A Fan's Guide to the Georgia 7A State Tournament

Welcome to the Fan’s Guide for the GHSA 7A State Tournament

So what is a Fan’s Guide?

The Fan’s Guide is a look at the tournament as a whole and each individual weight class … from a fan’s perspective. But it is not a prediction of who will win or who will make the podium. In fact, a Fan’s Guide is a little different. It is a look at a few individual pieces from each bracket … they include:

  • Favorite: the wrestler that enters the tournament as a section champ and has the best shot to claim the top step.

  • Contenders: a wrestler that finishes 1st or 2nd at sectionals has a decent chance to make the podium … one of the champs and both runners-up should be considered contenders.

  • Darkhorse: a wrestler that finished 3rd or 4th at one of the sectional tournaments, but could make a run for the top step.

  • Bracketbuster: a wrestler that finished 5 or 6 in their section, but could make a run for the podium.

Isn’t that kind of a prediction?

Yes and no. I do identify the favorite, but beyond that I have no idea of who will march through the bracket and claim a title (don’t get me wrong - I’ve watched a lot of wrestling this season so I have an idea of what will happen). I could give you an educated guess about a possible finals match and who will make the podium, but in the world of high school wrestling that is dangerous territory. Few wrestlers (if any) are unbeatable … but we do have past results and past accomplishments on which to make a guess or two. In reality, I am as much of a fan as any of you and like to talk wrestling. I hope each athlete goes out and performs to her ability and we, as fans, get an opportunity to watch some great wrestling.

Remember the sole purpose of the website, twitter, instagram, fan’s guides, pictures, etc. is to promote the sport in the Southeast. Have a great time this weekend, enjoy the wrestling, and best of luck to everyone competing.

NOTE: ALL INFORMATION BELOW IS ASSUMING THAT THE INFORMATION INPUTTED INTO TRACKWRESTLING EITHER BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR OR THE COACHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS CORRECT.


A Look Back to 2023

Team Race

14 on the podium - that is an incredible feat by Camden and why their state title streak continues. Both Camden and Buford trailed Mill Creek in number of Champions, but it was the depth of both teams that put them neck and neck as the teams battled through the backside of the bracket. Ultimately it came down to 14 placers for Camden and 11 for Buford (other things played a role as well … Camden had a lot of wrestlers finish 4th and winning that consi semi was huge, Buford had 11 byes in the opening round, Camden had 10, Buford went 2-6 in the finals, Camden was 3-1 with 2 head-to-head wins over Buford and we could go on). Ultimately though all 3 teams that had double digit qualifiers finished in the top 3 in the team race. North Gwinnett, which brought just 3, had all 3 of their qualifiers make the podium - pushing them to 9th.

Section Success Predicts State Success

Nothing is given, everything is earned … but there is a strong correlation between how well someone does at sectionals and their success in Macon. Ultimately team (and individual) success begins at sectionals (and honestly long before that). There is a direct relationship between being a Section Champ and eventually making the state podium. Keep that in mind when looking at our favorites, contenders, etc. further down the Guide.

Pretty typical in what we expect to see …

  • Nearly all of the State champs were Section Champs the weekend prior (we will get to that 4th in a second)

  • 26 of 28 Section Champs made the state podium, followed by 23 of 28 section runners-up, etc.

  • The finals featured 20 section champs, 6 runners-up, and one Darkhorse or Bracketbuster (however you’d like to refer to a 4 taking 1st)

Malachi Sanders of Marietta pulled off the rare feat of coming from the #4 spot at sectionals to claim the 150 lb. State Title. Who will be the darkhorse and bracketbusters this year?


Team Notes

The table below is a list of every qualifier by school, along with their place. So we could talk about a number of different teams, but in reality there are just a handful that have enough to really make a run for a team title. They are discussed below the table.

Well what did you expect? Yep - Camden and Buford. No surprise. They are two of the best programs in the SE and are ranked nationally by different groups. That said, the other players in 7A will have an impact on which team claims a title. Colquitt County, West Forsyth, Carrollton, Mill Creek, etc. all have wrestlers that can takeaway points from either of the two teams. In reality Camden and Buford have to focus on themselves … do their jobs and see where things fall. Both programs qualified all 14 … Camden has 11 that finished 1 or 2, Buford has 10. You want to watch an absolute great team race … watch 7A. And look around and see if the Buford or Camden fans are cheering for someone other than their own squad because Quay Mills, Jacob Levy, Nic Owens, Logan Paradice, etc. will all have an impact in who wins and who takes 2nd.


