Road to a Georgia State Duals Title (3A, 2A, and 1A)
Each team traveled a different on their way to a Georgia Duals title … some were thrilling, others were a surprise to most of us that pay attention, and others were what we expected. The teams wrestled their area or region first and then moved to the State Prelims a week ago with one team in each of the 8 brackets advancing to the Elite 8 and the final run to a title.
We will take a look at each Champions run through that final Elite 8 bracket and specifically what each did in order to bring a Georgia Duals title back home. I’m not going to spend time rehashing whether the “seeds” were correct or the endless “what if” scenarios if they had been differently. Interested in my (and Lucas DeSilva’s) take on the seeds and how we “thought” the brackets would play out? See our conversation on youtube.
We now transition to the individual portion of the state tournament and get the opportunity to turn our attention to the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee State Duals. The last thing to note is that this focus is on the eventual champions and their path … there are compelling stories throughout - West Forsyth rebounding from their first round loss to take 3rd and so on, but with limited time this is focused on the Champs of each classification. Don’t think matchups (and thus the seeds matter)? Just take a look at some of these duals … it is the most interesting thing about duals. Creating the “right” matchups for your team make wrestling the best sport around (yes I am biased), but this is real live chess. Before that, here is what happened on Saturday in 7A and 6A (5A through 1A to come) …
Rockmart downs Gilmer 31-30 to claim the Georgia 3A State Duals Title
It always looked as if it would come down to a Rockmart vs. Gilmer final as both teams handled their foes early on. Gilmer downed Murray County 59-12 and Adairsville 51-15 to advance and Rockmart beat North Murray 70-10 and Sonoraville 52-22 to setup a showdown most of us expected to see when the season began.
Very good dual that began at 170 with Gilmer jumping out to a 18-6 lead after 6 matches … TK Davis turned things around for Rockmart at 113 with a 4-3 decision of defending 106 lb. State Champ Carson Farist and that started a string of wins for Rockmart. The score was 28-18 heading into the 145 lb. weight class when we encountered a real problem. Before I get to the issue I want to address a few things: 1) this in now way diminishes Rockmart’s accomplishment, 2) I don’t believe this was an officiating error or the fault of either of the two teams, and 3) it did have an impact on the outcome of the 145 lb. match and (perhaps) the outcome of the dual.
Gilmer needed a win at 145 from Carson Bentley to keep their hopes alive (and with Diego and Miguel Jacinto on deck they still had a shot). Hunter Wilson of Rockmart downed Bentley 7-6, but as you can see from the video below the table (at least from my point of view) made an egregious error and one that was not addressed by the official on the mat. I do not know if Gilmer protested the score or not - based on what I could see, but that is not the issue in this situation. The issue is that the table assumed that the official had awarded a two point takedown for Wilson and a two point reversal for Bentley … it appears that the official never awards two for Wilson and awards a takedown for Bentley - which should make the score 4-0 - not 4-2.
Does it matter? Certainly. We have no idea of what will happen from here on out, but we do end up with a 1 point loss for Gilmer that cost them the dual. If Bentley (and it is a big IF) wins the match then Gilmer trails 28-21 with 2 matches remaining. Not to say whether either Jacinto would have won or, more importantly, if they would have scored bonus which would have been needed. But it never got to that point as the score was never corrected or even addressed by the table to the official. By the time the score was able to be addressed in the 3rd period - the official had basically said it was too late. As you can see it was originally scored as the official called it - 2 takedown for red, but someone off camera said it was 2 green and 2 reversal and the table worker posted that … which was never offered by the official.
This should not take away from Rockmart’s win … they wrestled a great match and it is not the fault of either wrestler or team, but it is the fault of the table who made an assumption and then failed to stop the action and confirm what happened with the official.
Several wrestlers did an outstanding job this past weekend and really helped their teams succeed. The names below may (or may not) reflect the best at the weight, but they really stepped up when their team needed them.
106: Juan Rafael (Gilmer) - a 12-1 major of Logan Opdycke was necessary in the finals - he also had a fall and a 24-9 tech fall to finish 3-0
113: TK Davis (Rockmart) - 4-3 decision of returning 106 lb. State Champ Carson Farist started the ball rolling for Rockmart - one that ended in a title.
120: Izaeah Beavers (Rockmart) - 3 1st period falls - 18 important points (especially in the finals)
126: Jaxon Guinne (Morgan County) - could’ve gone with Chambers, but Guinne wrestled great for Morgan County - finished 2-0 and his fall vs. North Murray was key to Morgan County being within bonus points of the dual win
132: Isaac Linley (Adairsville) - Linley was huge for his team - 4-0 with 3 falls and an 11-3 major decision.
138: Bleu Winters (Rockmart) - 2-0 but was critical in a 3-0 win over Luis Lucas of Gilmer in the finals … without that win Rockmart might not be holding the trophy
145: Nathan Bowen (Oconee County) - 3-0 with 3 falls … key to Oconee County going 1-2. Obviously Wilsons’ win over Bentley was huge - 7-6 to seal the dual win.
