Sonoraville's Trevor Burdick, Dalton's Tyler Hunt make history at GHSA wrestling state tournament

Burdick helps Phoenix repeat as state champs

Sonoraville's Trevor Burdick, top, wrestles with Notre Dame's Grant Speer during the McCallie Invitational in December 2017.
Sonoraville's Trevor Burdick, top, wrestles with Notre Dame's Grant Speer during the McCallie Invitational in December 2017.
photo Sonoraville wrestler Trevor Burdick completed an undefeated senior season and won his fourth straight state title Saturday while helping his team repeat as Class AAA state champions at the GHSA traditional tournament in Macon.
photo Tyler Hunt, who transferred from Sonoraville to Dalton in the offseason, has won four straight GHSA wrestling state titles.

Sonoraville's Trevor Burdick and Dalton's Tyler Hunt wrote their names in the GHSA wrestling record book Saturday afternoon at the Macon Centreplex.

Burdick, a 145-pounder in Class AAA, and Hunt, a 132-pounder in AAAAAA, each won his fourth straight state title. Going into Saturday, only 35 wrestlers had accomplished the feat since Georgia hosted its first state traditional tournament in 1961.

"I just feel so happy for Trevor to get that fourth straight title; he's definitely earned it," Sonoraville coach Randy Steward said of Burdick, who finished his senior season 52-0. "He's one of the most class acts I've ever coached."

Burdick's finals match might not have been high-scoring, but it had plenty of drama considering the stakes. His second-period escape held up for a 1-0 victory over Lumpkin County senior Keller Brown, the wrestler Burdick defeated for last year's state title.

Burdick and his Phoenix teammates also successfully repeated as the AAA team champions with 172 points, just 3.5 ahead of North Hall and 6.5 ahead of powerhouse Jefferson. The win over Jefferson - which was in AAAA last year - ended the Dragons' streak of 18 straight traditional team championships.

Sonoraville's title wasn't won without drama, however. After senior John Knight's victory in the 195-pound final over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe's Nathan Williams, Sonoraville had a slim lead over North Hall, and the Phoenix's fate was in the hands of Jefferson 285-pound senior Gavin London.

With Steward and his wrestlers watching anxiously, London defeated North Hall's Bowie Eisenberg, allowing Sonoraville to clinch the title.

"I actually invited (London) to our banquet," Steward said with a chuckle.

"I don't even know if it's sunk in yet," the coach added. "Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up with a smile on my face. This is what these kids talk about before the season even starts. We've really changed the culture and made Sonoraville a wrestling school."

Hunt had a much easier time in his championship match than Burdick, his former teammate - Hunt transferred from Sonoraville to Dalton prior to his senior year. The Catamounts star, who plans to wrestle at Navy, won by major decision, beating Cambridge's Kyle Romano 12-4 to finish his season 69-0.

Dalton sophomore Hunter Noland also got to the top of the podium with a pin of Pope's Alex Hearn in the first period of the 126-pound final.

Ridgeland's Jacob Mariakis has had an impressive wrestling career as well. The Panthers senior won his third straight state title - he finished runner-up his freshman year - with a 13-1 major decision over Woodward Academy's Malachi Wiley in the AAAA 152-pound final.

A trio of Chattooga County juniors won AA titles: Griffin Jarrett (106), Alex Mears (220), and Luis Medina (285). Jarrett scored a 15-0 technical fall against Toombs County's Jose Balderas, Mears won 8-4 against Bremen's Jacob Stephens and Medina won 6-0 against Toombs County's Rolando Tonoco.

Their performances led the Indians to a third-place team finish.

GHSA STATE TRADITIONAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Saturday at the Macon Centreplex

CLASS A

Team Scores

1. Commerce 193, 2. Darlington 161.5, 3 Turner County 98, 4. Trion 90, 5. George Walton Academy 90.5, 6. Holy Innocents' 68, 7. Mount Pisgah Christian 66, 8. Wesleyan 64, 9. Gordon Lee 62, 10. Irwin County 60.

Championship Matches

106 - Mark Metz (Pinecrest Academy) dec. Bryce James (Gordon Lee), 4-1.

Third-Place Matches

113 - Hunter Burnette (Gordon Lee) dec. C.G. Bertrand (Mount Pisgah Christian), 4-1; 126 - Carson Mullis major dec. Nathan Hunley (Gordon Lee), 13-0; 220 - Jonathan Hammond (Mount Vernon) dec. Alex Stewart (Trion), 7-1.

Fifth-Place Matches

106 - Robert Austin Westbrook (Walker) dec. Deagan Vaughn (Trion), 6-0; 113 - Alonzo Francisco (Trion) dec. Nathan Boone (Mount Zion-Carroll), 14-7; 120 - Carl McDurmon (Darlington) dec. Ethan Madaris (Trion), 9-3; 132 - Tillmon McKinney (Mount Paran Christian) won by DQ over Bowden Brock (Trion); 138 - Chris Pace (Trion) pinned Roy Wilson (Turner County), 4:24; 145 - Lincoln Maddux (Trion) pinned Avery Geer (Gordon Lee), 2:30; 285 - Troy Beasley (St. Francis) pinned Clay Baker (Trion), 4:57.

