Jefferson wins 15th straight championship

All dual state title winners repeat in traditional meets.

For the first time since 2005, each dual state championship team completed the season sweep Saturday and captured the GHSA Traditional Wrestling titles at the Macon Centreplex, including Jefferson’s 15th consecutive championship.

In Class AAAAAA, Archer swept the titles for a third consecutive time by cruising past secondplace Chattahoochee 235.5 to 99.0. The Tigers had five individual state champions: Chris Diaz (132 pounds), Thomas Bullard (160), Daniel Bullard (170), Quinn Miller (220) and Elliott Lee (285). Lee won the state title at 190 pounds last season and successfully made the jump to 285 to fill in for Archer’s heavyweight state champ from last year, M.J. Couzan. Lee defeated Berkmar standout Jose Acosta in the final match of the weekend. Pope’s Jake Adcock won the 152-pound individual state title and wraps up his varsity career as a three-time state champion.

AAAAA Camden County outscored secondplace Woodland-Bartow 213.5-127.0 to win the school’s first traditional state title. The Wildcats qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes, and the depth carried them throughout the weekend. Jay Sheppard (138) was Camden County’s only individual champion, but second-place finishes by Lucas Nelson (106), Bryce Crew (120), Adrian Hughes (126), Denton Spencer (132), Domonique Hargrave (182) and Aaron Galegor (195) accounted for 127 of Camden County’s 213.5 points.

Like Archer, AAAA’s Gilmer completed its third consecutive sweep of titles. Lucas Patterson (132), Jamie Lopez (152), Matthew Waddell (170) and Levi Seabolt (285) gave Gilmer four first-place finishers as the Bobcats tallied 220.5 points and held off second-place Marist (147.5). Domingo Reynoso (106), Trevor Preece (113) and Marcelino Lopez (120) got Gilmer off to a fast start with second-place finishes and a combined 62.5 points in the first three weight classes. Gilmer’s William Gudger also finished second and added 22 points to the total after falling to North Hall’s Michael Carew in the 145-pound championship.

Newly reclassified Jefferson won the AAA state title for the first time, while making its annual return to the podium to collect the program’s 19th all-time traditional title. The Dragons crowned six individual champions and had 11 wrestlers finish in the top six. Dawson Bates (106), Mitchell McGhee (113) and Ben Kelly (120) conquered the first three weight classes before teammates Tanner Thurmond (132), Chase Piperato (145) and Caleb Little (182) added first-place finishes. Jefferson nearly doubled second-place Lumpkin County (125.0) with a total 240.5 points.

After winning a wrestling state title for the first time in school history at the dual state cham- pionships last month, Social Circle held off Bremen 215.0 to 160.5 to capture the AA traditional title and complete its first sweep of state titles. Cade Lackey was the only individual champion returning from the Redskins’ thirdplace finish at state last year, and he was edged by Bremen’s Joseph Stroud for first place in the 152-pound finals. However, Lackey’s runner-up finish accounted for 16 points, and Social Circle would stockpile first-place finishes at 132 pounds ( James Corasaniti), 138 (Reid Harris), 160 (Cameron Paschal) and 195 (David Endstrom).

Gordon Lee’s Jonathan Ragsdale completed a perfect 58-0 season with the AA 120-pound title and joined even rarer company, becoming the 30th four-time individual state champion in Georgia history.

Commerce dominated the Class A field with 283 points, as the Tigers more than tripled second-place Turner County (90.0) and third-place Treutlen (83.5) for the state title. A Commerce wrestler finished in the top four of every weight class and a school-record eight wrestlers were crowned individual champions. Casey Burchett (106), Jacob Brewer (113), Dalton Flint (120), Austin Brock (126), Mitchell Patton (132) and Owen Brown (138) won state titles in the first six weight classes, and Cole Chauncey took the 170-pound title before Derek Benoit capped off the Tigers’ historic weekend with a 4-3 decision over Brandon Carswell (Montgomery County) in the 285-pound final.