With two consecutive state team titles, South Effingham head coach Christopher Bringer has mixed feelings about whether his team's prior experience will weigh heavily in their pursuit of a three-peat this weekend at the Class 5A meet at Lassiter High School.
South Effingham and Jenkins will be the two local teams vying for the top spot.
Bringer's bunch also had the luxury of being the No. 1 seed.
"Yes and no, "offered Bringer. "Yes, because this is high school, and teenage kids are easily intimidated, and I feel that gives us an edge. "At the same time as a coach it's tough on me, because repeating is something we want to do so much that sometimes the pressure gets a bit, but at the end of the day, I like being the number one seed."
Despite being a relatively young team, Bringer believes his team has battled through some tough spots and gained momentum in the process. Their recent victory over Glynn Academy in the regional duals certainly was a boost.
"We lost a lot of seniors last year," added Bringer. "But I feel we are wrestling as well as we have in the past two years. We are very young and scrappy. It doesn't always look pretty, but I feel we are battle-tested, and when we need a point, the kids find a way to get it.
"We wrestled Glynn Academy in the region dual and won by two, and I truly felt in that match we didn't wrestle our best, but we still came out on top."
Still, the Mustangs have a good share of returnees from the previous two seasons, and Bringer is confident they can shed any anxieties.
"We have a wealth of experience on this team with six kids who have been around two state titles and pretty much the whole starting lineup was there last year with us," stressed Bringer. "We understand the pressure to repeat and I feel our team is poised and ready to defend our title."
Bringer will look to his son, 157-pound senior Brandon "Moose" Bringer, who had 52 wins – 50 of them either with a fall or a tech fall – along with fellow seniors Alarik Gibson and Emilio Santana to help set the pace.
In addition, Bringer considers the Mustangs' opening starting five of state finalist Adam Hardeman (106), Tahrik Baily (113), Mayson Young (120), Santana (126), and Gibson (132) to arguably be the best starting five in the state.
This weekend, Bringer sees his team focusing sharply on the task ahead. The coach has related and employed his own experiences in his team's psyche.
"As a coach, I really tap into my military experience of stressing our team with tough tournaments, wrestling an abundance of matches, and I always have an understanding that as champions, we will wrestle at any time at any place," he emphasized. "I feel my team embraces that, and as a coach, I understand whoever can adapt to the obstacles better will come out on top. I feel that it is a strength of mine to ensure our team understands that obstacles exist.
"It's a fact of life that we may bend, but we won't break. I embrace obstacles and so does our team."
HV Jenkins Wrestling
At Jenkins, head coach Jason Hallman has appreciated his opportunity to fill out every weight class and can juggle it with plenty of overall depth. Hallman's squad split their two matches at the regional duals, and he has an optimistic outlook about his team's chances this weekend.
"Moving forward to the State Duals tomorrow, we have a 'wrestle loose, shoot to score, wrestle to win' mentality," beamed Hallman. "I consider this 'bonus wrestling' to get our kids better and more prepared for Traditional Sectionals and State.
"We can compete with these teams if we show up with the right mindset. Our conditioning and skillset can overcome the 'youth' of the team, where mat experience is critical."
The Warriors have been led by the core group of seniors Silas Harrison (28-7 record at 157), Kevin Ciccarella (28-7, 165), Brandon Borges (28-7, 215), and Bryce Anderson (23-4, 285), all of whom have utilized their experience to set the table.
"Silas Harrison brings amazing focus and motivation, and Kevin Ciccarella has unlimited energy on the mat that motivates the bench," Hallman emphasized. "Brandon Borges creates positive energy for the entire team and changes match momentum, and Bryce Anderson creates amazing bench energy that transcends to his teammates on the mat.
"These kids wrestle for their teammates, and that's sometimes difficult to coach in an individual sport that is wrestling."
Hallman also has been pleased with the overall progress of his three female wrestlers, all of whom are undefeated.
Freshman Madison Glover (8-0) and seniors Anaya Stringer (10-0) and Angelica De Los Santos (8-0) have certainly made their mark, and Hallman is excited to see how they will perform against state-level competition.
Regardless of their outcome this weekend, Hallman envisions a bright future for the program. Hallman also praised the contributions of second-year assistant coach Drew McKenzie, who has worked with strength training and conditioning throughout most of the year.
All of their goals seemingly are well within reach.
"Our team goals were to maintain 100% academic eligibility at the turn of the semester, and we accomplished that for the first time ever," quipped Hallman. "We want to earn a team region championship, have a full girls' team, be traditional (individual) region champions, and send seven wrestlers to the traditional state tournament. We have the ability to achieve four of our five team goals. We as coaches, feel good about that."
"We're well on our way to a successful wrestling season and in the process of building a state level competitive program here."
PHOTO CREDIT: South Effingham High School and Jenkins Wrestling Programs
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