Schedule


106 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Elijah Hattaway  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Jacob Chan  (Brookwood) - Section A 2nd

    • Carter Anderson  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 3rd

    • Noah Scott  (Lowndes HS) - Section A 4th

    • Max Hennebaul  (Archer) - Section A 5th

    • Prince Brooker  (South Gwinnett) - Section A 6th

    • Teequavius Mills  (Mill Creek) - Section B 1st

    • Yeredy Pineda  (Mountain View) - Section B 2nd

    • Sutton White  (Carrollton) - Section B 3rd

    • Caden May  (Lambert) - Section B 4th

    • Grant Dait  (South Forsyth H.S.) - Section B 5th

    • Tyson Matz  (Buford HS) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Teequavius Mills  (Mill Creek)

  • Contenders:

    • Elijah Hattaway  (Camden County)

    • Jacob Chan  (Brookwood)

    • Yeredy Pineda  (Mountain View)

  • Darkhorse: Sutton White  (Carrollton)

  • Bracketbuster: Max Hennebaul  (Archer)

  • Things to know:

    • There are two clear favorites at 106 - Quay Mills and Elijah Hattaway. Both dominated their sections and you can expect both of them to make a run to the finals … and that’s where things get interesting.

    • Hattaway has wrestled 113 for much of the season, Mills at 106. Mills only loss was to Swann at the Knockout. Hattaway has a few losses, but most (if not all of them) were up at 113.

    • Mills is a returning placer - 6th at 106. Hattaway wasn’t in the lineup last year due to Patterson being their 106. Camden went with Ayden Felix in the dual vs. Mills at State duals instead of Hattaway.

    • Chan was also 6th at 106 last year and is on the same side of the bracket as Mills … I don’t know if they have faced on another yet this season.

    • Buford needs points from Matz, if Hattaway wins the weight it is huge for Camden.


113 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Bradley Patterson  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Marquavious Lane  (Valdosta) - Section A 2nd

    • Jake Constantino  (Archer) - Section A 3rd

    • Cristobal Camarena  (Colquitt County) - Section A 4th

    • William Hasty  (Lowndes HS) - Section A 5th

    • Luke Westbrook  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 6th

    • DJ Clarke  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Zachary Afalla  (North Cobb) - Section B 2nd

    • Sri Dhanabalan  (Lambert) - Section B 3rd

    • Luke Berthelot  (Kennesaw Mountain) - Section B 4th

    • Jesse Sutton  (Mountain View) - Section B 5th

    • Anwar Khaalik  (Collins Hill) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Bradley Patterson  (Camden County)

  • Contenders:

    • DJ Clarke  (Buford HS)

    • Zachary Afalla  (North Cobb)

    • Marquavious Lane  (Valdosta)

  • Darkhorse: Sri Dhanabalan  (Lambert)

  • Bracketbuster: William Hasty  (Lowndes HS)

  • Things to know:

    • Clarke and Patterson are very familiar with each other by this point. Patterson beat Clarke for the 106 lb. title a year ago. He beat Clarke 3-1 at State Duals as well. As a result he is the favorite.

    • Both Clarke and Patterson are significantly better than everyone else in the field. It will be interesting to see how the rest plays out, but these two are locked in for another version of their rivalry.


120 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Nicolas Owens  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 1st

    • Brandon Higgins  (Camden County) - Section A 2nd

    • Cruz Grijalva  (Colquitt County) - Section A 3rd

    • Brenden Fair  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 4th

    • James Duke  (North Paulding) - Section A 5th

    • Zahir Centeio  (Hillgrove) - Section A 6th

    • Antonio Mills  (Mill Creek) - Section B 1st

    • Rylan Ibold  (Buford HS) - Section B 2nd

    • Matthew Nichols  (Milton) - Section B 3rd

    • Alex LeRoux  (West Forsyth) - Section B 4th

    • Michael Rytov  (Denmark) - Section B 5th

    • Mark Sims  (Dacula) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Antonio Mills  (Mill Creek)

  • Contenders:

    • Nicolas Owens  (North Gwinnett)

    • Brandon Higgins  (Camden County)

    • Rylan Ibold  (Buford HS)

  • Darkhorse: Cruz Grijalva  (Colquitt County)

  • Bracketbuster: Michael Rytov  (Denmark)

  • Things to know:

    • Mills is the best 120 in the Southeast and one of the best 120’s in the country. Funny thing is … this a good weight. Owens, Higgins, and Ibold are all solid, but no one is beating Mills - it would be a shock for that to happen.

