Berkshire-Pickens wrestlers bring home state championships
FORT MILL — For the second year in a row, Berkshire-Pickens Wrestling Club’s Blake Chandler and Cole Murphy won state championship gold in their respective weight classes in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions at the SC-USAW state championships Saturday at Fort Mill High School.
Three other teammates joined the pair in winning state titles in both disciplines — Matt Frey, Kris Murphy and Devan Powell.
Other club members who took home medals were Devon Johnston, who took silver in both styles, McKinnon Stewart and Jacob Rogers who earned silvers in freestyle and Trent Burdette, who earned bronze in the freestyle competition.
Tanner Chambers, who concluded his club career with three Greco-Roman titles, was upset in the freestyle finals by Summerville’s Anthony Collins, a 4A State high school champion. Chambers had pinned Collins in the Greco finals. The loss ended Chambers’ quest to be only the second wrestler to win three consecutive Greco and freestyle titles in the junior age category.
Berkshire’s 17 medals at the competition gave it the overall team title at the competition, which drew 300 wrestlers in six different age categories.
Rogers was recently named as the seventh BPWC athlete selected to a national team, as he will represent Team South Carolina at the Schoolboy National Duals, to be held in Indianapolis June 4-7.