DULUTH, Ga. – Matthew Waddell didn’t do it on purpose, but one might get the feeling he enjoyed making his coaches sweat a bit during the finals of the GHSA state wrestling tournament.
The Gilmer 182-pounder gave up four points in the final period in his Class AAAA championship match against North Hall’s Isaiah Hale to force an overtime period. Gilmer’s Bobcats just happened to be holding a slim lead over the Trojans in the team title race, so the outcome could have been disastrous.
Waddell, a 170-pound champion a year ago, ended the drama in 12 seconds as he took Hale down to win, 6-4, clinching the Ellijay team’s fourth consecutive state team title.
“It was a fun experience,” Waddell smiled. “Individually, I didn’t want to give up any stupid points, but I got tired late and had to go overtime to win. You’ve got to have some guts to go into overtime like that.”
Gilmer went a perfect 6-for-6 Saturday, including four individual titles in edging North Hall 152.5 to 141. Alberto Perez (120 pounds), Lucas Patterson (132) and heavyweight Levi Seabolt joined Waddell as champions, while Keegan Sharpe took third at 145 and Keegan Sharpe finished fifth at 138.
“We were a little nervous,” Gilmer coach Joshua Snider said of Waddell’s overtime session, “but Matthew pulled out the reserve tank and came on strong. He usually pins them very quickly, but he’s got the lungs to go the distance. Their guy did a good job of pushing him, but he had enough left to get it done.”
Gilmer wasn’t the only north Georgia team to fare well. Ringgold, fresh off a third-place finish in the state duals, finished second to Jefferson in Class AAA. David Moss’s team had six medalists, led by 145-pound champion Griffin Green.
“The kids worked hard all tournament long,” Moss said. “There were a few teams close to us, and we didn’t know we were going to get second until the finals started.
“Griffin dominated his bracket and capped off a great season. To win it all as a sophomore is phenomenal. I hope they all grew up a bit. As the tournament approached you could see they were improving. There were a lot of matches they were behind in and kept battling to win. That made a huge difference for us.”
Trion, despite going 0-for-3 in the championship round, finished second to runaway winner Commerce in Class A, the Bulldogs’ highest-ever finish. Trion placed eight wrestlers, led by runners-up Cole Luallen (132), Scott Frazier (160) and Logan Blevins (182).
“We had a judgment call against Cole Luallen that might have cost him the title at 132,” Brock said. “He had a cradle lock on the kid and had him on his hip, but the official said it wasn’t a reversal. That was a heartbreaker because the kid has been working his tail off all year. The kids did all we could ask for.”
Heritage, led by 126-pound champion Chuckie Thurman, finished sixth in Class AAAA, while Sonoraville finished seventh in Class AAA and had two individual champions in Trevor Burdick (106) and Tyler Hunt (113).
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GHSA Traditional Championships ResultsClass AAAAFinal Team Standings1. Gilmer 152.5; 2. North Hall 141; 3. Buford 124.5; 4. West Laurens 100.5; 5. Marist 92; 6. Heritage 85; 7. Locust Grove 80.5; 8. Chestatee 77; 9. Carrollton 76.5; St. Pius X 63; 11. Northwest Whitfield 59; 14. Ridgeland 47; 22. LaFayette 20; 32. Southeast Whitfield 10.Championship round120 — Alberto Perez (Gilmer) dec. Cody Bond (Madison), 5-4; 126 — Chuckie Thurman (Heritage) dec. Grady Pastor (Woodward Academy), 6-0; 132 — Lucas Patterson (Gilmer) dec. Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland), 4-3; 160 — Michael Carew (North Hall) pinned Cole Ingram (LaFayette), 3:07; 182 — Matthew Waddell (Gilmer) OT dec. Isaiah Hale (North Hall), 6-4; 220 — Chris Henderson (Ridgeland) dec. Lazavier Moore (Upson-Lee), 5-3; 285 — Levi Seabolt (Gilmer) dec. Hudson Newton (Troup), 4-0.Third-place round120 — Chase Seals (Troup) dec. Bryan Gembe (NW Whitfield), 3-2; 132 — Daniel Jernagin (Heritage) dec. Blake Beasley (W. Laurens), 5-4; 138 — Trent Ferguson (Buford) dec. Dylan Jernagin (Heritage), 3-0; 145 — Keegan Sharpe (Gilmer) pinned Tucker Sippolla (Carrollton), 2:27; 160 — Cameron Butler (W. Laurens) dec. Henson Gibbs (NW Whitfield), 10-7; 195 — Jordan Lewis (NW Whitfield) dec. James Teague (Whitewater), 7-5; 285 — Tanner Nance (Heritage) dec. Matez Hudson (Carrollton), 3-2.Fifth-place round138 — Ethan Teague (Gilmer) dec. Matthew Sewell (North Hall), 3-2.Class AAAFinal Team Standings1. Jefferson 273; 2. Ringgold 119; 3. Morgan County 107; 4. Banks County 84; 5. Rockmart 72; 6. Oconee County 70; 7. Sonoraville 67.5; 8. Elbert County 62; 9. Jackson County 58; 10. Calhoun 55; 18. Murray County 37.5; 24. Coahulla Creek 25; 39. Gordon Central 1.Championship round106 — Trevor Burdick (Sonoraville) major dec. Ian Statia (Jefferson), 8-0; 113 — Tyler Hunt (Sonoraville) dec. Dawson Bates (Jefferson), 3-0; 126 — Marcelino Lopez (Murray) dec. Noah Hile (Blessed Trinity), 3-2; 145 — Griffin Green (Ringgold) dec. Jacob Lindenmeyer (East Jackson), 5-2; 220 — Zach Matthews (Lumpkin) pinned Jesse Wade (Ringgold), 3:01; 285 — Nick Holman (Jefferson), 4-3.Third-place round106 — Tanner Stone (Ringgold) dec. Cruz Arrendondo (Toombs), 6-3; 120 — Luke Gonzalez (Jackson) OT dec. Aaron Aguirre (Calhoun), 10-8; 138 — Vincent Baker (Blessed Trinity) dec. Jacob Callahan (Calhoun), 4-0; 170 — Caleb Johnson (Appling) pinned Tielor Johnson (Murray), 1:58; 195 — Nu Usey (Westminster) pinned Brice Craig (Calhoun), 1:26.Fifth-place round120 — Jamarcus Allen (Elbert) dec. Levi Kinsey (Coahulla Creek), 3-1; 126 — Will Broom (Ringgold) pinned Christian Grauberger (Dodge), 0:59; 132 — Holden Moss (Ringgold) pinned Dawson Hunt (Central-Carroll), 3:23; 160 — Mason Corbett (Jefferson) pinned Christian East (Calhoun), 2:57; 285 — Jeremy Wilson (Islands) won by forfeit over Kenny Cooper (Sonoraville).Class AAFinal Team Standings1. Social Circle 235; 2. Bremen 184; 3. Lovett 97.5; 4. Darlington 90; 5. GAC 54; 6. Model 49; 7. Fitzgerald 48; 8. Pace 38; 9. Armuchee 34; 9. Gordon Lee 34; 9. Wesleyan 34; 18. Dade County 12; 19. Chattooga 11.Championship round152 — Joseph Stroud (Bremen) dec. Braden Jarvis (Gordon Lee), 3-1. Third-place round138 — Zach Murdock (Gordon Lee) pinned Payton McKie (Fitzgerald), 4:01; 285 — Trenton Mathis (Jeff-Davis) OT dec. Keith Jones (Dade), 7-3.Fifth-place round195 — Austin Jones (Chattooga) pinned Donterious Millsap (Fitzgerald), 3:06.Class AFinal Team Standings1. Commerce 322; 2. Trion 109; 3. Mt. Zion 106; 4. Turner County 88; 5. Treutlen County 83; 6. St. Francis 60.5; 7. Eagles Landing 56; 8. Irwin County 46; 9. Mt. Vernon 34.5; 10. Mt. Pisgah 29.Championship round132 — Dalton Flint (Commerce) dec. Cole Luallen (Trion), 2-1; 160 — Chase Forrester (Commerce) dec. Scott Frazier (Trion), 13-6; 182 — Cole Chancey (Commerce) pinned Logan Blevins (Trion), 3:23.Third-place round120 — Jamey Floyd (Trion) pinned Jack Kirkpatrick (St. Francis), 4:32; 285 — Zyon Ross (Irwin County) OT dec. Seth Cox (Trion), 3-1.Fifth-place round106 — Bolen Stricklin (Trion) pinned Phillip Farabow (Irwin), 1:42; 152 — Andrew McGuire (Trion) pinned Tanner Hall (STAP), 3:16; 170 — Deontae Crockett (Turner) dec. Jake Wells (Trion), 9-3.