ALLATOONA, Ga. -- Gilmer County's Bobcats won the day, but Heritage may have a leg up on the big prize after the conclusion of an eventful Area 7-AAA traditional wrestling tournament Saturday at Allatoona High School.
The defending state traditional champions from Gilmer had five individual champions and won the area title with ease Saturday, 253 1/2 points to 220 for Heritage. However, the Generals, who had individual champions in Madison Martin (126), Landon Reed (132) and Andy Bratton (170), will take 11 wrestlers to next week's sectional tournament, compared to 10 for the Bobcats.
"Taking 11, and who we're taking, I'm pleased," Heritage coach Kenny Hill said. "We didn't finish the way we wanted to finish in some of the matches, but this is region and we've seen these guys several times and they're getting to know each other, so it's harder to do the things we've been doing.
"I feel pretty good, though, about going forward. They lost a couple they weren't expecting to."
Though disappointed in the number of wrestlers advancing, Gilmer coach Sam Snider considers his group of 10 -- including area champions Cameron Perry, Daniel Bautista, Justin Karr, Johnie Flakes and Joey Ray -- very dangerous.
"I'm very pleased with my finalists, but I'm a little down over a couple that didn't make it," said Snider, who had to watch 220-pound Austin Sprayberry default due to an arm injury. "I thought my heavyweight would get there and my 152, but we had five champions today and I think all five can win state. We might need it, and it all depends on what Heritage does. To me, it's a two-team horse right now."
LaFayette continued its late-season surge by finishing third with 160 points and Brady Hart winning the 160-pound class. Allatoona was fourth with 153 points, followed by Southeast Whitfield at 133.
Dalton, which finished eighth with 79 points, did not bring a full squad but managed two individual champions in Reinaldo Torres (145) and Sidney Wheeler (182). Murray County's Blade Lequire gave the Indians an individual title at heavyweight with a 1-0 decision over Ringgold's Chase Orr.
Heritage's tournament got off to a bad start when tournament officials ruled Ethan Thompson did not meet the mandatory weight to wrestle at 220. The senior weighed in two pounds too light.
"Before the tournament started I had to tell him that he couldn't wrestle," Hill said. "He was ready to go five minutes before his match and they tell me. That was gut-wrenching to tell a kid who's done everything you've asked of him that he can't wrestle. But he'll be with us and we have eight seniors among our 11 advancing, so we have the experience. Now we just have to finish our matches better."
One of those seniors, the UTC-bound Reed, believes his team will work through the trouble spots before the state tournament in two weeks.
"If we keep working on it this week we can score big with the guys we've got," Reed said. "It's just small stuff we need to work on, but they're all correctable. We feel good about the next two weeks. Having that extra wrestler, if everybody does what they're supposed to do, will help us a lot."
• Gordon Lee finished second to Holy Innocents' in the Area 3-A tournament, 270 points to 199 1/2, with five individual champions and 10 of its 11 advancing through to the sectionals. Winning titles for the Trojans were Jonny Ragsdale, Chase Wood, Will Jacks, Kory Allmond and Ethan West.
"I'm real pleased with the weekend," Gordon Lee coach Brent Raby said. "Even though Holy Innocents' is taking all 14 to the sectionals, I believe they will drop a few for the state and we have a real good possibility of taking all 10."
• Northwest Whitfield finished sixth at the Area 7-AAAA tournament at Cass, which was won by Woodland. Dustin Pendergrass, Brian Whitmire and Adam Selby earned individual titles for Northwest, which will take five wrestlers to the sectionals.