By Thomas Grant Jr.
Returning Cardinal Newman to the top of SCISA wrestling was top priority for head coach Cole McCarter.
Saturday morning at Hammond School, his mission was accomplished in dominant fashion. The Cardinals rolled past John Paul II 67-10 to claim the SCISA title for the first time since 2018 and 10th overall.
For McCarter, it was title number seven having won two individually and four as a member of the Cardinals’ dynasty run from 2009-18.
“It’s unreal,” McCarter said. “Obviously, winning them as a wrestler is pretty special, being able to do it with your guys. But I think it’s even better doing it as a coach. The team works so hard…don’t know any wrestling and build them up and being able to celebrate.”
A 45-second pin by Aiden Canady at 120 lbs. and a 17-3 decision win by Jason Cooper Smythe at 126 points gave the Cardinals a 10-0 opening advantage.
John Paul II won two of the next three matches to get within 16-10. It was all Cardinals from there as it won the final nine matches, eight by pinfall, to secure the victory.
The Cardinals will seek more gold this Saturday when it plays host to the SCISA individual tournament.
