DULUTH, Ga. — Sonoraville was unable to maintain the momentum it had late Friday in the Georgia traditional wrestling tournament, ultimately finishing second to Class AA juggernaut Jefferson by 18 1/2 points.
It is the closest any program has come to dethroning the now 11-time champions, and though neither coach Eric Elrod nor his wrestlers were happy with the runner-up status, it was Sonoraville’s best-ever traditional finish.
“We had no pressure going into the last three matches because it was decided, so I just told the kids to go out there and wrestle their best,” said Elrod, whose team has two state duals runner-up finishes. “I’m not ashamed of our effort. We ran up against three tough ones.
“We finished second in the state and, again, we don’t want to keep saying that over and over, but it’s notable that we finished 130-140 points ahead of the third-place team. It’s real easy to focus on the 10-15 points we finished behind Jefferson, but they are probably the second-best team in the state behind [Class AAAAA school] Collins Hill.”
Sonoraville may get another shot next weekend in the state duals, where Jefferson again will be the favorite. Senior Tyler Smith, who finished second at 215 pounds, believes the duals will be even closer.