152: Miguel Jacinto (Gilmer) - 3-0 with a fall and a 13-3 major … never got the shot to bring it home for Gilmer, but still had a great day.
160: Diego Jacinto (Gilmer) or Zane Fairbanks (Oconee County) - both were huge for their teams
170: Colt Weaver (Sonoraville) - fall of Faulk in the consi finals and 4-0 on the day.
182: Gavin Harper (Sonoraville) - Falls by both Weaver and Harper really helped Sonoraville cruise to 3rd. Really good 13-2 win over Simms Dresch and 4-0 on the day.
195: Devin Hunt (North Murray) - could’ve gone with either Moss or Knight, but Hunt was key for North Murray whether at 195 or 220
220: Dylan Galloway (Gilmer) - huge win over Jakamron Ammons of Rockmart to put Gilmer in a position to take the 3A title.
285: Jaxx Knight (Sonoraville) - was outstanding in wins over Davis of Rockmart as well as Adairsville and Oconee County … Eli Hope and Micah Reid both wrestled well for Murray County and Morgan County.
Lovett downs defending Champ Oglethorpe County for the 2A Duals Title
Lovett came in as the 3 seed, but the difference among the top 3 (at least) was small. Lovett took care of business to start with a solid 44-24 win over Fannin County (which finished 4th) and then had a battle with Dade County 39-33 in the semis (Dade went onto finish 3rd). Oglethorpe beat Pepperell 64-15 and Vidalia 44-27 to advance to the finals as the top seed (and defending champs).
The dual began at 170 and in a place where either team could really make a difference (or the two teams could split up the matches). Finn Bresnahan got Lovett on the board with a 6-2 decision of Jacob Spidle. Bryan Vilchiz of Oglethorpe answered immediately with a fall and the score was 6-3. Lovett then got 3 huge wins that really set them ahead. Aiden Kaufmann won a 3-2 decision at 195, Christian Bell had an 11-3 major at 220 and most importantly William Stimmel got a fall at 285 with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in a 5-0 match. Cael Kusky and Alex Hyman added falls at 106 and 113 and Lovett led 28-6 at the halfway point.
Bryan Valladares got 6 back for Oglethorpe at 120 and Chayton Tuck got an 8-3 decision of Logan Lutz to narrow the score to 28-15 with 5 matches remaining. Jake Kennedy’s major of Tanner Mask pushed Lovett ahead 32-15 and Shane Watson downed Parker Coy 16-9 to narrow it 32-18, but Oglethorpe was running out of matches. That brings us to the deciding match - Nicholas Moffett of Lovett led 5-2 in the 3rd when he got the fall of Kyle Frankel to wrap up the title. Any loss by Frankel and the dual was over so a fall really had no bearing on the final outcome … Lovett took forfeits at 152 and 160 and claimed the 2A State Duals Title.
A few wrestlers that really helped their teams on Saturday …
106 - Blake Summer (Fannin County) - 3 falls and an 8-6 win over Kusky. Critical to Fannin fighting back for 4th as he wrestled both 106 and 113 - wherever he was needed.
113 - Alex Hyman (Lovett) - Hyman had 3 falls. His fall in the finals helped push Lovett into a significant lead.
120 - Bryan Valladares (Oglethorpe County) - took 2 forfeits and had a fall … don’t know if opposing teams were looking for a better matchup so they avoided Valladares … also could’ve gone with Jake Gatlin who was 3-1 and important as Dade came back to take 3rd.
126 - Logan Lutz (Lovett) - this may seem like a strange pick since Tuck beat him 8-3 in the dual final, but Lutz wrestled smart and did what was necessary to keep Oglethorpe at bay in the dual. Lovett was trading 2 for 1 in the dual and Lutz helped slow any thought of a comeback.
132 - Carson Collis (Fannin County) - 4-0 with a solid 11-6 win over Kennedy. Can’t state how important Collis was to Fannin County’s ability to battle back to the consi finals.
138 - Javarius Worthen (Vidalia) - wrestled superbly for Vidalia including a 7-6 win over Taylor Collis and a fall of Shane Watson … without Worthen Vidalia would have struggled to keep it close in their two losses.
145 - Nicholas Moffett (Lovett) - hard not to go with Moffett … went 3-0, but more importantly won the match that eventually put Lovett over the top.
152 - Cayden Cooper (Vidalia) - like Worthen for Vidalia - such an important piece of the puzzle for Dade County. 4 falls that were all critical to Dade’s come back for 3rd.
160 - Erik Jensen (Pepperell) - Got a fall at 170 after bumping up in the Oglethorpe dual and a 6-2 decision of Cayden Sloan in the dual loss to Lamar County.
170 - Finn Bresnahan (Lovett) - 3-0, but more importantly set the tone in the dual final with a solid 6-2 win. Could’ve gone with Stephen Hardeman of Haralson County or Gary Morton of Lamar County … both wrestled great for their teams as well.
