BE wrestling boasts best season since pandemic, crowns state champion

The Bishop England High School wrestling program continues to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down high school sports all over the country in March 2020 while it lingered into the next year.

 

Three years later, the proud program experienced its best season since the pandemic hit. 

 

The Bishops qualified six wrestlers for the South Carolina Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships in Anderson the weekend of Feb. 24-25 with three grapplers collecting medals including junior Sam Cherichello, who won the prized gold medal. He was the 16th wrestler during coach Paul Spence’s enduring tenure to be crowned a state champion.

 

“It was a very productive year,” said Spence, who completed his 36th year as a coach at BE, including 32 as the head coach. “We had a lot of good things happen. But we are still struggling to fill out the lineup (with a wrestler in every weight class).”

 

The Bishops might not have the depth. They were in the top 10 of the Class AA team standings for most of the year, but their postseason aspirations ended with a three-point loss to Cross in the first round of the playoffs. 

 

It wasn’t talent that lost the match. The Bishops forfeited two weight classes to the Trojans and that cost the Bishops 12 points and the match.

 

But they do have the talent. They qualified six wrestlers for the individual championships; Cole Preiditsch, Sean Loughery, Dixon Hardy, Griffin Buss, Thomas Curl and Cherichello competed.

 

Liberty won the Class AA individual team championship with 157.5 points. The Bishops held down seventh place, recording 51.5 points.

 

Cherichello was a state runner-up last winter and wouldn’t be denied this season. He was crowned champ in the 132-pound decision with a victory over Military Magnet’s Heicol Jiminez.

 

Preiditsch also fared well, claiming a silver medal in the competitive 220-pound weight division. He won the first two matches of the eight-man class.But Justin Pardue of Buford ended his dream of gold by recording a fall at the 4-minute mark.

 

Meanwhile, Loughery dropped his first match in the 126-pound division, but recovered, remained focused and won the bronze medal with a 12-4 victory over Adrian Hershberger of Dixie. Cherichello and Loughery’s success on the mat can be attributed to them practicing against each other every day.

 

“I force kids to work with different athletes so they can see different things they might not see against the same wrestler,” Spence said. “It helps elevate their game.”

 

Preiditsch’s career ended the same way it began: He qualified for state. He competed in the elite tournament his freshman season, but failed to qualify the next two years because of COVID and injuries related to wrestling and football. He claimed a medal for his senior season.

 

Meanwhile, Philip Simmons competed in the Class AAA individual state matches and claimed 19th place in the team standings. Freshman Matt Spignardo claimed a bronze in the 126-pound division.