Northwest Whitfield didn't let the moment get too big Thursday in the opening round of the GHSA Wrestling Duals Championships in Macon. The Bruins, making their first appearance in several years, rolled past Locust Grove, 54-19, in the Class AAAA competition.
Northwest used a pin in the match's first bout at 195 pounds from freshman John Tant and received a forfeit at 220 to get out to a 12-0 lead.
"They were a pretty solid team, and we were sloppy a bit early on, but after we got the match going we took off," said Northwest coach Allen Tucker, whose team faces No. 3 seed North Hall in this morning's quarterfinal match. "Our kids didn't let it get to them. Some of the four-A coaches came up to me and said our match was going to be tough. If our kids get out there and just wrestle like they did at practice, I feel good about our chances."
Also in Class AAAA, top-seeded Gilmer County gave coach Sam Snider his 500th career win with a 56-15 win over Eastside from the Atlanta area. The Bobcats ran out to a 40-0 lead with pins from Luis Esteban, Levi Seabolt, Domingo Reynoso and Trevor Preece and later received pins from Ethan Peague, Jordan Caviness and Dawson Jenkins. Gilmer wrestles Troup County, a 37-32 winner over Pike County, in the quarters.
Other Class AAAA winners were Buford, Marist, Carrollton and West Laurens.