West-Oak faces Chapin for the state wrestling championship
Independent Mail
February 11, 2011
Author: Staff Reports
A thundering tomahawk chant from a large home crowd powered the West-Oak High School wrestling team to the AAA Upper State title on Wednesday night. The Warriors beat the Eastside Eagles, 31-24 in a contest decided by the final match.
"I just didn't think about it and went out there to win like always," said senior Randy Warren on winning the final match of the night to cement the victory for West-Oak. "I just reminded myself like it was any other match and I just wanted to keep my team alive for the Upper State title."
The grudge match between two powerhouse programs went back and fourth through much of the contest, but West-Oak captured the final three matches for an 8-6 advantage. The win clinches West-Oak's first state championship appearance since 2003 and a chance to win the school the title for the first time since 1994.
"We came out and the kids wrestled great, every kid, it was a total team effort and they deserve it," exclaimed West-Oak head wrestling coach Jeff Jordan. "This was an amazing crowd; they stayed in the match and kept everybody pumped up. It's a great feeling to win in front of our home fans."
It has been an historic season for the Warriors, who remain unbeaten through 34 team matches this season. They are not satisfied though the Warriors want one more win, the state championship.
"It's a big win but we've got to put this one behind us and start working toward (today), that is our ultimate goal, winning the state title," said West-Oak assistant coach Adam Duncan.
The Warriors compete against another flock of eagles in their biggest match of the season, this time it's the Chapin Eagles for the state championship. The AAA Team State Wrestling Championships are Saturday at Dreher High School. The match will begin at 3:30 p.m. and end around 6 p.m. with a championship trophy presentation.
"Chapin is going to be a tough team," added Duncan. "We've seen them at one tournament, but we are just going to get back to the grindstone to beat them. That's all we can do."
West-Oak High School is providing a student fan bus to Columbia on Saturday, so students can support the Warrior wrestling team. The bus will depart from the bus loop of the high school at 11 a.m. and stop in Clinton for lunch on the way. The bus will return to the high school around 9 p.m. Saturday evening. There will be five adult faculty members chaperoning the trip.
The cost is $5 per student and does not include lunch or the $6 price of admission to the match.
"The kids have worked hard the entire year and they deserve this," said West-Oak Athletic Director Bobby Norizsan. "They deserved this crowd and I think this is awesome. I'm real proud of what they have done, they are great kids, and they have worked really hard this year."
That crowd was a key factor in the win for many of the Warriors.
"I just feed off the crowd," stated junior Chris Welborn. "They were awesome and so loud."
For senior Phillip Kern, the win marked a culmination of years of hard work, "It feels awesome, we won Upper State for the first time in a long time and it feels really good. Now, we have to get ready for Chapin on Saturday."
The season doesn't end on today for the Warriors as many advanced to the AAA Upper State Individual Champions, Feb. 18-19 at Eastside High School. The top four placers from each of the 14 weight-classes advance to the AAA State Individual Championships, Feb. 25-26 at Civic Center of Anderson.
All four of the South Carolina High School divisions, 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A will compete with Westside High School serving as host.