HOSTILE TERRITORY
Pepperell, Model advance to State Duals ♦ Dragons last team standing at Irwin County, Devils outlast everyone at Cook
Both Pepperell and Model went into hostile territory on Saturday and left as victors to claim berths at the upcoming state duals.
Pepperell traveled to Irwin County for Class A State Dual prelims while Model visited Cook for Class AA State Dual prelims, and each team earned a pair of wins to be the last team stand at their respective sites.
The Dragons, a No. 2 seed, took on No. 3 seed Montgomery County in their first match and won 50-21. That win advanced them to take on host and top seed Irwin County where they were able to earn a 55-22 victory.
Pepperell wrestlers going unbeaten in the two matches were Johnathan Hampton, Cory Moten, Kolton Edge, Gabby Waddell, Jackson Lawrence, Keljin Holmes, Matthew Waddell, Manolo Deleon and Gavin Burnett.
“We were excited to finally have a full team on the mat, and we were able to wrestle everyone in their actual weight class,” said Pepperell head coach Austin Sanders. “The guys and girls had one thing on their mind and that was proving we deserved to be back in the state duals elite eight. They fought hard
in every match and earned every victory we received. I am super proud of this team.”
The Dragons advance to Class A State Duals on Saturday at Trion High and will take on the host Bulldogs in the first rounding. The rest of the eight-team field competing on Saturday will be East Laurens, Commerce, Oglethorpe County, Mt. Pisgah, Temple and Social Circle.
Model, also a No. 2 seed, defeated Rutland in its first match on Saturday by a score of 57-20. Pins in that match came
from Jonah Houston, Bryson Mcjunkin, Brandon Welsh, Nick Moore, Rylee Kines, Grayson Phillips, Riley Davis, Noah Allmon and Zevin Major. Emmanuel Almarez also had a win.
The Devils then took on top seed and host Cook and outlasted them in a tight match for a 42-39 victory to punch their ticket to state duals. Pins in that match came from Houston, Welsh, Moore, Davis, Allmon and Landon Wade.
“Going into the last three matches of the day we were winning 36-30 in a true back and forth dual,” said Model head coach Ben Woodall. “Landon Wade wrestled a tough match and ended up reversing a bulldog for the pin in a pivotal match at 215. This gave us a 42-30 lead. However, we were going to be forfeiting the last match of the day so we knew that the score was actually 42-36 with our heavyweight match being the last match we would wrestle. Our senior heavyweight Clay Koehler ended up losing a tough match but by losing via minor decision he secured our match win.
“We wrestled well as a team and had lots of great energy. It is the first time Model has qualified for state duals in over a decade. I am very proud of the team, but we still have areas to improve and that is what we will be working for this week. Hopefully we will fully showcase our ability this week at state duals. The kids have been working hard and we are going to continue that process throughout the rest of the season.”
Model will travel to Jeff Davis High on Saturday for Class AA State Duals and take on Toombs County in its opening match. The rest of the field competing for a state title includes Rockmart, Brantley County, Landmark Christian, East Jackson, Murray County and Fannin County.
Coosa also competed in state dual prelims on Saturday as they were the No. 4 seed at Irwin County in Class A. The Eagles battled hard but lost a tough match to top seed Irwin County 47-36. They bounced back however to defeat Montgomery County in a consolation match.
“This is our third trip to prelims and the closest we’ve come to advancing, but we haven’t done it yet,” said Coosa head coach Chris Parker. “Our numbers are good, but we’re a very young team with only three seniors. Our focus now is advancing as many as we can to the state traditional tournament.”
Armuchee visited Temple for state dual prelims on Saturday in Class A as well and earned a win as the No. 2 seed in their opening match over No. 2 Schley County 78-6. The Indians fell a little short in the final match, however, losing a 38-26 battle to top seed Temple.