Bulldogs sending nine to state sectionals

The Cedartown High School wrestling team had three region champions with them as they returned home Saturday night from Jasper with a total of nine moving on to compete for a state title.

The MatDawgs competed in the Region 7-4A traditional tournament on Saturday at Pickens High School and built on their performance last season to have three out of their six wrestlers in the finals win individual titles.

Adam Payton (120 pounds), Jesus Navarro (152), and Peyton Holloway (285) each won their respective division’s championship while Fernando Cordova (126), Isaac Ritter (170), and Braden Stocks (195) finished as runners-up.

Malik Blyden earned third place at 182 pounds, and Gage Mason (132) and Tristan Gibson (220) both finished fourth in their respective brackets.

The top four in each division at the region tournament will move on to the Class 4A “B” state sectionals at Troup County High School on Feb. 5, increasing Cedartown’s number of state qualifiers from three to nine since last season.

The top six finishers at sectionals will then advance to the GHSA Traditional State Wrestling Championships in Macon on Feb. 10-11.

Payton got an 11-4 decision over his opponent in the 120-pound finals Saturday, while Navarro won 7-1 over his opponent for the 152-pound title. Cedartown heavyweight Holloway pinned Kaleb Disharoon in the first period of their title bout.

Cordova, who won the region individual title at 120 pounds last season, battled Pickens’ Dylan Gonzalez for the full three periods of regulation to come out tied 2-2. Gonzalez took the win with a takedown in the first overtime period.