STAYING STRONG

♦ Rockmart finishes second at the 42nd Annual Jacket Invitational

There was plenty of action all around in the Rockmart High School gymnasium last week, and the Yellow Jacket wrestling squad is waiting to see more.

Wrestlers from 17 different schools, including host Rockmart, came out for the 42nd Annual Jacket Invitational wrestling tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 29, and put on an all-day clinic in some of the top wrestling in Northwest Georgia.

In the end, Rockmart finished second among the team standings with 218.5 points and four tournament champions. Trion took the overall team title with 277.5 points, while Dade County finished third (155.5), Pepperell was fourth (110.5) and Cedartown rounded out the top five teams with 106 points.

The Jackets got some top performances out of their wrestlers against some stiff competition.

James Murray battled his way through the 132-pound bracket to reach the finals against Whitewater’s Jackson Mills, where he got down 4-0 in points before pulling out a reverse and pinning his opponent in the second period.

Izaeah Beavers won both of his first matches at 120 pounds by technical fall before meeting up with Trion’s Seth Huskins in the finals. The pair went the full three periods before Beavers managed to pull ahead 10-8 in the final seconds and claim the title.

Rockmart’s Gunner Chambers took on Trion’s Crawford Lee in the 126-pound championship match and won by fall in the second period, while TK Davis pinned Central-Carroll’s Colson Hoffman at 113 pounds to win the tournament championship.

Here are other local top finishers:

ROCKMART

Logan Opdycke runner up at 106 Hunter Wilson second at 145 Nahzir Turner third at 160 Jase Davis second at 285

CEDARTOWN

Adam Payton third at 120 Jesus Navarro third at 152 Isaac Ritter third at 170

Jeremy Stewart Rockmart’s Izaeah Beavers (top) stays in control over Trion’s Seth Huskins during the 120-pound championship match at the Jacket Invitational on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Beavers would pull ahead late to take a 10-8 decision and win the division title.

Jeremy Stewart Cedartown’s Isaac Ritter (left) takes on Coosa’s Gage Cole in the 170-pound consolation semifinals at the Jacket Invitational on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Ritter would finish third in his weight class.

Jeremy Stewart Rockmart’s TK Davis (left) works to take down Central-Carroll’s Colson Hoffman during the 113-pound finals of the Jacket Invitational at Rockmart High School on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.