By Noah Robinson

Sports Editor

The 2015-2016 wrestling season came to an end last weekend with the conclusion of the state tournament in Columbia. Seniors Sam Hampton and Trey Storey represented the Jaguars at the tournament and finished second and sixth in their respective weight classes. Head Coach Doug Black voiced his satisfaction having both wrestlers finish in the top six and was very pleased with their overall performances.

Black viewed Hampton’s showing as one of the best he’s seen out of him despite coming up just short in the end.

“He probably the best tournament of his high school career,” Black said. “[It’s] disappointing he came up a little bit short but overall he had a great tournament.”

Hampton described his experiences at the tournament.

“It’s a truly exhilarating experience for sure and all the hype and spectacle prior to the match can [make] it a lot tougher task to focus and prepare [for] battle,” Hampton said.

“I would’ve really liked to have won and it’s a little disappointing to be so close and come up short, especially for someone like me who’s been as dedicated to their training as long as I have. However, despite my shortcomings there is still this great sense of achievement in my heart.”

Hampton said his tournament was especially pleasing after battling injuries throughout the year and being told by his doctor that he likely wouldn’t finish his season, things he cited as key contributors to his inspiration to make his way to the state championship.

“I gave it my all when I could’ve given up and I have that to be proud of,” Hampton said.

Storey had a bit of a rough ending to his state tournament, but Black realizes a top six finish is nothing to scoff at.

“Storey had a good tournament, didn’t have a very good ending on Saturday unfortunately but, [he] still finished in the top six. [That’s] pretty amazing for a great high school career,” Black said.

The end of the season also capped off the high school careers of seniors Achillies Griffin and Noah Pope. After a year in which inexperience was one of the main questions surrounding the team, Black knows the impact and production his seniors had will be hard to fill next year.

“They’re going to be hard to replace obviously,” Black said. “We’re losing four seniors, two of them are [multi-time] place winners [at state]. It’ll be hard to replace that but somebody is going to have to come up and step up for next year.”

Black acknowledged the amount of progress taken by a team surrounded with youth as the biggest thing to take away from the past three months, citing each day as a “challenge in itself” to keep everyone moving forward.

It will be a short break however for returning wrestlers, Black said, as preparations for next season begin in two weeks.

“Just getting back up and just working for next year, getting bigger and stronger and getting more experience on the mat,” Black said.