LAURINBURG — Head coach Thomas Havener was well-aware of the challenge that awaited the Scotland High wrestling team at Jack Britt High’s 20th annual Boneyard Bash tournament on Friday and Saturday.
The Scots competed against some regional powers at the tournament. None of the Scots placed in the top six individually, although senior Devaun Hailey fell just short of a top-six finish in the 220-pound weight class. Hailey’s run came to an end with a 4-3 loss to Seventy-First’s Devean Thaggard in the fifth round of the consolation bracket.
“We definitely got better this weekend,” Havener said. “The Boneyard Bash is not a tournament for the weak-hearted. It’s a lot of great teams out here. Every single team has a good group of guys.
“Any time you can place anywhere or get guys through the consolation bracket, it definitely helps,” he added. “We definitely made some progress. We had our first female wrestler for Scotland in a while. So overall, the team got better this weekend.”
As a team, Scotland finished in 23rd place out of 29 schools. Liberty High School, of Bealeton, Virginia, took first place (232.5 points). The runner-up was Sandhills Athletic Conference competitor Pinecrest (205.5).
Several other SAC teams competed as well: Jack Britt (eighth place), Lumberton (11th), Seventy-First (18th) and Purnell Swett (T-27th).
Seven wrestlers scored points for the Fighting Scots: Seth English, three points, 132 pounds; Jason Blackenship, four points, 138 pounds; Landon Sessoms, four points, 145 pounds; Mark Aiken, seven points, 152 pounds; Brendon Smith, four points, 170 pounds; Zayden Christian, five points, 182 pounds; and Devaun Hailey, nine points, 220 pounds.
Hailey’s run was tough, but Havener liked what he saw from his senior grappler.
“He showed a lot of heart wrestling back,” Havener said. “He had to wrestle the same guy twice (Fairmont’s Dazon Ellerby), and he beat the guy twice. Then he had a hard last match.
“He’ll make strides. It’ll make it interesting come regional time.”
Next up for the Scots is the Bulldog Invitational at St. Pauls High on Saturday.
Havener said his team showed some resilience while spending long days at the Boneyard Bash, and that will help the Scots in the future.
“It gets tiring after a while, but at the end of the day we’re a resilient team,” Havener said. “Even when we’re sore and beat up, we’ve got to push through those matches. Because at the end of the day that’s our job, to go after it every single day.”
