Traditional wrestling tournament season ultimately focuses on individual achievement. In three weeks at the Macon Centreplex, 84 individuals across six classifications will earn state championship medals.
There also will be six team champions, and any team with title aspirations has to take care of business the next two weekends. That means -- to use a favorite wrestling coaching term -- surviving and advancing. Area individual titles are nice, but the real key is to finish in the top four of the weight class to make the sectionals.
"There's going to be an upset or two (for titles), but you've just got to find a way to qualify for the sectionals," said Gordon Lee coach Brent Raby, in essence speaking for every coach with team title hopes.
Qualifying fewer than 10 for the state tournament makes winning a state title very difficult, and in northwest Georgia's area tournaments, making the top four in some weight classes can be tougher than winning a match in Macon. Take Area 7-AAAA, for example. The tournament, held at Ridgeland today, features the state's top two dual teams in powerhouse Gilmer County and Northwest Whitfield.
While those two teams are expected to battle for the area title, teams such as Heritage, Cartersville, LaFayette and Ridgeland have quality individuals who could make things difficult in this round and the next. However, if seedings hold true, Gilmer's Bobcats and Northwest's Bruins will see plenty of each other today.
"The seeds fell out like I thought it would," said Northwest coach Allen Tucker. "We have only one No. 1 seed (Austin Taylor at 160), but we have six No. 2 seeds in Bryan Gembe, Blake Hayes, Garrett Grey, Jordan Pittman, Jordan Lewis and Michael Robles. Gilmer has a bunch of No. 1 seeds.
"All 14 of my kids are seeded, the first time that's happened since I've been coaching. I would love to take all 14, and realistically all 14 have a chance."
The same holds true at the 6-AAA tournament at Ringgold and the 3-AA event at Model. Sonoraville is the favorite in 6-AAA after a state duals runner-up finish to Jefferson, but rival Calhoun and surging Ringgold will have several individuals place. In 3-AA, Gordon Lee will fight with area duals champ Lovett in several weight classes.
"I feel good about our team, though this is a tough area and will be a really tough sectional, so we've got a lot of work to do," said Gordon Lee's Raby, whose team is motivated after a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Class AA state duals. "We're going to have a dogfight with Lovett. Armuchee has a handful of really good kids, and there are kids here and there that could win individual titles and make things tougher for us.
"We just have to survive and live to fight another day."
In other words, the number that matters most today isn't the team point total.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.