Tough losses hurt area teams at GHSA state duals
MACON, Ga. — Northwest Georgia will not have a wrestling team in the championship round of the GHSA state duals for the second consecutive year, though in a couple of cases on Friday, the difference between moving on and moving out was by the slimmest of margins.
The closest competition was in Class A, where both Gordon Lee and Trion lost matches by a single point. Gordon Lee fell in the quarterfinals to Irwin County, 40-39, in a match that was decided by by tiebreaker criteria. Trion, after getting past Turner County 48-23, lost 37-36 to Wesleyan in the semifinals.
The second-seeded Bulldogs trailed the Wolves 25-6 after six bouts in the dual that started at 145 pounds. Trion closed the gap quickly after Logan Blevins received a forfeit at 220, heavyweight Aiden Brock won by pin and Dalton Sparks earned a decision at 106.
The teams exchanged pins over the next four bouts, with Trion’s Bolen Strickland and Noah Deparlier getting maximum points to make it a 37-33 match heading into the final bout. Wesleyan’s Corey Berry, needing only to avoid a pin at 138 pounds to secure the match, did so in a 4-3 loss to Trion’s Lincoln Maddux. The Bulldogs will wrestle the winner of the Gordon Lee/ Strong Rock Christian match at 10:30 this morning, with the winner advancing to the third-place match.
In Class AAA, No. 3 seed Sonoraville, after defeating McNair 51-19 in the quarterfinal round, lost 47-26 to No. 2 seed North Hall in the semifinals. The Phoenix lost a pair of key bouts early in the match that started at 145 pounds and were put away by the Trojans before the team’s pair of individual state champions could make a difference at the end.
“We felt we had to win early because we knew they were really good in some places later that would be tough for us,” said Sonoraville coach Randy Steward, whose team finished third in his first season a year ago. “They were just better today. I didn’t like where the match started because we had to be within 11 in order for Tyler Hunt and Trevor Burdick to make a difference, and we weren’t.
“There’s never been a state championship won here, and we want to be the first. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and we have to get up here tomorrow morning and win the third-place trophy to try and take the sting out out of this.”
In Class AAAA, Heritage was eliminated after going 2-2. The Generals easily got past Baldwin, 66-13 in the consolation bracket’s second round, but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Marist, 38-37. Ryan Craft, Seth Ingle, Jeffery Curtis and Zaine Burton each had two wins Friday.
Also in AAAA, Gilmer earned a 32-27 win over Troup County and will face top-seeded Jefferson in today’s championship. The Dragons defeated the Bobcats to win last year’s duals title.
In Class AAAAAA, Dalton, after losing its first match, rallied in the consolation bracket Friday with a pair of wins. The Catamounts defeated Stephenson 63-15 early Friday before eliminating South Paulding, 36-31. They will face Lee County this morning at 8:30 in the consolation quarterfinals.
Dalton was boosted by two wins each from Ethan Arnold, Malik Coleman, Kevin Diaz, William O’Brien, Hunter O’Neal, and Jaxon Wells.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.
“We felt we had to win early because we knew they were really good in some places later that would be tough for us. They were just better today. I didn’t like where the match started because we had to be within 11 in order for Tyler Hunt and Trevor Burdick to make a difference and we weren’t.” – SONORAVILLE COACH RANDY STEWARD ON NORTH HALL