Lugoff-Elgin Wrestling Finishes Season

Head Coach Ted Monroe is proud of his Demons.

“We started the year battling injury, and that plagued us throughout the season. Despite that, we had some solid tournaments; were always in the mix,” says Monroe.

Monroe attributes the success of the program this year to a dedicated as- sistant coaching staff, and a good mixture of experience with seven seniors, and youthful energy from the seven underclassmen on this season’s starting line-up.

“I’ve got a very deep staff – most of the assistant coaches have been with me since I took over Varsity eight years ago,” says Monroe. “These guys are well-respected by our wrestlers, and they bring a lot of energy into the room.”

Assistant Coaches for the Demons include Joe Carron, Eric Cooper, Matt Medelssohn, Jay Murray and Brice Carron.

For Senior Roan Ferris, who wrestles in the 152 lb class, the team is like a band of brothers.

“We all got along very well and when we wrestled, we put everything on the line for each other,” says Ferris. “We had each other’s backs no matter what.”

Senior Ethan Korn agrees.

“Our team was not a team at the beginning,” says Korn. "The team and the coaches challenged each other to be better people, wrestlers, teammates, and leaders. Ever since then, our team has never been more successful on the mat because we made ourselves better for each other.”

Senior Cameron Reddick will also cherish the times spent with teammates and remembers the challenges that brought them together.

“The biggest challenge for me this season would have to be getting in to wrestling shape after coming from football season,” says Reddick. “As a wrestling team, we struggled to put a line-up together with the challenges of injuries and sickness.”

Things for the Demons began coming together in late January as the regional tournament approached.

“Everyone was healthy at the same time, the kids were hungry, and they wanted it,” says Monroe. “When the region tourney came around, we got our lineup straightened out and we won our 7th consecutive region championship. That win set us up well for the playoffs, and we had a dominant run in the Lower State playoffs.

Though they ultimately lost the State Finals to Eastside, Coach Monroe is excited for the future.

“On the surface, there are going to be doubts because we’re losing a lot of quality seniors in the 152 weight class and up, but we’ve got some very talented kids coming from the middle school and I know our underclassmen are going to step up,” says Monroe.

Monroe expects a championship level team next year.

“We feel like we’re going to be back in the mix again next year, and I’m excited about the challenge to get it done again with a younger group,” says Monroe.

The LEHS Demons finished the season with a 43-9 record. This weekend, eight Demon Wrestlers will be fighting for an individual State Champion title. Good luck to Titan Magee, Quentin Benjamin, Rylan Griggs, Roan Ferris, Cameron Reddick, Carson Miles, Ethan Korn, and Jonathan Sirard.