    • Owens beat Fair 3-1, pinned Grijalva, and downed Higgins 4-2 to win Section B … his reward is to be on the opposite side of Mills which is huge. Now Owens could get Fair again in the quarters and Ibold in the semis. Something to watch.

    • In the team race … Higgins and Ibold shouldn’t meet unless it is in the consis … which could be important in the team race if they do cross paths (placing 3rd vs. 4th is significant).


126 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Hunter Prosen  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Ryder Gibson  (North Paulding) - Section A 2nd

    • Gilbert Balbuena  (Brookwood) - Section A 3rd

    • Will DeSanto  (Hillgrove) - Section A 4th

    • Mason Urie  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 5th

    • Jeremiah Toe  (Archer) - Section A 6th

    • Kieron McCormack  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Dylan Martin  (Mountain View) - Section B 2nd

    • Reed Walker  (West Forsyth) - Section B 3rd

    • Nathan Reid  (South Forsyth H.S.) - Section B 4th

    • Devin Mays  (Cherokee) - Section B 5th

    • Judah White  (Carrollton) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Kieron McCormack  (Buford HS)

  • Contenders:

    • Hunter Prosen  (Camden County)

    • Ryder Gibson  (North Paulding)

    • Dylan Martin  (Mountain View)

  • Darkhorse: Reed Walker  (West Forsyth)

  • Bracketbuster: Devin Mays  (Cherokee)

  • Things to know:

    • We go with McCormack as the favorite after his win over Prosen at state duals (6-4).

    • Prosen is the returning 120 lb. State Champ - so he knows how to get it done in tough situations. He dominated Balbuena and then downed Gibson 7-1 for the Section A title.

    • Dylan Martin beat Reed Walker in sudden victory in last week’s quarters and the two should meet again in the quarters this week with the winner likely pulling Prosen.

    • McCormack will likely get the winner of Gibson and Balbuena (the two did not meet last week)

    • McCormack vs. Prosen 2.0 seems likely but I wouldn’t look past anyone in their way


132 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Anthony Santos  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Kaden Brown  (North Paulding) - Section A 2nd

    • Mikai Brinson  (Grayson) - Section A 3rd

    • Joseph Cox  (Parkview) - Section A 4th

    • Eric Henson  (Colquitt County) - Section A 5th

    • Nic Custer  (Archer) - Section A 6th

    • Maddox McArthur  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Evann Sudduth  (East Coweta HS) - Section B 2nd

    • Santhosh Bonda  (West Forsyth) - Section B 3rd

    • Wesley Loftin  (Carrollton) - Section B 4th

    • Will Bracey  (Milton) - Section B 5th

    • Christian Tabb  (Cherokee) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Maddox McArthur  (Buford HS)

  • Contenders:

    • Anthony Santos  (Camden County)

    • Kaden Brown  (North Paulding)

    • Evann Sudduth  (East Coweta HS)

  • Darkhorse: Santhosh Bonda  (West Forsyth)

  • Bracketbuster: Eric Henson  (Colquitt County)

  • Things to know:

    • Could we get back to back Buford vs. Camden finals matches? It is a real possibility.

    • McArthur took a forfeit over Suddeth to win Section B and Santos downed Brown 10-0 to win Section A - neither was really challenged on their way to section titles.

    • McArthur beat Santos at State duals and a rematch seems likely. McArthur will need to beat the winner of Brown vs. Brinson and Santos should get the winner of Suddeth vs. Bonda … but don’t look past Joseph Cox who Santos could see in the quarters.


138 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Kenneth Jett  (Brookwood) - Section A 1st

    • Bray Gibson  (Hillgrove) - Section A 2nd

    • Cody Willoughby  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 3rd

    • Ian Stephens  (Lowndes HS) - Section A 4th

    • Conner Shelton  (North Paulding) - Section A 5th

    • Waylon Rozier  (Camden County) - Section A 6th

    • Drew Gorman  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Nick Pixley  (Denmark) - Section B 2nd

    • Juahnavyn Merritt  (Carrollton) - Section B 3rd

    • Josh Sigler  (Collins Hill) - Section B 4th

    • Efren Ayala  (Wheeler) - Section B 5th

    • Connor Heraty  (Milton) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Drew Gorman  (Buford HS)

  • Contenders:

    • Kenneth Jett  (Brookwood)

    • Bray Gibson  (Hillgrove)

    • Nick Pixley  (Denmark)

  • Darkhorse: Juahnavyn Merritt  (Carrollton)

