Little River – As a former competitor himself, wrestling is very important to Rahseen Vereen. The former North Myrtle Beach High grappler is now the head coach at his alma mater and brings a winning, competitive spirit to the region 6-AAAA program.
Vereen is wrapping up his first season as the head man at North Myrtle Beach, having competed on the collegiate level at UNC Pembroke. Vereen has a goal of leading his high school team to a state championship and the 2023-24 campaign was a good start.
The Chiefs contended for the region championship this season but to rival Myrtle Beach in the deciding matchup. Nonetheless, a good first season for the new coach.
“I am very pleased with the way this team accepted me and worked all season,” the coach said. “We started off a little shaky but we have responded well. Once we got comfortable with each other and they understood my expectations for them, we started competing better. The guys are wrestling to a higher standard now and we have seen a lot of guys improve over the season.”
In addition to local and region matches, the Chiefs took their show on the road and competed in quality tournaments away from home. A big win came at the US Military Duals in Chapin where the Chiefs won the silver bracket championship with a win over Laurens in the finals.
The Chiefs also wrestled in the Trap Duals and the Bobcat Duals down in the Beaufort area, having some success against a competitive field of teams.
The team recently competed in the region 6-AAAA individual tournament with an opportunity to see several individual wrestlers earn a bid to the AAAA Lower State meet later in February.
It was a good day overall for North Myrtle Beach as the team had three wrestlers win region championships. Levi Wheeler won the 120-pound weight class and Jake Iannone won the title at 126 pounds. Wyatt Wheeler was the champion at 132-pounds. He is a returning state champion and has been a three-time state tournament qualifier.
Four individuals qualified for the Lower State tournament with third-place finishes at the region meet. Jasaun Bellamy was third at 138 pounds and Michael Cavallini was third at 150 pounds. Cole Woody placed third at 157-pounds and Isaiah Black was third at 285 pounds.
Also qualifying with fourth-place finishes were Frank Haggerty at 175 pounds and Nick Padilla at 215 pounds.
The dual season is not yet complete as the Chiefs will wrestle in the AAAA Lower State tournament beginning on Feb 3rd. The state championship dual matches are scheduled for Feb. 10. The individual state tournament is Feb. 23-24 in Anderson.
Basketball Update
With the regular season winding down, the boys and girls basketball teams at North Myrtle Beach are looking to finish strong and earn a spot in the AAAA Lower State playoffs.
The girls team sits in good shape to be a top three finisher in region 6-AAAA heading into a key region showdown with Hartsville on Jan. 30. Coach Heather Kearney’s team is 14-6 overall and 5-2 in region play. Both losses in the region came to Wilson by a combined nine points. The Chiefs beat Hartsville earlier this season but Hartsville and Wilson are a game ahead in the standings with 6-1 records.
North Myrtle Beach closes the season with region games against South Florence and Myrtle Beach, and a non-region game against Socastee.
Junior guard Faith Farmer continues her solid season, averaging 18.2 points and 2.2 steals per game. Freshman guard Madison Vereen is averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest while junior post Nevaeh Washington is averaging 7.1 points and a team-leading 10.4 boards per game.
The boys team enters the final two weeks with work to do. After an 11-2 start, the Chiefs have struggled in region play with a 2-5 record. The Chiefs are 13-8 overall but are battling for a top four region finish. The Chiefs could use a few wins to secure a playoff spot and has games remaining against Hartsville, South Florence and Myrtle Beach. The two region wins came against Hartsville and West Florence.
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