Truesdale, Pressley fall short in state title bids

Indian Land High junior wrestler Rondreas Truesdale’s quest for a Class A-AA 160-pound state title fell short in a tough loss on Saturday at the Anderson Convention Center.

Truesdale, who won the 160-pound Upper State title the previous weekend at Crescent High School in Iva, dropped a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Marion’s Dondre Ethridge.

Ethridge snapped a 2-all tie late in the overtime period with a crucial escape for the one-point win and the state title.

“It really was a tough loss,” IL coach Herb Johnson said. “It was a battle and Ethridge was able to get the escape to take the win.”

Truesdale, who finished 36-7 for the season, opened the state tournament with a pin of Loris High’s Steven Jenrette to advance to the semifinals.

In the semis, Truesdale faced a familiar foe in Buford’s Eric McPhearson and Truesdale posted a major decision over McPhearson to gain a berth in the state finals.

In the state title match, Truesdale and Ethridge battled to a 2-2 tie before the Marion wrestler notched the escape for the narrow victory.

The Warriors were bidding for a second straight individual state title after IL’s Trevor Jones won in 2010.

Truesdale, seeking to add another state title to his wrestling family’s record, won the Upper State with a 5-0 mark – three pins and two decisions after entering as a No. 4 seed.

Truesdale’s older brother, Rondale, won a state title during his Warriors’ wrestling career under former IL coach Mike Kersey. Rondale Truesdale is now an assistant coach in the Warriors’ program.

BHS’s Pressley       places fourth

u Buford had three wrestlers place in the top five of the Class A-AA state tournament in Anderson on Saturday.

Eric McPhearson, at 160, placed third overall to earn a bronze medal.

Marcus Pressley, who  won a Class A-AA Upper State title the week prior, was fourth wth a 2-2 mark. Pressley finished the year with a 32-3 mark.

Pressley will compete in the annual North-South All-Star wrestling Classic at North Myrtle Beach this weekend.

“After winning the Upstate title, I know Marcus was disappointed, but I’m glad he has a chance to compete in the all-star tournament at North Myrtle Beach. Marcus has had an outstanding career and he deserves to be in there with the stat’s top senior wrestlers.”

Buford 189-pound wrestler Zach Wright was 1-2 to place fifth. In his win, Wright trailed by two points late in the match, but scored three points on a escape and takedown .

“That was an impressive move by Zach to get that one-point win,” Mahaffey said. “We have two wrestlers who qualified for the state coming back and I though we had a good season.L think we have a solid team back off an 11-win season.”