Boiling Springs wrestler Carlos Rios has delayed surgery on his torn labrum.
Before he has work done, he has work to do.
Rios originally intended to skip the high school individuals state championships beginning this weekend at Boiling Springs in order to have surgery as soon as the Bulldogs’ team season ended in the SCHSL duals. That happened Saturday night, when the Bulldogs lost to Carolina Forest, 42-31, in the Class AAAAA Division 1 final.
Rios, a junior ranked No. 5 in the state at 165 pounds by the South Carolina Coaches Association, didn't even get to wrestle. He won by forfeit. Carolina Forest had already clinched.
On Sunday morning, Boiling Springs coach Lee Thomas got a text from Rios.
Change of plan about the surgery. Two-point reversal.
“He told me, ‘I don’t think I want to end it like that,’ ” Thomas said. “ ‘I’ll get my shoulder fixed after individuals.’ I said, ‘I like the way you’re thinking.’ ”
Upper State individuals championships will take place Friday and Saturday at four sites. Class AAAA will be at Westside, Class AAA at West-Oak, and Class AA at Chesnee. Rules were changed this season by the SCHSL for Class AAAAA, allowing for the top eight instead of the normal four to advance to the state finals Feb. 21-22 in Florence.
Thomas said Rios can’t do any more damage to his shoulder.
“He’s not going to hurt it worse,” Thomas said. “It’s just that if his shoulder comes out, we’ll have to put it back in. It’s happened three times on the mat this season.”
Boiling Springs wrestlers among the favorites to take Upper State championships are Luke Hillers at 113, Aidan Surratt at 132 and Eric Ellis at 150. They are all juniors. Hillers finished third at state last year at 106, Surratt is ranked No. 1 in the Upper State at 132, and Ellis is No. 2 overall at 150.
Key seniors for the Bulldogs are Tyrell Nesbitt at 285, Gavin Calhoun at 215 and Hassim Gilbeck at 190. Nesbitt is ranked No. 4 but will have to contend with Dorman’s Enahjay Fowler, back-to-back state champion. Calhoun is a transfer from Abbeville, where he finished runner-up last year in Class AA.
Other No. 1-ranked wrestlers from the Upstate are freshman Jake Strickland of Hillcrest at 106, junior Conner Beaudin of Byrnes at 138, senior George Maholtz of Eastside at 157 and junior Peyton Schrader of Eastside at 175.
Todd Shanesy covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ.