 106. He's been a tough one for us."
The match began at 120 pounds, and Liberty's Jacob Rogers won by pin. The Red Devils forfeited at 126, but they won by decision at 132 (Dustin Krout), major decision at 138 (Matt Frey) and 145 (Cole Murphy) and decision at 152 (Kris Murphy).
Through six weight classes, Liberty had a 20-6 lead.
After the Red Devils lost at 160 and 170, Lucas Bates regained some momentum for Liberty with a pin at 182. Marion won at 195 and 220 before Mansell was able to give the Red Devils (27-5) the advantage heading into the Hellams-Brown match.