Sonoraville, Calhoun and Gordon Lee will join Heritage in Macon.Sonoraville won its third consecutive Area 7-AA title at Gordon Central High School by defeating Calhoun 48-18 in the finals. Calhoun earned the second state duals berth by then defeating Model.Gordon Lee won the Area 4-A tournament at Holy Innocents’ by defeating the hosts in the finals, 43-32, after downing Darlington 57-24. Northwest Whitfield finished fifth in the 7-AAAA tournament at Rome, where Woodland and Creekview finished first and second.
ELLIJAY, Ga. — Thirty minutes Saturday was all it took for the LaFayette High School wrestling team to run the gamut of emotions.
One bout from possibly winning the Area 7-AAA Duals at Gilmer County, the Ramblers first watched the hosts rally for a championship-match win and then saw their state-title hopes vanish entirely. Half an hour after falling 36-34 to Gilmer, the Ramblers fell behind Heritage 12-0 in a do-or-die match for the area’s second and final state playoff berth.
The Generals held on for a 33-24 win, leaving the three-time state duals champion on the outside looking in.
“We wrestled as hard as we could,” LaFayette assistant coach Lee Dendy said. “We lost a heartbreaker to Gilmer in the semifinals, and I knew it would be difficult to get back up. But hats off to Heritage. They stepped up and were ready to wrestle, and we really weren’t. So we’ll just go to work and hopefully have a shot at the traditional [state tournament].”
Heritage, which had to win two consolation matches after losing to Gilmer in the semifnals, won the first four individual bouts against LaFayette, starting at 189 pounds with Jacob Tripp’s 3-2 won over Koran Dyer. Michael Moore, who has had limited action this season, followed with a 7-1 win over Garrett Thomison, and then heavyweight Dylan Lowe edged Kenny Sartin, 5-2, for a 9-0 lead.
“We were hoping to get a second chance of going to Macon, and thankfully we got that when Gilmer defeated LaFayette,” Heritage coach Kenny Hill said. “Our upper weights came through for us.”
Hill’s freshman son, Tyler, made it 12-0 with a decision at 103 before LaFayette’s Hannah Jackson cut the lead in half with a pin. The momentum was quickly lost, however, when Madison Martin earned a third-period Heritage pin, and following decisions from Landon Reed and Cody Goins, the lead was 24-6. LaFayette moved to within 24-18 on Dalton Smith’s win at 145, but defending state champion Cory Canada came through with a technical fall at 152 to in effect seal the win.
“Getting beat by Gilmer, I think, lit a fire,” Coach Hill said of the 39-23 morning match. “We watched the LaFayette-Gilmer match and that went back and forth, but the guys realized how close we all are. This is the best area in the state, and it’s a shame a team like LaFayette has to sit at home.”
A LaFayette win over Gilmer would have ended the tournament, since the Bobcats already had beaten Heritage. With two individual bouts to go, LaFayette held a 31-30 lead following Dalton Smith’s pin at 145 pounds. Gilmer’s Josh Perigo, though, earned a pin at 152 for a five-point lead, and when LaFayette’s Andrew Gilbert, needing a pin for the team win, decisioned Ben DeLoach at 160, the second-place match was on.
“I was worried, really scared, but luckily Gilmer came through,” Heritage’s Canada said. “The will to not want to give up is what got us here. Most of us have wrestled in Macon, and we did not want to miss out this year.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.
Area 7-AAA Duals
Saturday at Ellijay, Ga.
Championship Match
GILMER COUNTY 36, LaFAYETTE 34
(Meet started at 171 pounds)
103–Cameron Perry (GC) pinned Dalton Smith, 3:20; 112–Justin Karr (GC) pinned Hannah Jackson, 0:41; 119–Britton Gilbert (L) dec. Brady McCollum, 11-5; 125–Chance Gilbride (L) dec. Johnie Flakes, 7-1; 130–Tyler Davenport (GC) pinned Justin Wallin, 3:06; 135–Preston McCalmon (L) pinned Sam Rodgers, 3:38; 140–Brady Hart (L) major dec. Joey Ray, 12-3; 145–Dalton Smith (L) pinned Trevor Miller, 5:22; 152–Josh Perigo (GC) pinned Logan Hise, 3:14; 160–Andrew Gilbert (L) dec. Ben DeLoach, 7-5; 171–Hunter Barnes (GC) pinned Jesse Clements, 1:17; 189–Koran Dyer (L) dec. Ian Smith, 10-5; 215–James Longino (GC) pinned Garrett Thomison, 3:04; 285–Kenny Sartin (L) pinned Austin Sprayberry, 1:44.
