Mariakis, Jarvis earn state wrestling gold in Macon
Jacob Mariakis came into the state finals in Macon on Saturday knowing he would likely be facing two opponents.
The first was Troup County senior Chase Seals, whom Mariakis had gotten past in the finals of the state sectionals the week before.
The second was Mariakis’ own surgically-repaired shoulder, which had flared up on him briefly in practice last week.
However, the Ridgeland junior was able to conquer both.
In much the same fashion as he did a year ago, Mariakis got out to a big lead before fighting through shoulder pain and holding on to claim his second consecutive Class 4A state crown with a 14-6 victory.
“It feels good, but God gets all the glory,” Mariakis said. “It’s kind of a miracle that I even wrestled this year because I had surgery later this year than I did last year, but God always comes through for me and I can’t thank Him enough. I can’t thank my brothers and my dad enough. They get me to where I need to be, so I really probably wouldn’t even be in this tournament without them. They kept me focused during my recovery.”
“I’d just like for him to be able to go through a full season healthy,” said Keith Mariakis, Jacob’s dad and Ridgeland’s head coach. “He trained a whole lot longer this year, lungwise, to be in shape for this one. In the state finals, the nerves kick in, so you’re going to use a lot more energy, but he did a good job and wrestled smart. He scored a bunch of points early and really just took what (Seals) gave him.”
After three easy wins in his first three matches of the weekend, including a first period pin, a 15-0 technical fall and a 13-0 win in the semifinals, Mariakis nearly put the championship match away in the opening minute after landing a quick five-point move. Seals was ultimately able to escape the pinning predicament, but went into the third
For two straight years, Braden Jarvis had earned a spot in the state finals and for two straight years, he was stung by two heartbreaking losses.
As a sophomore, a final takedown that could have sent the match to overtime was judged to have come after time had expired, resulting in a 3-1 loss. As a junior, Jarvis suffered an ankle injury less than 30 seconds into the championship bout and was ultimately forced to default the match.
But as a senior, with one more shot at glory on the line, Jarvis simply refused to be denied.
The Gordon Lee standout came in with a gameplan against Commerce senior Braxton Legg and followed it to the letter, winning 8-4 in the Class 1A finals at 170 pounds.
“I just went at my pace,” Jarvis explained. “I slowed it up a little at the end, but I had a good enough lead to just chill by then and do what I had to do.”
It was the third victory for Jarvis in the state tournament. He opened with a 15-5 major decision against Mount de Sales’s Gozien Iteogu before holding off Wesleyan’s George Bielan, 7-5, in the semifinals.
In the finals, Jarvis got a quick takedown and never lost the lead. He was leading 6-2 in the third period when Legg scored an escape. Legg then earned another point seconds later, but Jarvis came right back with a final takedown, putting Legg on the mat in the closing seconds to cement the win and a perfect 43-0 senior season.
“He definitely deserves this one,” Gordon Lee head coach Jason Mull said. “He’s gotten second the last two years and he’s really worked his tail off. There’s not much else to say when you go undefeated and finish the season off with a state championship. He won every match we threw at him this year and did everything we asked him to do.”
Jarvis said capping his career with an unbeaten year was the icing on the cake.
“This means the world to me,” he said. “I had a bad draw the last two years, but I knew that if I did what I had to do, I would come out on top. It’s just awesome to finish undefeated after a couple years of heartbreak.”
Jarvis’ win gave the Trojans four state medalists.
Sophomore Hunter Burnette (106) lost to Irwin County freshman Gunnar Willingham in the finals, 2-1. Burnette
looked to be in position for a takedown with just over 30 seconds remaining in the match, but Willingham was able to wriggle free and keep Burnette at bay the rest of the way.
Senior Jarrett Lassetter (160) battled back to earn third place, while senior Caleb Vines (220) took fourth.
As a team, Gordon Lee finished fifth in the Class 1A standings with 71 points. Commerce won the team title with 212 points, followed by Darlington (113.5), Trion (107) and Irwin County (81).