  • Bracketbuster: Waylon Rozier  (Camden County)

  • Things to know:

    • Gorman is a huge favorite to claim his 3rd state title

    • KJ Jett won Section A, but had a tough match with Rozier in sudden victory in the semis and then beat Gibson 7-3

    • Rozier forfeited to 6th and put himself in a prime spot to make a run on the top side … he would need to beat Merritt and then Pixley before setting up a rematch with Jett. If Camden could get 2nd place points here it would be huge in the team race. This might be a weight where you see Buford fans cheering for Carrolton, Denmark, and Brookwood


144 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Kevin Heath III  (Grayson) - Section A 1st

    • Miller Osteen  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 2nd

    • Roderick Zow  (Camden County) - Section A 3rd

    • Luke Wilson  (Harrison) - Section A 4th

    • Colin Eyre  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 5th

    • Randy Smith  (Colquitt County) - Section A 6th

    • Gavin Pope  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Blue Stiffler  (Mill Creek) - Section B 2nd

    • Noah Danforth  (West Forsyth) - Section B 3rd

    • Lucas Haynie  (Forsyth Central) - Section B 4th

    • Tristan Parris  (Cherokee) - Section B 5th

    • Ryder Rodgers  (Mountain View) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Gavin Pope  (Buford HS)

  • Contenders:

    • Blue Stiffler  (Mill Creek)

    • Kevin Heath III  (Grayson)

    • Miller Osteen  (Richmond Hill HS)

  • Darkhorse: Noah Danforth  (West Forsyth)

  • Bracketbuster: Colin Eyre  (North Gwinnett)

  • Things to know:

    • Huge wins for the defending 144 lb. State Champ in Gavin Pope last weekend

    • Pope beat Danforth 4-3 in the semis and pinned Stiffler (match was 3-2 Pope in the 3rd when the fall happened) in the finals to win Section B

    • Kevin Heath downed Zow and Osteen to claim the Section A title

    • Danforth vs. Stiffler quarterfinal is the match of the round in 7A - winner likely gets Heath

    • Zow will look to down Osteen and get a shot at Pope


150 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Logan Paradice  (Colquitt County) - Section A 1st

    • Brock Weaver  (Camden County) - Section A 2nd

    • Gavin Frierson  (Archer) - Section A 3rd

    • Jermaine Smalls  (Grayson) - Section A 4th

    • Adam Cox  (Parkview) - Section A 5th

    • Caleb Landry  (South Gwinnett) - Section A 6th

    • Emil Necula  (Walton) - Section B 1st

    • Hudson Danielson  (Buford HS) - Section B 2nd

    • Max Sciro  (Lambert) - Section B 3rd

    • Henry Marsden  (Denmark) - Section B 4th

    • George Carden  (Carrollton) - Section B 5th

    • Luke Vasquez  (Mountain View) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Logan Paradice  (Colquitt County)

  • Contenders:

    • Brock Weaver  (Camden County)

    • Emil Necula  (Walton)

    • Hudson Danielson  (Buford HS)

  • Darkhorse: Gavin Frierson  (Archer)

  • Bracketbuster: Adam Cox  (Parkview)

  • Things to know:

    • Welcome back to Logan Paradice. Not sure everyone in 7A (especially around 150 lbs.) feels that way but it is nice to see him back competing in the Georgia State Tournament.

    • Paradice is the easy favorite having already beaten Weaver twice

    • Returning Runner-up Emil Necula downed Hudson Danielson to claim the Section B title … meaning the bottom side of this bracket is going to be interesting

    • Weaver will likely get Frierson in the quarters with the winner getting Necula. I can’t imagine anyone besides Paradice coming out of the top.


157 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Konlin Weaver  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Antoine Glasgow  (Parkview) - Section A 2nd

    • Russell Flowers  (Colquitt County) - Section A 3rd

    • Dylan Frierson  (Archer) - Section A 4th

    • Darius Jules  (Marietta) - Section A 5th

    • Nathan Nguyen  (Hillgrove) - Section A 6th

    • Callum McCormack  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Connor Stephens  (Carrollton) - Section B 2nd

    • Jax Mitchell  (Walton) - Section B 3rd

    • Carter Amick  (West Forsyth) - Section B 4th

    • Landon Barr  (Forsyth Central) - Section B 5th

    • Rashard Griffin  (Pebblebrook) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Konlin Weaver  (Camden County)

  • Contenders:

    • Antoine Glasgow  (Parkview)

    • Callum McCormack  (Buford HS)

    • Connor Stephens  (Carrollton)

  • Darkhorse: Russell Flowers  (Colquitt County)

  • Bracketbuster: Landon Barr  (Forsyth Central)

  • Things to know:

    • Camden’s Konlin Weaver looks like he is ready to make a run back to the top of the podium after dismantling the Section A bracket. Weaver had a fall and 2 tech falls before winning by injury default over last year’s 138 lb. runner-up Antoine Glasgow in the finals

    • Buford’s Callum McCormack continued his outstanding freshman season with a Section B title. McCormack had a tech fall a 14-5 and 9-1 major decison wins along with a fall of Stephens in the finals.

