The Georgia High School Association traditional wrestling state championships are set to begin on Thursday at the Macon Centerplex, and seven schools in Whitfield and Murray counties will be represented at the state meet.
Local schools competed in traditional wrestling sectionals on Saturday. The top six seeds from each weight class qualified to advance to the state championships.
Dalton finishes second in team standings, sends 11 to state
After Dalton won the traditional Region 7-5A championship as a team, the Catamounts had another good day at the Class 5A Section A meet at Harris County High School on Saturday. Dalton finished second in team scores and sends 11 qualifiers to the Class 5A championship.
Zaedin Ausmus (132 pound), Randy Slinger (157 pound) and Stryker Woods (215 pound) all came away as sectional champions in their weight classes and advanced to state. Alex Overby was third in the 144-pound division, while Nathen Ridley (106 pound), Dominick Parks (113 pound) and Leon Roberson (165 pound) took fourth. Junior Deharo was fifth in 120, while Nathen Hernandez (126 pound), Ezra Wingfield (150 pound) and Riley Souther (285 pound) all advanced with a sixth-place finish in their weight class.
Southeast third, Northwest fourth at sectional, several advance
At the Class 4A Section A meet at Troup County High School in LaGrange, Southeast Whitfield finished third in team standings while Northwest Whitfield was right behind in fourth. Both Whitfield County schools will send a handful of qualifiers to state.
For Southeast, Olli Webb (120 pound) and Joseph Morales (215 pound) both brought home sectional titles. Bryan Ruiz (113 pound) and Areli Celis (126 pound) both took second place and will also advance. Anthony Chacon finished fourth in 144, and Brandon Tapia was fifth in 106. Southeast’s Terra Burse also qualified for the GHSA girls traditional state wrestling championships in the 190 pound division. The girls state championship consists of a combined event across all school classification sizes.
For Northwest, Holden McCullough (157 pound) and Tony Burnecke (190 pound) each grabbed second place at the sectional. Abraham Hurd (106 pound), Daniel Soto (175 pound) and Landon Phillips (215 pound) were third, while Ethan Williams (132 pound) and Nicholas Ramirez (150 pound) took fourth place. All seven Bruins who qualified for sectionals came away with a state berth.
Coahulla Creek takes fourth as seven advance to state championships
Coahulla Creek hosted the Class 3A Section B meet on Saturday, and seven Colts nabbed a spot at the Class 3A state championships while wrestling in their home gym. Creek finished fourth in team standings.
Adonnis Sanchez (106 pound), Drake Goff (126 pound), Danny Lidy (138 pound) and Jackson Lowery (285 pound) each finished second in their respective weight class to advance to state. Levi Lowery placed third in the 190 pound class, Preston Giles finished fourth in 113 and Greg Christie was fifth in 132.
Murray, North Murray each send state qualifiers to 2A championships
North Murray and Murray County will each have four representatives at the Class 2A state championships in Macon after the Class 2A Section A meet in Rockmart on Saturday.
Brandon Locke, the defending state champ from North Murray, will have a chance to notch another state championship. He won the 113-pound weight class at the sectional on Saturday. Joining Locke from North Murray are Cody Wheat (fifth in 157 pound), Blake Griffin (fifth in 175 pound) and Elijah Hardin (sixth in 120 pound).
Murray County’s Landen Banks earned the sectional title in the 126-pound weight class. Also headed for Macon from Murray are Caleb Blair (third in 144), Kristopher McGinnis (sixth in 150) and Brayden Thomason (sixth in 215).
Christian Heritage has a duo of state qualifiers
At the Class A Section A meet at Dublin High School on Saturday, Christian Heritage came away with two state qualifiers for the Class A state championships. Erik Torres placed third in the 132-pound class to advance to the state championship meet, while Cooper Middleton was the fourth-place finisher in the 157-pound division to punch a ticket to state.