BOILING SPRINGS – The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Just days after hoisting their fourth straight state dual trophy, the Jackets asserted their dominance once again by claiming the 5A Division II Upper State individual title. Fort Mill topped the leaderboard with 246.5 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Eastside’s 219. Local competitors Catawba Ridge and Nation Ford also put up solid showings, finishing 11th and 15th respectively.
In total, 24 area wrestlers punched their tickets to the Florence Civic Center, where they will compete for individual glory on Feb. 20 and 21.
Fort Mill Yellow Jackets
12 State Qualifiers
The Jackets lived up to their championship pedigree, sending a staggering 12 wrestlers to the state finals.
| Wrestler | Weight Class | Finish |
| Lincoln Greene | 150 | 1st |
| Brody Harris | 113 | 2nd |
| Grayson Wallen | 132 | 3rd |
| Mason Metcalf | 175 | 3rd |
| Ted Ernst | 190 | 3rd |
| Cooper Van Beynum | 138 | 4th |
| Krystian Villatoro | Hwt. | 4th |
| Luke Van Beynum | 120 | 4th |
| Maurice Lawrence | 215 | 4th |
| Peter Escudero | 106 | 4th |
| Broden Mitcheson | 165 | 5th |
| Cole Wartinger | 132 | 5th |
Catawba Ridge Copperheads
7 State Qualifiers
The Copperheads will be well-represented in Florence with seven individual qualifiers.
| Wrestler | Weight Class | Finish |
| Alex Johnson | Hwt. | 2nd |
| Jacob McClure | 106 | 5th |
| Archer Rozelle | 150 | 6th |
| Angel Acosta | 126 | 7th |
| Taylor Winker | 120 | 7th |
| Wyatt Ellison | 132 | 7th |
| Damien Ashcraft | 215 | 8th |
Nation Ford Falcons
5 State Qualifiers
Nation Ford showed grit in the consolation rounds to push five wrestlers through to the state championships.
| Wrestler | Weight Class | Finish |
| Lorenzo Smith | Hwt. | 5th |
| Sulaymon Askarov | 190 | 5th |
| Camron Maygar | 175 | 6th |
| Zac Nieves | 150 | 8th |
| Brad Flippens | 165 | 8th |
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