Heritage rallies late to earn State Duals slot

The Heritage Generals will be heading back to the Class AAAA State Duals for a second consecutive year after going 2-0 at their sectional tournament in Bainbridge this past Saturday.

After a seven-hour bus ride to extreme southern Georgia, Heritage — the Area 7 runner-up — showed no ill effects from the long trip as they hammered New Hampstead out of Savannah, 62-16, to advance to the final.

Their opponents in the final would be the host school, the champions of Area 1, who cruised past Holy Innocents’, 69-12.

The Bearcats, who matched the Generals by going 1-2 at last season’s State Duals, took a 3627 lead with just two matches remaining.

But senior Drew Dietz (138 pounds) came through with a six-point pin and fellow senior Victor Johnson (144) followed suit to give Heritage the dramatic come-from-behind win, 39-36.

Dietz went 2-0 on the day with one pin, while Johnson won twice by pin, a feat equaled by Kaden Taylor (106), Tate Thomas (113), Jaden Walker (150) and Dax Akers (175/190). Evan Wingrove (190/215) also went 2-0, scoring one technical fall.

Nolan Caylor (215) won his only bout by pin, while Josh Butler (157) was also 1-0. Landon Albright (132) finished 1-1, collecting a pin, and Logan Beasley (165) also went 1-1.

Also competing for the Generals was Tyler Ward (120), Calvin Tribble (126), Ricardo Rodriguez (157), Skylar Grant (175) and D.J. Smith (HWT).

The Lovett School in Atlanta will play host to the Class AAAA State Duals this coming Saturday and Heritage will see plenty of familiar faces there as Area 7 also saw its other three state sectional participants — Central-carroll, Sonoraville and Southeast Whitfield — punch their tickets to the finals.

Lovett, Chestatee and North Oconee also qualified for the finals, while the other team in the Elite Eight field wasn’t decided until after this newspaper’s Monday deadline.

Action is slated to start at 10 a.m.