Waccamaw downs Marion and Socastee

By Chris Sokoloski

csokoloski@gtowntimes.com

Hunter Brininger needed only a minute to get a pin and secure a Waccamaw wrestling victory over Class AAA Socastee on Wednesday night.

The Warriors fell behind 12-0 early before Arman Singh won a decision at 126 pounds and Tyler Pettit won by technical fall at 132 to cut the lead to 12-8.

Socastee won the next two matches to extend the lead to 18-8 before John VanSlooten won by pin at 152 and Parker Williams won by forfeit at 160 to put Waccamaw ahead 20-18.

The Braves went back ahead 24-20 with a pin at 170, but Colin Floyd got a pin at 183 to give the Warriors a 26-24 lead.

Socastee got its last win of the match on a Waccamaw forfeit at 195. Travis Pierce at 220, Brininger at heavyweight and Gabe Pope at 106 finished the match with three straight wins.

"They should have beat us," said Waccamaw coach Scott Cook. "They gave up two forfeits."

Waccamaw also held off region rival Marion for a 37-36 win on Wednesday night.

Brininger, Pope and Lee opened the match with three straight wins to give the Warriors a 16-0 lead, but the Swamp Foxes cut it to 16-6 with a win at 120.

Singh, Pettit and Connor Summer then won their matches to extend the lead, before Socastee won at 145 to cut it to 28-12.

VanSlooten and Williams picked up the last wins for the Warriors, who lost the last four matches but held on for the one-point victory.

"We let them get back in the match," said Cook." Too many guys got pinned."

Waccamaw was coming off of wins over Hanahan (39-33) and Georgetown (54-12) on Tuesday night. It was the Warriors' first win ever over the Hawks.

Singh, Pettit, VanSlooten, Williams, Pierce, Pope and Summer all picked up win in both of matches.

Waccamaw opened the season going 1-3 at the Marion Swamp Fox Invitational.

The Warriors beat Marlboro County and lost to St. James, Socastee and Carolina Forest.

Floyd, Logan Trotter and Todd Mauney all picked up their first varsity wins in the meet.

Williams, Summer, Brininger and Lee all went 4-0, and Pettit went 3-1.

Georgetown

Georgetown has lost this season to St. James 57-24, to Conway 56-15, to Hanahan 56-9 and to Waccamaw 54-12.

The Bulldogs had four forfeits in the matches against the Sharks and Tigers.

Deion Windley (132), Dustin Pack (138), Jeremy Drayton (145) and Jalil Smith (220) picked up wins against St. James.

Brian Cumbie (106), Pack and Drayton had wins against Conway.

Drayton and Smith had Georgetown only wins against Hanahan, and Pack and Juwan Gibbs (182) had the only wins against Waccamaw.

"We have a really young team, we have four freshman starting," said Georgetown head coach Sean Griffin. "We are competing at every position and I know are hard work will pay off soon."