Photo by Sefton Ipock

The Belton-Honea Path High School wrestling team defeated Pickens High School 42-36 on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008.

HONEA PATH — Blake Poore has a bad habit of peeking toward the clock.

So when both of his contact lens popped out during the 171-pound match Wednesday night against Pickens, Poore not only didn’t think it was a problem, he said it helped.

“It made me wrestle better,” said Poore, a sophomore. “I couldn’t see the clock. I didn’t care about anything by winning the match and getting the pin for my team.”

Poore’s pin led Belton-Honea Path to a come-from-behind 42-36 victory in the first round of the Class AAA state duals tournament. B-HP will have a likely second round matchup on Monday at Lugoff-Elgin, the team that beat B-HP 54-15 in the first round last year.

Against the Blue Flame, the Bears trailed 36-11 before they got wins from 135 C.J. Minor, 140 Ben Parnell, and 145 Kyle Blankenship. Then Pickens handed over two forfeits at 152 and 160, which set up Poore’s match against freshman Jake Anthony, with the score tied at 36.

Poore’s win aside, both coaches labeled Parnell’s win another game-deciding match.

“I knew when we didn’t win 140,’ Pickens coach Mark Barrett said, “we’d lost the match.”

But without Poore’s win, the Bears’ duals season is over.

“Tonight we were just going at it because everything came down to this,” said Poore, who seemed to shrug off the lost lens as an almost everyday occurrence. “It was getting real ferocious out there. I look at the clock every once in a while, but I couldn’t now. I think I just cared about pinning the guy.”

Barrett said Anthony made youthful mistakes.

“You don’t win matches here, you win them in practice,” Barrett said. “Until he gets it into his head how to do stuff without us (coaches), because we can’t be with him on the mat. But he’s coming along.”

B-HP coach Matt Wurst tried not to look at the scoreboard when his team trailed by 25, and was one match from being mathematically finished. Since Pickens didn’t weigh in a wrestler at 152 or 160, one might surmise that Wurst figured the points would eventually sway his way.

“I wouldn’t say I wasn’t worried at all,” Wurst said, with a laugh. “I knew what we were going to have to do to win, but you always are a little nervous about it working out like you want it to.”

Barrett said he hasn’t had wrestlers at 152 or 160 for most of the season because some quit the team, and others suffered injuries.

“Of course that hurts because you’re giving up 12 points,” Barrett said. “But you’ve got to play with what you’ve got.”

The win was strikingly similar to the Bears’ 39-34 win over the Blue Flame earlier this season when their heavyweight won the final match of the night.

“I like a close match,” Barrett said. “I just like it better when we come out on top.”

Since the first match, the Bears have dropped to their third-string heavyweight, which caused Wurst to bump junior 215 Josh Bowie to heavyweight.

Bowie responded with an 18-2 win, and five points, which was the only B-HP victory in the first five matches.

Keith Farner can be reached at (864) 260-1236 or by e-mail at farnerkb@IndependentMail.com

Wrestling

Belton-Honea Path 42, Pickens 36

103 — Chris Barrett (P) by forfeit; 112 — Zach Castougway (P) pinned Trevor Clinkscales (B); 119 — Wes Sexton (B) pinned Jonathan Gravley (P); 125 — Dakota Isbell (P) pinned Chris Brown (B); 130 — Devin Scott (P) pinned Brion Thompson (B); 135 — C.J. Minor (B) pinned Michael Hubbard (P); 140 — Ben Parnell (B) 17-14 over Brandon Fox (P); 145 — Kyle Blankenship (B) 13-2 over Trent Alexander (P); 152 — Elliott Dunn (B) by forfeit; 160 — Josh Smith (B) by forfeit; 171 — Blake Poore (B) pinned Jake Anthony (P); 189 — Aaron Smith (P) pinned Jonathan Olinski (B); 215 — Trey Williams (P) pinned Nathan Plank (B); Hvt — Josh Bowie (B) 18-2 over Dusty Glenn (P).

Records: Pickens 15-18, B-HP 23-10