Second-Place Match
HERITAGE 33, LaFAYETTE 24
(Meet started at 189 pounds)
103–Tyler Hill (H) dec. Dalton Smith, 5-2; 112–Hannah Jackson (L) pinned Landon Harper, 2:42; 119–Madison Martin (H) pinned Britton Gilbert, 5:07; 125–Landon Reed (H) dec. Chance Gilbride, 9-4; 130–Cody Goins (H) dec. Justin Wallin, 4-2; 135–Preston McCalmon (L) major dec. Michael Shepard, 10-0; 140–Brady Hart (L) tech. fall over Jarrod Holmes, 20-5; 145–Dalton Smith (L) dec. Logan Perkins, 3-2; 152–Cory Canada (H) tech. fall over Logan Hise, 19-2; 160–James Voorhees (H) major dec. Dakota Thompson, 14-3; 171–Andrew Gilbert (L) won by forfeit; 189–Jacob Tripp (H) dec. Koran Dyer, 3-2; 215–Michael Moore dec. Garrett Thomison, 7-1; 285–Dylan Lowe (H) dec. Kenny Sartin, 7-3.
Semifinals
LaFAYETTE 39, PICKENS COUNTY 16
(Meet started at 152 pounds)
103–Dalton Smith (L) dec. Tim Crenshaw, 15-9; 112–Dylan Nelson (PC) major dec. Hannah Jackson, 11-0; 119–Britton Gilbert (L) dec. Lance Chapman, 10-5; 125–Chance Gilbride (L) dec. J.T. Wayman, 12-5; 130–Justin Wallin (L) dec. Robert Wofford, 9-2; 135–Preston McCalmon (L) major dec. Austin Stone, 12-3; 140–Brady Hart (L) pinned Nathan Weaver; 145–John Riddle (PC) dec. Joe Clayton, 16-10; 152–Geoff Haughout (PC) pinned Logan Hise; 160–Andrew Gilbert (L) pinned John Hiro; 171–Jesse Clemons (L) tech. fall over John Massey, 16-0; 189–Koran Dyer (L) dec. Chase McGowan, 3-2; 215–Kenny Sartin (L) dec. Aaron Lehman, 5-2; 285–Trey Hampton (PC) dec. Garrett Thomison, 11-9.
GILMER COUNTY 39, HERITAGE 23
(Meet started at 152 pounds)
103–Cameron Perry (GC) tech. fall over Tyler Hill, 16-0; 112–Justin Karr (GC) pinned Landon Harper, 0:36; 119–Madison Martin (H) pinned Brady McCollum, 4:47; 125–Landon Reed (H) dec. Johnie Flakes, 7-0; 130–Tyler Davenport (GC) major dec. Cody Goins, 13-2; 135–Michael Shepard (H) major dec. Sam Rodgers, 9-2; 140–Joey Ray (GC) dec. Jarrod Holmes, 10-6; 145–Trevor Martin (GC) dec. Logan Perkins, 6-5; 152–Cory Canada (H) major dec. Josh Perigo, 12-0; 160–Ben DeLoach (GC) dec. Mitchell Bass, 6-2; 171–Hunter Barnes (GC) pinned Andy Bratton, 3:39; 189–Ian Smith (GC) dec. Jacob Tripp, 6-0; 215–James Longino (GC) pinned Gabe Pendley, 3:01; 285–Dylan Lowe (H) pinned Pritchette, 1:35.
Consolation Scores
HERITAGE 56, ALLATOONA 17
PICKENS COUNTY 50, SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 21
HERITAGE 56, PICKENS COUNTY 15