Despite the ongoing February chill, the 2024-2025 winter sports season at SHS has come to an end. With determination and hard work, the wrestling and basketball teams have shown resilience through a competitive year.
With an overall record of 13-13, the varsity girls basketball team faced tough games against schools, including Gaffney and Byrnes High School. Despite the losses, the team had impressive finishes against Wade Hampton with a score of 71-18 and the Eastside Eagles with a score of 55-20. The Vikings’ impressive win against Eastside was led by players Kamryn Sainvil (12) and Kaylee Nelson (10). Sainvil scored 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Azaria Sims (10) also made a difference with seven points and three steals.
Abby Edwards (10) played on the JV girls’ basketball team this year and is proud of how well the team recovered over the season.
“The team has improved a lot over the season because we had a winning record, and something I could do to personally improve my skills would be to work on my free throws,” Edwards said. “I would say my favorite game to play this season was versus Wade Hampton because everyone got a chance to score.”
The varsity boys basketball team finished the season with an overall record of 11-16. Though the games were challenging, players including Johnston Abrams (11), Dyllan Harris (11) and Logan Norton (12) all had strong, impressive seasons that led their team to success in later games.
The Viking wrestling team entered the winter season with the introduction of a separate girls’ team, with the number of girls participating this year higher than previous years.
Marlayna Rolison (10) participated in this year’s girls varsity wrestling team and is proud of her hard work and dedication.
“There’s nothing easy about wrestling. You must be a hard worker and have a high work ethic to be successful in the sport. As a wrestler, you are constantly surrounded by competition,” Rolison said. “The most fun and memorable thing about this season was supporting my team at the Bearcat Tournament. It is such a large tournament and it’s so fun to meet other wrestlers. There are so many opportunities to meet big wrestlers and experience what it’s like to be wrestling alongside some of the best wrestlers in the state. It is just so fun to walk around and have fun with my teammates for a weekend and watch some amazing matches.”
The wrestlers who placed in the Spartanburg County Wrestling Championship with outstanding performances were Nasir Lindsay (9), BJ Sanders (10), Dessa Nunez (11), Miranda Rolison (9) and Bella Moore (11).
Gerard Gauthier is the head wrestling coach at Spartanburg High School. He is proud of the team’s accomplishments and enjoyed making unforgettable memories with them this season.
“The Maiden Christmas tournament was a blast. Many of the wrestlers wore Christmas-themed gear, and we took a picture beside a Christmas tree at a hotel in Lincolnton, NC. The next day, the team finished with runner-up honors and a nice trophy,” Gauthier said.
