No area wrestling program is very likely to win a team championship at this week’s GHSA state traditional tournament in Macon, but 10 local boys are still alive for individual glory after the first day of competition in Classes A through AAAA on Thursday.
Ringgold — despite the absence of injured Tristan Busch, who had been projected as a No. 1 seed at 157 pounds — leads teams from the Times Free Press coverage area with three finalists in Class AA: Billy Hamilton (138), Pierce Pennington (150) and Jaxon Delgado (165). The three have won area and sectional titles and are the top seeds in their respective weight classes.
Ringgold’s only other wrestler still alive in the double-elimination event, though, is Adam Morzingis in the consolation bracket at 126, and the Tigers are ninth in the team standings after registering back-to-back third-place finishes at the past two state traditional tournaments.
Area 7-AA duals champion Coahulla Creek has the most wrestlers still alive with seven, including finalists Jackson Lowery (190) and Chevy Joyce (215). The Colts are fifth in the team standings with 102 points, well behind first-place Lovett (159.5) which has five finalists to go with eight total competitors still alive for at least top-six finishes.
Coahulla Creek’s Drake Goff (126) and Danny Liddy (144) lost in Thursday’s semifinals and will be in Friday’s consolation semifinals, as will teammates Preston Giles (106), Shawn Bailey (157) and Branson Lowery (175), who won consolation matches Thursday after losing in the quarterfinals.
The area’s other championship finalists: in Class A, Gordon Lee’s Noah Brown (113) — an individual state champion last year, he is 40-1 this season — and Christian Heritage’s Harrison Murdock (150), who’s 25-0; in AA, LaFayette’s Haygen Baker (150); and in AAAA, Southeast Whitfield’s Olli Webb (132) — a two-time state champ who’s undefeated this season — and Dalton’s Josian Hernandez (215).
Joining Ringgold with four wrestlers still competing are Gordon Lee and Trion in Class A, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in AA, Northwest Whitfield in AAA and Southeast Whitfield in AAAA
Gordon Lee is fifth in Class A with 77 points (Social Circle leads with 151), and in addition to Noah Brown in the title round, the Trojans have Landon Brown (144), Layne Vaughn (175) and Josh Murtaugh (285) alive for third place. Trion’s consolation semifinalists are Silas Mills (120), Coleman Lee (144), Clayton Loughbridge (157) and Lane Harris (190).
LFO, which had seven state qualifiers, has Zakkery Baker (120), Keegan Kinsey (150), Tammoris Johnson (165) and Noah Gross (190) still alive for third place.
Northwest Whitfield’s contingent includes three wrestlers who lost in the semifinals — Abraham Hurd (113), Holden McCullough (157) and Landon Phillips (190) — while Tony Burnecke (175) is alive after losing in the quarterfinals.
In addition to Webb in the finals, Southeast Whitfield has Bryan Ruiz (120), Areli Celis (126) and Luis Familia (215) in the consolation semifinals.
Seven other area wrestlers also will compete in Friday’s consolation semifinals: Christian Heritage’s Cooper Middleton (150) in Class A; Heritage’s Wyatt Womack (106), Jonathan Arehart (126) and Alex Grayson (157) plus LaFayette’s Avery Davis (126) and Isaac Hamilton (138) in AAA; and Dalton’s Nathan Ridley in AAAA.
Classes A through AAAA will complete their tournaments Friday. The all-classification girls’ tournament begins Friday and concludes Saturday, along with the boys’ competition in Classes AAAAA and AAAAAA.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.