Landrum wrestling hosted region foe Blacksburg and 4A Spartanburg on Friday, Dec. 16. The Cardinals beat Blacksburg 48-26, but dropped the match to Spartanburg 54-26.
This was the second straight night against 4A competition for the Cardinals. On Thursday, Dec. 15, Landrum squared off with Boiling Springs, and the team will wrestle in a Dorman tournament next week.
This early season schedule was meant to be tough, according to Landrum coach Josh Fowler.
“It’s valuable wrestling experience for us,” he said. “It helps us prepare for our playoffs and our region.”
The flurry that follows will be the tournament season for wrestling teams in Spartanburg County and then region matchups beginning in January.
Against Blacksburg, the Cardinals got pins from Houston Burch, Andrew Burns and Edward Molina. Landrum’s top two wrestlers, Danny Seay and Josh Jones, won by forfeit.
In their matchup against the Vikings, Spartanburg dominated early, but the Cardinals got some good matches out of Seay and Jones. Seay pinned Freddy Juarez with 1:28 left to go in the first period in the 153-lb weight class. Jones pinned Christopher Bouknight with 36 seconds left in the first period. Jeremy Graham pinned Spartanburg’s Christian Gilchrist with 1:08 left in the first period.
“(The tough schedule) makes it easier on us in the long run,” Fowler said.