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SEHS rallies to win region wrestling crown
Brayden "Bear" Bringer
South Effingham's Brayden "Bear" Bringer looks for an opening in his 132-pound weight class matchup against Glynn Academy. Bringer won a 10-8 decision to provide the Mustangs with three team points at the Region 2-6A Dual Wrestling Championships at SEHS Jan. 13. South won the team title 38-21 over Glynn. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

GUYTON – Trailing by two points with just four matches left in the Region 2-6A Dual Championships Jan. 13, South Effingham’s wrestling team counted on freshman Zach Utnehmer.

He didn’t wrestle with the team during the summer, just a kid who showed up, said Mustangs’ coach Christopher Bringer.

But Utnehmer showed up on the biggest stage, scoring a decision win in the 175-pound weight class as South held off Glynn Academy 38-21 to win its second straight region dual title.

The Mustangs travel to North Forsyth High School this weekend in search of another second – a second straight Class 6A state title.

The 16-team state tournament begins with two matches on Friday night, leading the eventual winner to semifinal and final showdowns on Saturday.

“A lot of people thought we lost a lot from the state title (team) at the beginning of the year,” Bringer said. “We’re just not an athletic looking team. We just go out there and wrestle.”

Bringer had a pep talk with Utnehmer, who was facing a muscular opponent.

“Man, you see the kid is stronger than you, but you’re better than him. You’re a better athlete,” Bringer said. “Just wrestle and score points.”

And he did. Utnehmer won 6-1 to give South three points and a 22-21 lead. DaMyon McFarlin, CJ Lord and Ashton Anderson cleaned up the last three weight classes with a majority decision and two pins for the Mustangs’ final 16 points.

South raised its dual record to 33-0 this season. Bringer said he expected to be the top seed at state.

“This one feels really good,” Bringer said. “I want (to win) state more this year than last year….  (To win the region) at home, under the spotlight, I was more emotional. … We didn’t give in.”

South began Saturday as the region’s No. 1 seed and had a first-round bye. The Mustangs dismantled Brunswick 62-9 in the semifinals to wrestle Glynn for the region title.

Alarik Gibson
South Effingham's Alarik Gibson celebrates after scoring a takedown in the final seconds to win his 113-pound weight class match against Glynn Academy. South won the Region 2-6A Dual Wrestling Championships 38-21 over Glynn Jan. 13 at SEHS. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
The Terrors had an early lead with a pin at 106, but Alarik Gibson’s last-second takedown gave SEHS a 6-5 win at 113. Emilio Santana followed with a 14-2 victory at 120 and the Mustangs had a 7-6 lead.

Brayden “Bear” Bringer had a tense 10-8 victory at 132 and reliable Gannon White added a 5-2 decision win at 144 to keep the Mustangs ahead 13-12.

Brandon “Moose” Bringer scored a first-round pin at 157 to make it 19-18.

Moose Bringer (43-0 this season) has 151 career wins, fourth most in school history, Coach Bringer said.

A decision loss at 165 put SEHS behind 21-19.

Utnehmer’s decision win, followed by McFarlin’s 8-0 majority decision put the Mustangs ahead, 26-21.

Lord then pinned his opponent in the third round at 215 to seal the win. Anderson, the defending Class 6A traditional state champion, added a pin to balloon the margin of victory.

“When it comes down to it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was us (and Glynn) in the finals,” said Coach Bringer, who expected North Forsyth and Woodward Academy to be among the teams to beat.

Effingham County wrestling under first-year coach Isiah Royal also had an impactful season. The Rebels entered the tournament as a No. 3 seed. They beat Lakeside 68-9 in the first round, then was defeated by Glynn Academy 69-6 before falling to Grovetown 45-30 in the consolation bracket.