The Chesterfield High wrestling team kicked off its season Saturday with a strong performance at the Sandiford Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. The Rams finished in second place out of 10 teams, falling behind tournament host Myers Park, one of the top AAAA programs in North Carolina.

"We didn't wrestle great and still almost won the tournament," Chesterfield head coach Lance Abernathy said. "We have a long way to go but have the potential to be pretty good. Once we get our veterans in shape and our newcomers start developing, we can have a great year if we stay healthy."

Winning their weight classes on Saturday were Danny Curtis at 112 pounds and Dave Michaud in the 119 class.

Curtis' effort was enough to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler by all 10 of the voting coaches.

"Danny looked like a state championship contender today," Abernathy said. "He scored three pins and did not allow a single point to be scored against him the entire day. He truly turned some coaches' heads with his strength and technique."

Michaud, who was crowned last year's 103 pound state champ, showed he was able to handle himself in the 119 division this year.

"We were curious as to how Michaud would react and wrestle after winning the state at 103 last year," Abernathy said. "He gained enough weight to bump up two classes this year, and sometimes it takes a while to get used to going against stronger boys. But it looks like he is going to be just fine."

R.L. Stack, Joe Bragg and Dan Hanna all scored second-place finishes in their divisions to earn the Rams valuable team points at the tournament. Stack recorded the quickest pin at Saturday's event, finishing off an opponent from Harding in 10 seconds in the quarterfinals.

Chesterfield's Jay Gainey and Buddha Bridges both finished third in their respective weight classes, each having to fight back from losses in the semifinals. Gainey's victories at the tournament gave him his 100th career win, placing him in an elite group of former Chesterfield grapplers with 100 career wins.

Rounding out the top finishers for Chesterfield were Tony Moser and Daquan Ingram. Both came in fourth and helped propel the Rams to a runner-up finish.

"We have young, more inexperienced wrestlers who showed flashes of potential," Abernathy said. "These guys are developing, and we are confident that they will be ready when it counts in February."

Chesterfield's wrestling team will be in action again Dec. 10 as the Rams host a highly anticipated match with Cheraw at 7 p.m. Last year Cheraw rallied to defeat Chesterfield by one point in the Lower State finals and went on to win the State Championship.

This year, Chesterfield and Cheraw enter the season ranked two and three in the state respectively.