Day one of three at the GHSA Traditional Wrestling Championships in Macon is in the books for Georgia’s four highest classifications, and top-ranked Gilmer County is off to another strong start in Class AAAA.
The Bobcats put 10 of their 14 wrestlers into today’s semifinals and amassed 88.5 points, though a serious threat to the team title has emerged in Marist, which holds second place with 75. Northwest Whitfield is sixth with 32.5 points and has three wrestlers in the championship semis, while Heritage is 11th, Ridgeland 13th and Southeast Whitfield 14th, each with at least one semifinalist.
Gilmer’s showing Thursday included getting wrestlers to the semis in each of the first eight weight classes, including 138-pounder Keegan Sharpe, who upset top-seeded Trent Ferguson of Buford in the quarterfinals. Other semifinalists are Domingo Reynoso (106), Trevor Preece (113), Marcelino Lopez (120), Alberto Perez (132), Lucas Patterson (138), William Gudger (145), Jaime Lopez (152), Matthew Waddell (170) and heavyweight Levi Seabolt, who barely wrestled a minute in recording two pins.
Northwest’s three semifinalists are Bryan Gembe (113), Blake Hayes (126) and 160-pound Austin Taylor. Heritage still has Chuckie Thurman alive in the championship bracket at 120, while Ridgeland’s two competitors, Caleb Mariakis (138) and Chris Henderson (220), each made the semis, as did Southeast’s Omar Ruiz at 132.
In Class AAA, prohibitive favorite Jefferson is off to a flying start with 90.5 points, nearly 35 more than second-place Lumpkin County. Area 6-AAA champ Sonoraville is in sixth place with 34.5 points and has Kyle Chastain (126), Ryan Farist (170), Kevin Hurtiz (182) and heavyweight Kenny Cooper in the semis. Ringgold is ninth and has three semifinalists in Griffin Green, who upset top-seeded Harrison Adams of Dawson County at 138, Nathan Bello at 145 and Jesse Wade at 220.
The start of competition in Classes AA and A and wrestlebacks in each class will be followed by semifinals in all six classifications beginning tonight at 7.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.