182 - Landon Williams (Dade County) and Decarlos Willingham (Vidalia) - Williams dominated and with 4 falls was so important to Dade’s success. But Willingham’s 10-9 decision of Colby Shaw in the Fannin County dual was key to Vidalia having a shot and downing Fannin and making the consi finals.
195 - Cody Williams (Dade County) - like his brother - played a huge part of Dade’s run to 3rd.
220 - James Gilroy (Lamar County) - 3-0 with 3 1st period falls … his pin of Pangle of Dade gave Lamar a shot in that dual. Shoutout to Clay Hyatt of Haralson as well … 2 1st period falls - super important to Haralson getting to the Elite 8.
285 - Austin Sorrelle (Dade County) - Huge 7-3 win over Logan Long of Fannin County that was important in the final outcome for 3rd.
Trion beats Social Circle for the Class 1A Duals State Title
Since the year began - everyone in Georgia (and not just those of us excited about 1A) have pointed to Trion vs. Social Circle. Both teams returned a ton of talent and it always seemed to be “the match” to watch. Well they didn’t disappoint on Saturday. Trion downed Screven County and Mt Pisgah to advance to the finals and Social Circle beat Pacelli and Commerce to set up the showdown we had wanted. I know people that are just wrestling fans … don’t have a “dog in the fight” that made their way to Commerce Saturday to watch this dual.
We began the dual at 113 - meaning Social Circle was going to finish with a tough Braydon Mitchell. The question was whether they would get there when the dual was still in doubt. Daegan Vaughn put Trion up by 6 and then Seth Huskins won a tough 4-3 decision over Connor Castillo to increase the lead to 9-0. Lance Thacker dropped to 126 and pulled out an important 6-4 sudden victory win over Crawford Lee to get Social Circle on the board. Andrew Jones and Bryce James added a fall and a decision to increase Trion’s lead to 18-3 after 5 matches … Social Circle needed wins and bonus before things got away from them.
Kacen Taylor and James Eldridge both came through in a big way as both got falls to bring the dual score back to 18-15 at the halfway point (7 matches in). Unfortunately for Social Circle this where Trion took control and shut the door … Toby Maddux downed Will Hames 8-2 at 160, Cohen Blaschke pinned Jaxon Ethridge, and Bowman, Eller, and Willbanks got wins or falls and Trion led 43-15 and the dual was over. Ben Bruce and Braydon Mitchell both got falls for Social Circle, but it wouldn’t matter in the end as Trion took the 1A Duals Title.
Several wrestlers played key roles for their teams … these are a few that I thought were important in helping their team succeed this weekend:
106: Conner Doherty (Mt Pisgah) - Doherty’s fall over Potts of Trion, and tech fall of Palmer of Commerce gave Pisgah a chance … you could make a case for Braydon Mitchell who looked like the best 106 in the gym - unfortunately for Social Circle he was neutralized in the finals and couldn’t provide he spark that Social Circle needed (because he wrestled last in the dual).
113: Daegan Vaughn (Trion) - huge in setting the tone in the finals with a quick fall
120: Seth Huskins (Trion) - ultimately the 4-3 decision of Castillo in the finals wouldn’t be the difference in the score, but early on we didn’t know that and it was an important win for Trion.
126: Thomas Johnson (Charlton County) and Lance Thacker (Social Circle) - both had close wins that were important to their teams … Thacker beating Crawford Lee in the finals and Johnson downing Tim Frank of Screven 7-6 TB1 in a huge dual between the two teams (won by Screven 42-39).
138: Marley Washington (Mt Pisgah) - 3 falls including an important one in the Commerce dual and an 11-5 decision of Bryce James in the Trion dual.
145: Kacen Taylor (Social Circle) - could’ve gone with Tyler Nelson who was important for his team … but Taylor stopped the “bleeding” vs. Trion in that dual and helped push his team back to within striking distance in the finals with a fall of Hames.
152: Joey Bertrand (Mt Pisgah) - did everything he could (like Washington, Nelson, and Lange) for Pisgah, but they couldn’t make up for it elsewhere. Win over Maddux at 160 was key in keeping Pisgah in the Trion dual.
160: Grant Hamilton (Commerce) - wrestled both 160 and 170 for Commerce and was key to them coming back for 3rd.
170: Brayden Phillips (Commerce) - same as Hamilton - moved up when needed and got important wins
182: Bladyn Bowman (Trion) - part of Trion’s tough run up top … win over Duval was important. Also Tim Ezell of Pacelli went 2-0 and wrestled well for his squad particularly in the Landmark dual.
195: Logan Eller (Trion) and Hoke Poe-Hogan (Commerce) - both played important roles for their teams … tons of bonus - each had 3 falls.
220: Luke McFarland (Screven County) - lost to Sharp, but fall of Asad Akbar of Charlton was important in their dual win. Obviously Willbanks could be here as he had 3 falls for a tough top of the lineup for Trion.
285: Cole Spence (Mt Pisgah) and Sincere Bell (Pacelli) - both were unbeaten, but more than that a fall by Spence over Epps and a 6-0 decision by Bell over Bruce were important for their teams in the duals (win or lose).