Fourteen area wrestlers advanced to the championship round at the GHSA state traditional tournament in Macon on Friday.
While the competition for individual glory is very much in play Saturday, no area programs are in the running for team championships, with Ringgold in the best position at third in Class AAA. The Tigers — who finished third last year — are 51 points back of leader Columbus. Dalton is fifth in Class AAAAA, Trion is sixth in Class A and Southeast Whitfield is ninth in Class AAAA.
Individually, the 106-pound competition in AAA is guaranteed to produce a champion from Northwest Georgia as Gordon Lee freshman Noah Brown and Coahulla Creek’s Adonnis Sanchez meet in Saturday’s title bout. Ringgold’s Pierce Pennington, a reigning state champion, goes against Franklin County’s Will Ballenger in the 138-pound final, with Tigers teammate Jaxon Delgado going for the title at 157 against White County’s Christian Kekeley.
Area 7 champion Dalton is a distant fifth with 83 points in Class AAAAA, with Ola leading the way with 161 points. Dalton’s Randy Sliger (157) and Stryker Woods (215) are going for individual championships, as is Calhoun’s Isaac Green (165).
In Class A, Trion’s Toby Maddux earned a shot at avenging last week’s sectional loss to Commerce’s Hoke Hogan at 190 pounds. Hogan, a nationally ranked wrestler who has signed to compete collegiately at West Virginia, handed Maddux — a two-time individual state champ at a lower weight class — his first loss of the season at a sectional tournament last weekend.
Also in the title round in Class A is Dade County’s Landon Williams (215). Williams is a two-time individual state champion and will face Lamar County’s Gary Morton, who upset Commerce’s Tyshon Wiggins in the semifinals, for the title Saturday.
Chattooga’s Zayden Cook is a finalist at 175 pounds in Class A, while Indians teammates Bryson Rutledge (106), Landon Carlton (113) and Gavin Carlton (126) are alive in the consolation semifinals, as are Trion’s Jason Jenkins (120) and Coleman Lee (144) and Dade County’s Jax Guinn (165).
In Class AAAA, Southeast Whitfield’s Olli Webb, a former individual state champion, is through to the 120-pound final, where he will face a familiar foe in Sonoraville’s Noah Chastain. Also going for an individual title is Heritage’s Evan Wingrove (190).
Wingrove’s Heritage teammates, Kaden Taylor (106) and Skylar Grant (175), Southeast Whitfield’s Bryan Ruiz (113), Areli Celis (126) and Joseph Morales (215), Sonoraville’s Logan Moore (132) and Trinton Parker (190) and Northwest Whitfield’s Tony Burnecke (190) and Landon Phillips (215) are alive in the consolation bracket.
Those wrestling in the AAA consolation semifinals include LaFayette’s Dalton Griffin (120) and Haygen Baker (144), Ringgold’s Billy Hamilton (126) and Tristan Busch (157), Ridgeland’s Malachi Hutchinson (157), Gordon Lee’s Landon Brown (132) and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe’s Jonas Watkins (165).
In AAAAA, Dalton’s Zaedin Ausmus (132) and Riley Souther (285) and Calhoun’s Rex Richardson (175) are alive in the consolation medal rounds.
In girls’ competition, which covers all classifications, Chattooga senior Kendra Heroch is in the 140-pound final for the fourth time and seeking her first title, and she’ll have a rematch with reigning champion Greta Garbuzovas of Lumpkin County. Southeast Whitfield’s Terra Burse (190) is also in the finals.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.