    • In case you are wondering - Weaver beat McCormack at state duals 10-2 … but McCormack will likely need to get past Glasgow to have another shot at Weaver this weekend (Glasgow pinned Flowers last weekend so it seems likely Glasgow will be the opponent in the semis assuming he is back and healthy). Keep an eye on Jax Mitchell who lost 6-5 to Stephens … that could be your 2nd quarter matchup this weekend.


165 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Cristian Sumo  (Archer) - Section A 1st

    • Michael Heath  (Brookwood) - Section A 2nd

    • Wyatt Goff  (Harrison) - Section A 3rd

    • Matthew Bennett  (Camden County) - Section A 4th

    • Connor Weaver  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 5th

    • Malachi Riley  (Newton) - Section A 6th

    • Grayson Santee  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Xan Kelly  (Lambert) - Section B 2nd

    • Gavin Tica  (North Cobb) - Section B 3rd

    • Ben Cleek  (Carrollton) - Section B 4th

    • Emanuel Adetona  (Wheeler) - Section B 5th

    • Patrick Curry  (Campbell) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Grayson Santee  (Buford HS)

  • Contenders:

    • Cristian Sumo  (Archer)

    • Xan Kelly  (Lambert)

    • Michael Heath  (Brookwood)

  • Darkhorse: Wyatt Goff  (Harrison)

  • Bracketbuster: Connor Weaver  (North Gwinnett)

  • Things to know:

    • Interesting weight … Grayson Santee is the returning Runner-up at this weight and is the heavy favorite to claim the title

    • Cristian Sumo is a returning qualifier, but looked great on his way to the Section A title - pinning Weaver and downing Heath 14-5 in the finals

    • Sumo looks like the favorite up top, but I don’t know if he and Kelly have crossed paths this season.


175 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • David Rudd  (Harrison) - Section A 1st

    • Zaelyn Fletcher  (Camden County) - Section A 2nd

    • Karl Rosip  (Valdosta) - Section A 3rd

    • Brad Menhorn  (McEachern) - Section A 4th

    • Noah Hampton  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 5th

    • Alex Villarreal  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 6th

    • Dominic Bambinelli  (Mill Creek) - Section B 1st

    • Aleric Marsden  (Denmark) - Section B 2nd

    • Cale Ewing  (West Forsyth) - Section B 3rd

    • Andrew Barabolkin  (Forsyth Central) - Section B 4th

    • Jax Pope  (Buford HS) - Section B 5th

    • Mason Smith  (Walton) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Dominic Bambinelli  (Mill Creek)

  • Contenders:

    • David Rudd  (Harrison)

    • Zaelyn Fletcher  (Camden County)

    • Aleric Marsden  (Denmark)

  • Darkhorse: Cale Ewing  (West Forsyth)

  • Bracketbuster: Jax Pope  (Buford HS)

  • Things to know:

    • Bambinelli is the clear favorite to take home another title … he is not only one of the best in Georgia and the SE but also amongst the top 165-175’s in the country

    • Rudd pinned Fletcher, a returning State placer to claim the Section A title, but it isn’t likely anyone is coming close to knocking off Bambinelli

    • The battle will be up top for who will meet him in the finals (Marsden beat Rudd in early December) and then on the backside to see who can battle back for 3rd and 4th.


