Johnny Ragsdale gets out from Nick Wilson’s hold during a Gordon Lee High School wrestling practice at the high school on Thursday in Chickamauga.CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. – There are a few things Brent Raby knows about his 2013-14 Gordon Lee High School wrestling team – and a few he doesn’t.
The coach knows the Trojans, who swept both Class A team championships last season, again are talented — evidenced by seven returning state placers, including two individual champs — and he knows there will be plenty of fresh bodies on the mat after five state medalists graduate.
Raby’s not sure who will man some of the open slots, and those names could change on a weekly basis, but the biggest certainty he has for the new team is that it will be versatile, which always comes in handy at tournament time.
“To be honest, I think it will be the best team we’ve ever had, but we may not show it until January,” Raby said. “We’ve got a great group of guys back and a very good freshman group, and we’ve got a lot of guys that can wrestle up and not lose anything, which gives us a lot of lineup flexibility.”
Leading that group is two-time state champion Johnny Ragsdale. The junior, Raby said, will wrestle anywhere from his sophomore weight of 113 up to 126.