Lafayette Mat Ramblers keep rolling
Less than a month into the season and the Lafayette Ramblers have already reached 20 dual match victories...and counting.
Wins No. 19 and No. 20 came last Tuesday night in Shannon as the Mat Ramblers defeated host Model, 48-27, and scored an exciting 42-40 victory over Adairsville.
The match against the Tigers began at 106 pounds and see nine lead changes before the Ramblers finally picked up the victory. Lafayette would fall behind 16-0 after the first three bouts, but pins by Avery Sullivan (126), Carson Lanier (132) and J.J. Muder (138) would put the Orange-and-black up, 18-16.
Adairsville went back in front after a pin at 145 and the lead would continue to change hands after each of the remaining bouts.
Lafayette would get pins by Hunter Deal (152), Brady Beard (170) and David Patterson (195) before Adairsville took its final lead, 40-36, on a forfeit at 220. But Lafayette sent Matthew Wallin to the mat and the veteran would get the pin 56 seconds into the heavyweight bout to give his team the two-point victory.
Against Model, Hector Velez (113), Sullivan (126), Lanier (132), Muder (138), Price (145), Jacob Zwiger (160), Beard (170) and Wallin (285) would account for the Ramblers’ points.
Gordon Lee was also at Model on Tuesday and they split a pair of matches with the Blue Devils and the Tigers. Gordon Lee defeated Model, 41-32, but dropped a 39-34 decision to the Tigers. The Trojans and the Ramblers did not match up.
Penn Askew, Logan Butler, Avery Geer, Owen Frost and Bryce James each went 2-0.
The Trojans also traveled to Armuchee for a trimatch on Friday and lost two tough matches to Trion (46-24) and the host Indians (42-36).
Butler, Frost, Hunter Burnette and Nathan Hunley each went 2-0 on the night, while Makayden Martin won her only match.
Lafayette sweeps at Heritage
Lafayette improved to 22-2 in dual matches after sweeping Coahulla Creek and Heritage in a tri-match in Boynton on Thursday night.
The two Area 6-AAAA rivals met up in the last match of the night with Lafayette scoring a 45-33 victory.
It was a costly match for the Generals as the home team, already without three starters going into the match, saw two more starters go down with injuries.
Sullivan (126 pounds) got a pin for Lafayette to start the match. Lanier (132) picked up a win by injury default and Muder (138) also scored a victory by pin. Price (145) picked up a 7-1 victory over Garrett Pennington before Deal (152) scored a surprising pin despite trailing 8-0 at the time of the winning move.
Heritage would take the next three matches on pins by Christian Merrill (160) and Seth Ingle (170), followed by Drake Parker’s forfeit victory at 182.
The two teams would alternate victories in the final six bouts of the night. Patterson (195) picked up an injury default for Lafayette before Randy Brooks (220) would get a pin for the Generals. Wallin (285) would answer with the pin for the Ramblers. Enrique Rodriguez (106) would hold off Keegan Johns, 11-10, to get three points for Heritage. Velez (113) would get six points on a forfeit for Lafayette, while Heritage’s Ryan Craft (120) took the final match with a pin.
Lafayette began its night with a 61-18 win over the Colts.
The Ramblers got pins from Johns (106), Velez (113), Jazzen Nelson (120), Sullivan (126), Lanier (132), Deal (152), Zwiger (160), Joseph Ayers (220) and Wallin (285). Muder (138) picked up 6-2 decision, while Price (145) won his match, 10-0.
Heritage opened the evening with a 40-37 victory over the Colts. Craft (120), Ian Burgett (132), Garret Stephens (152), Merrill (160) Ingle (170) and Matthew Tetreault (220) all won by pin. Alex Eacret (195) scored a 17-7 major decision as the Generals moved to 16-10 on the year.
Wallin second in Dalton
At the Dalton Carpet Classic on Saturday, Lafayette finished ninth overall with 72 points.
Wallin was the only Rambler to advance the finals as he took second in the heavyweight division. He went 2-1 with one major decision on the day. Lanier was 3-1 at 132 with a pair of pins as he took third place, while Sullivan was 4-2 at 126 with three pins. He finished in fourth place.
Steven Sanford (126) was 3-2 with two pins. Deal (152) was 3-2 with two pins and Zwiger (160) was 3-2 with three pins. Johns (106), Jake Price (145), Hayden Rainwater (145) and Zach Price (152) all went 1-2 with one pin.
Heritage sent four junior varsity wrestlers to the event. Mike Stokes (152) was the only wrestler to win a match as he went 1-2 in his weight class.