DULUTH, Ga. – Platinum is in at Trion High School, or at least it’s about to be.
Following the wrestling program’s second-place finish Saturday in the GHSA’s Class A state traditional tournament, head coach Eric Brock and assistant Jeff Daffron will have to pay up on a little promise they made the team.
Though none of the three Bulldogs in the championship finals won, team members fulfilled each of the coaches’ demands for taking on the surfer look via hair dye: have eight individual medalists, three in the finals and finish second as a team.
It was only with a little trepidation that Brock and Daffron accepted their fates.
“Me and big guy here are going blonde,” Brock said with a smile. “But we’re going to have a professional do it, not the kids. We will be blonde come Tuesday morning, because we made the challenge and they met it.”
The new look, however, will not be around long.
“They said we had to have it for a week,” Brock said. “I guess in two weeks I’m going to have really short hair.”
Heritage’s Thurman goes distance
The tone was set early as Heritage junior 126-pounder Chuckie Thurman began his quest for a second state title against Woodward Academy’s Grady Pastor.
Pastor rushed Thurman at the first whistle, accidentally head-butting him. Thurman took a second to regroup, didn’t lose focus and recorded a quick takedown. He then had to settle in as Pastor elected to try to extend the match, hoping Thurman would tire.
It didn’t work as Thurman won 6-0, getting a takedown in each period and proving he could go the distance after ending his first three matches at the tournament in the first round.
“I knew what he was going to come out with because I’ve faced him a few times before,” Thurman said. “I knew if I went out there hard-nosed and stayed in his face and kept pushing the pace, I could overwhelm him and he would give up. It worked.”
Dramatic day for Ridgeland
Ridgeland coach Keith Mariakis is probably glad the wrestling season is finished after Saturday. His young team, coming off a strong month, had two wrestlers in the Class AAAA finals.
Drama, however, made the day interesting.
Mariakis’ freshman son, Jacob, was locked in a tight 132-pound title match with Gilmer’s Lucas Patterson, who beat the younger Mariakis in the area and sectional finals. However, a stalling point awarded to Patterson brought an end to the brief momentum for Ridgeland and led to a one-point loss.
“That was a tough loss,” Coach Mariakis said. “We had a great game plan going in, but that stall call got us and we couldn’t overcome it. It was a great year for Jacob in a tough weight class.”
Needing a lift, Chris Henderson provided it for the Panthers at 220 pounds. The junior, last year’s state runner-up, used some early advice to churn out a grueling 5-3 win over Upson-Lee’s Lazavier Moore, giving the school a rare state champion.
“We told Chris at the beginning of the year that every time he wins a tournament he never stops doing what he does,” Coach Mariakis said. “He got a little blood on his mouth there, and while they were cleaning it off, coach Josh Mariakis told him that what got you here is your emotion and blasting through people, and he’s not letting you do that. Boy, from that point he did it.”
“It’s been 20 years since someone won a state title at Ridgeland, so this was great for Chris and for the program. We finished the season strong, and hopefully this will catapult us into the summer and next year.”
Complete domination for Commerce
It may have been Class A competition, but Commerce took center stage Saturday as all six classifications’ finals were held.
The Tigers had a maximum 14 wrestlers in the championships and finished the competition with 11 title-winners while setting another meet record with 322 team points. Three of the titles were won at the expense of Trion as Cole Luallen (132), Scott Frazier (160) and Logan Blevins (182) had to settle for second place.
“I’ve never heard of a team having 14 in the finals and with a chance to win 12 of them,” Trion coach Eric Brock said before Commerce lost its last title match. “It’s unheard of, and they’re incredible. I don’t know that they couldn’t challenge for a win against any team in any classification.”
Future Moc Sims shines
Woodward Academy’s Logan Sims needs a rest.
The senior, who has committed to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, won his third individual title in a tough Class AAAAA field while proving he has the guts to make it at the next level.
Sims, 33-1 this season, wrestled with injuries to both knees and a broken rib, yet he was able to gut out a 5-1 win over South Paulding’s Will Moon. Sims is expected to have surgery for at least one of his knees and will redshirt next season for the Mocs.