DALTON, Ga. — Northwest Whitfield coasted to the Area 7-AAAA wrestling championship Saturday night at Dalton High School, advancing 13 wrestlers to the state tournament.

The Bruins won three individual championships and edged second-place Ringgold 218.5 to 189. Lakeview-Fort. Oglethorpe, Ridgeland and Rome each put seven wrestlers in the state tournament, and Dalton advanced six.

“All in all, you’ve got to be happy with what we did tonight,” Northwest coach Allen Tucker said. “I’m definitely glad we got 13 into state. I wish we would have had a few more champions, but we’re moving a lot of kids on.”

Ringgold topped Northwest in the area champion count, four to three. While the Tigers were happy to lead the area in first-place finishers, coach Phil Daniel said the tournament’s standout team was clearly Northwest.

“This weekend belonged to them,” Daniel said of the Bruins. “They’ve just got so many tough kids. They have great wrestlers all the way up and down that roster. They were the best here, and they deserved it. Hopefully next weekend will belong to us.”

That’s when the GHSA state tournament will begin at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. Class AAAA will begin first-round matches Thursday at 8 a.m., and champions will be crowned Saturday night.

Tucker hopes some of his wrestlers will improve as the pressure increases.

“We’re looking good right now, but I really wanted a couple more championships tonight,” he said. “I’m disappointed for some of these seniors who will never have a chance to win a region championship.”

While some Bruins missed that chance, several others took full advantage of it. Merle Bolton, a 119-pound senior, won his fourth area championship. David Lewis (130) and Jermaine Hester (160) also earned titles.

Ringgold’s effort was led by consistent seniors Michael Temple and Jonathan Gregory, who finished first in the 125- and 215-pound classes, respectively. The Tigers’ 135-pound Zach Hopkins also won a championship, but Daniel reserved his highest praise for 140-pound winner Justin Fuqua.

“He absolutely wrestled his butt off,” Daniel said of Fuqua. “We’ve seen moments of greatness from him, but he hasn’t always put it all together. Tonight he really showed what he can do.”

Host Dalton may have advanced only six wrestlers to state, but the Catamounts began the final round with two championships: Christian Washington at 103 and Jordon White at 112. They didn’t earn any more titles, but Dalton coach Charles Mitchell was pleased with his young team’s performance.

“To be a team that only has two seniors and win a couple titles — plus send six to state — is pretty good,” Mitchell said. “I’m pretty proud of our guys. I think we have a chance to do a lot next weekend with this group. This year it’s about quality, not quantity.”

LFO’s Josh Parris (145), Derrick Laney (189) and Chase Duke (285) also won area titles, along with Rome’s Conor Young (152) and Corey Wright (171).

Mitchell said the area’s stiff competition should prepare all advancing wrestlers for the challenges that await.

“This might be the toughest region in North Georgia,” he said. “We all spend all year beating up on each other. It’s just good competition from top to bottom. When you’re facing that all year, you’ll be ready for state.”