Coming off a state-winning season last year, Carolina Forest Wrestling is continuing their success this season. Practicing drills, building strength, and learning techniques are some of the core responsibilities upheld by our wrestlers. Last season, varsity wrestling went nearly undefeated and went on to states. At the state tournament in Columbia, S.C, they took home the trophy.
Carolina Forest Wrestling has grown significantly over the past few years. As the school grows, so does the interest in sports. Currently, there are a total of 87 wrestlers. There are 37 middle-schoolers, 27 JV, and 23 varsity. The head coach of the team is Matthew Perdue.
The team practices Tuesday through Friday with meets up to multiple times a week. South Carolina has 14 weight classes for males and females. The season begins in December and runs through February. The team competes in tournaments, duals, and individual matches.
Throughout the year, many of our wrestlers participate in club programs and national circuit tournaments. In these programs and tournaments, they build on their skills in order to prepare for the wrestling season.
In wrestling, there are three periods per match where wrestlers receive points based on certain positions. A takedown is getting the opponent off their feet (two points). An escape is getting out of the bottom (one point). Reversals are getting out from the bottom and getting back to the top (two points). A pin which is getting both of the opponent’s shoulders on the mat, an automatic win. A match can also end once a person has a 15-point lead, called a tech.
Matthew Perdue has been coaching wrestling at CFHS for eight years. He has developed our wrestling program into success. With so much experience at this school, he sees the potential in the players here and continues to help them grow.
“Only eight teams have gone back-to-back since the turn of the century. So, we preach that the legacy they are building will be the standard for future teams,” shared Coach Perdue.
Our varsity team has continued to do great and are currently ranked first in the state. Their recent match against Carvers Bay had a score of 66-12. At Hartsville on December 12 and 13, CFHS took home the trophy from the Red Rumble Tournament. They also started off their season winning the Stratford duals.
At the Carvers Bay match, two of the varsity players reached their 100 varsity win: Calvin Grover and Joseph Britt, both seniors at CFHS.
JV wrestling has also been seeing success this season. They currently have a winning record and many of the new wrestlers this season see constant improvement. They can look forward to a tournament this weekend at Socastee, where they will compete in hopes of bringing home a trophy.
Vincent Testaverde, a sophomore, is the JV captain. He has been wrestling since eighth grade and wrestles at the 165 lbs. weight class.
“It initially started as me wrestling to get better at football but now, I just like the competitiveness of the sport.”
Six years ago there were no girls wrestling for CFHS, but now the school has eight girl wrestlers. They have built a strong foundation for the girls and that has allowed them to grow and become strong wrestlers. Female wrestling brings just as much intensity and strength as the males do. They train persistently to achieve their goals
Brianna Bartolini, a freshman, has seen great progress within herself. She has been wrestling for 10 months, but in that time, her hard work has truly paid off. Recently, at the Hartsville tournament, she went 5-1 and received third place. She is also the girl leader in almost every category.
“My brother inspired me to wrestle, and my family is my motivation; they push me to do my best,” shared Bartolini.
As CFHS continues to grow each year with new students, the wrestling team has tremendously benefited from it. With the work of coaches and dedicated players, the wrestling program will continue to achieve greatness. CFHS has such a large and outstanding program, there is no doubt that CFHS Wrestling has a chance to go back-to-back and triumph is foreseeable.