190 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Ryder Wilder  (Camden County) - Section A 1st

    • Landon Jones  (Harrison) - Section A 2nd

    • Virgil Heath  (Brookwood) - Section A 3rd

    • Trey Bowkett  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 4th

    • Alex Glymph  (Marietta) - Section A 5th

    • Rafeal King  (Colquitt County) - Section A 6th

    • Conor McCloskey  (Buford HS) - Section B 1st

    • Ronan An  (North Cobb) - Section B 2nd

    • Walt Tinney  (West Forsyth) - Section B 3rd

    • Cole Turner  (South Forsyth H.S.) - Section B 4th

    • Jaleel Jackson  (Wheeler) - Section B 5th

    • Daniel Hawes  (Mill Creek) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Ryder Wilder  (Camden County)

  • Contenders:

    • Conor McCloskey  (Buford HS)

    • Landon Jones  (Harrison)

    • Ronan An  (North Cobb)

  • Darkhorse: Virgil Heath  (Brookwood)

  • Bracketbuster: Alex Glymph  (Marietta)

  • Things to know:

    • Wilder beat McCloskey in last year’s state finals … the rematch at state duals didn’t happen because Buford bumped McCloskey up to 215. Will we see a rematch in the finals this weekend?

    • Nothing is given … Wilder has looked outstanding - beating Super 32 All American Landon Jones for the Section A title.

    • McCloskey earned a 16-1 tech fall of phenom freshman Ronan An.

    • Jones beat Heath in the semis last weekend and the two will likely square off again in the quarters this Friday. An and Tinney (#2 and #3 in Section B) did not meet last weekend - the winner likely gets Wilder.

    • In terms of the team race - McCloskey must beat Jones and then setup a rematch with Wilder


215 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • Matthew Dillon  (Colquitt County) - Section A 1st

    • Joseph Schulze  (Camden County) - Section A 2nd

    • Matthew Kilgore  (Grayson) - Section A 3rd

    • Aaron Tillman  (Newton) - Section A 4th

    • Blake Whittaker  (Richmond Hill HS) - Section A 5th

    • Braylon Kuenker-Foco  (Hillgrove) - Section A 6th

    • Michael Heyliger  (North Cobb) - Section B 1st

    • Jiovany Ganthier  (Dacula) - Section B 2nd

    • Aaron Riner  (Buford HS) - Section B 3rd

    • Joe Zereini  (West Forsyth) - Section B 4th

    • Preston Kerr  (Forsyth Central) - Section B 5th

    • Henry Benjamin  (Osborne) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: Michael Heyliger  (North Cobb)

  • Contenders:

    • Matthew Dillon  (Colquitt County)

    • Joseph Schulze  (Camden County)

    • Jiovany Ganthier  (Dacula)

  • Darkhorse: Aaron Riner  (Buford HS)

  • Bracketbuster: Blake Whittaker  (Richmond Hill HS)

  • Things to know:

    • It seems crazy to put Riner as the darkhorse, but he did take 3rd after losing to Heylinger 7-6 In the semis last weekend.

    • Heylinger was 3rd last year at 190 and Riner was 2nd at 190 … it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two meet again for a title on the line

    • Heylinger beat Ganthier 6-4 so Riner must take care of business there first before looking at Section A Champ Matthew Dillon

    • Dillon beat Schulze 7-1 to take the Section A title


285 lbs.

  • The Field:

    • JaQuavian Daniels  (Colquitt County) - Section A 1st

    • Jesse Batten  (Camden County) - Section A 2nd

    • Dallas Edwards  (Lowndes HS) - Section A 3rd

    • Aiden de Wet  (North Gwinnett) - Section A 4th

    • Johnathan Williams  (Archer) - Section A 5th

    • Leon Wesley  (McEachern) - Section A 6th

    • John Levy  (Carrollton) - Section B 1st

    • Javon Hobson  (Cherokee) - Section B 2nd

    • Albert Butler  (Buford HS) - Section B 3rd

    • Jack Sacchetti  (West Forsyth) - Section B 4th

    • Orville Beckford-Duffus  (Mountain View) - Section B 5th

    • Demarco King  (Mill Creek) - Section B 6th

  • Favorite: John Levy  (Carrollton)

  • Contenders:

    • JaQuavian Daniels  (Colquitt County)

    • Jesse Batten  (Camden County)

    • Javon Hobson  (Cherokee)

  • Darkhorse: Albert Butler  (Buford HS)

  • Bracketbuster: Orville Beckford-Duffus  (Mountain View)

  • Things to know:

    • Just like we’ve said with so many others … not only one of the best in Georgia and the SE, but also in the country - the top 7A wrestler is a beast at 285 and that is returning State Champ Jacob Levy.

    • Look for a rematch of last year’s state finals with Levy and Section A Champ JaQuavian Daniels. Daniels pinned everyone in the 1st period in Section A, but Levy is a different story.

    • The weight is deep wth Batten, Hobson, Butler and others … don’t be surprised if Batten vs. Butler is a match that both teams need.

Jason Fulmore