Santana brothers give South Effingham wrestling team a winning edge
GUYTON — Forty years ago, the Latin rock band Santana released the song “Winning.”
South Effingham’s Santana brothers, Emilio and Enrique Santana, are producing similar wrestling tunes.
Just three weeks into the season, freshman Emilio, a 106-pounder, has compiled a 18-0 record, while older brother Enrique, a 160-pound junior, is 19-1.
“It’s fun to be on the same team because I look up to him,” Emilio said.
The brothers have followed similar athletic paths. Both play football — Emilio, a wide receiver and cornerback on the Mustangs freshman team; Enrique, a backup middle linebacker on varsity.
Both played travel baseball and both gave soccer a try.
More: South Effingham High School wrestling puts on a preseason show
But wrestling has been where they excelled and now, together, have helped SEHS to a 19-1 record in dual matches.
Emilio registered a pin and Enrique won by a decision to contribute nine points in South’s thrilling 36-33 victory over Richmond Hill in the championship match of Effingham County’s Blue Line Duals on Nov. 20.
“When last spring ended (for traditional wrestling), you could see there was so much talent in Enrique," Mustangs coach Christopher Bringer said. "Those brothers put in the work during the summer and it shows with the start they’re having."
Last season, Enrique trimmed down to 152 pounds and placed third in the region, then won two matches at state and finished with a 14-7 record.
His only loss this season came in a majority decision to Vidalia’s Hunter Manning, who won a Class 3A state championship last season.
“It’s a little intense to watch (Enrique) when he’s wrestling someone good. I get nervous,” Emilio said.
More: Girls flag football season kicks off at South Effingham High School
Emilio was 8-0 in the 100-pound weight class in middle school last season and has continued his winning ways.
“It’s exciting because I can get him better and he can be great,” Enrique said. “He’s undefeated now, but he’s going to get calmer and he’ll be better.”
SEHS has benefited from sibling power. The Santanas are one of four pairs of brothers — Ashton and Stephen Tootle, Gavin and Ashton Anderson, and David and Jacob Galindez are the others — on the Mustangs’ wrestling team.
A year ago, the Mustangs finished third in the region during team competition and won a match against a second-seeded team in the first round of state.
After a second-place showing at Ware County’s Swamp Duals (a three-point loss to Richmond Hill) and 10 wins in two days at the Turkey Duals, South Effingham's 2021 start has been like another Santana rock hit — Smooth.
Basketball: Mustang Madness at South Effingham High School preps the local basketball scene
The Region 2-6A tournament will be held Jan. 8 at Richmond Hill, the first round of state (a four-team quad) will be held Jan. 14-15, with the eight quad winners advancing to the state finals in Brunswick on Jan. 21-22.
“Last year, we choked away some matches and weren’t so hot, but this year everyone’s put in work during the offseason,” Enrique said. “It would be nice to get to the final eight.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: South Effingham High School wrestling brothers are winning matches