CLASS AA

Team Scores

1. Social Circle 150.5, 2. Elbert County 122.5, 3. Chattooga 107.5, 4. Toombs County 107.5, T5. Bremen, Pepperell 82, 7. Rockmart 75, 8. Vidalia 73, 9. Oglethorpe County 67, 10. Fitzgerald 66.5, 11. Dade County 65.5.

Championship Matches

106 - Griffin Jarrett (Chattooga) tech. fall Jose Balderas (Toombs County), 15-0; 160 - Mitchell Thompson (Social Circle) dec. Cody Williams (Dade County), 13-7; 195 - Tahjah Watts (Vidalia) major dec. Ty Veatch (Chattooga), 10-2; 220 - Alex Mears (Chattooga) dec. Jacob Stevens (Bremen), 8-4; 285 - Luis Medina (Chattooga) dec. Rolando Tonoco (Toombs County), 6-0.

Third-Place Matches

138 - Nick Daniels (Dade County) dec. Bradley Owens (Jeff Davis), 3-1 SV-1; 152 - Dakota Johnson (Dade County) pinned Hunter Muse (Social Circle), 4:46.

Fifth-Place Matches

170 - Jacoby Cottrell (Chattooga) dec. Cameron Fortson (Elbert County), 8-4;

CLASS AAA

Team Scores

1. Sonoraville 172, 2. North Hall 168.5, 3. Jefferson 165.5, 4. Jackson County 102, 5. Lumpkin County 87, T6. Lovett, Pike County 54.5, 8. Pierce County 54, 9. Fannin County 52, 10. Haralson County 49, 13. Ringgold 40, 18. Calhoun 20, T21. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, North Murray 18, 23. Murray County 17.

Championship Matches

120 - Dennis McNeal Jr. (Stone Mountain) dec. Eli Knight (Sonoraville), 4-2. 126 - Matthew Glen (Ringgold) dec. Tanner Stone (Ringgold), 7-2; 138 - Antonio Mills Jr. (Stone Mountain) dec. Allen Stone (Sonoraville), 3-1 SV-1; 145 - Trevor Burdick (Sonoraville) dec. Keller Brown, 1-0; 182 - Sam Irwin (Lumpkin County) dec. Charlie Brown (Sonoraville), 7-2; 195 - John Knight (Sonoraville) dec. Nathan Williams (LFO), 10-4.

Third Place Matches

106 - Hector Arbos (Sonoraville) dec. Dawson Thompson (North Hall), 4-2; 132 - Jeremiah Allen (Lovett) pinned Logan Skeen (Ringgold), 2:57; 138 - Matt Pressley (Franklin County) tech. fall Alex Pulido (North Murray), 15-0; 145 - Reece Poe (Calhoun) pinned McCay Turner (Fannin County), 1:47; 285 - Elijah Pryor (Greater Atlanta Christian) dec. Brandon Bristol (Sonoraville), 11-5.

Fifth-Place Matches

126 - Rowan Burdick (Sonoraville) dec. Christian Soto (Jackson County), 8-7; 132 - Jackson Whittmire (North Hall) dec. Jayce Derryberry (Sonoraville), 3-2; 160 - Neal Henry (Murray County) pinned Jake Farthing (Benedictine), 2:52; 170 - Levi Seabolt (Lumpkin County) dec. Jebb Knight (Sonoraville), 5-3 SV-1.

CLASS AAAA

Team Scores

1. Woodward Academy 169, 2. West Laurens 166.5, 3. Blessed Trinity 129.5, 4. Gilmer 101.5, 5. Central-Carroll 96, 6. Ridgeland 92.5, 7. Perry 90, 8. North Oconee 79.5, 9. Madison County 74, 10. Heritage 68.5, 12. Pickens 50.5, 19. Northwest Whitfield 34, 23. Southeast Whitfield 22, 31. LaFayette 9.

Championship Matches

106 - Austin Thiel (Perry) dec. Riso Webb (Southeast Whitfield), 5-4; 113 - Josh Kincaid (Madison County) dec. Ryan Craft (Heritage), 10-3; 126 - Nick Masers (Woodward Academy) pinned C.J. Murphy (Pickens), 2:21; 145 - McCoy Pace (Woodward Academy) dec. Javier Jacinto (Gilmer), 3-1; 152 - Jacob Mariakis (Ridgeland) major dec. Malachi Wiley (Woodward Academy), 13-1; 160 - Dre Bonner (West Laurens) dec. Dylan Swanson (Ridgeland), 14-11.

Third-Place Matches

120 - Chris Prescott (Ridgeland) major dec. Kenley Chadwick (Flowery Branch), 12-0; 138 - Triston Thiel (Perry) dec. Jordan Hughley (Ridgeland), 7-3; 152 - Courtland Staples (Northside Columbus) dec. Garett Stephens (Heritage), 6-1; 160 - Alex Repetun (Gilmer) dec. Alex Poma (Blessed Trinity), 3-1; 170 - Joel Faglier (Cross Creek) dec. Jamarey Hull (Northwest Whitfield), 6-3; 195 - Dalton Brunner (Pickens) dec. J.C. Higgins (Central-Carroll), 4-2.

Fifth-Place Matches

106 - Victor Pineda (Northwest Whitfield) dec. Carson Bentley (Gilmer), 7-5; 130 - Kevin Daniels (Blessed Trinity) pinned Zack Meadows (Pickens), 1:59; 160 - Seth Ingle (Heritage) pinned Jabril Williams (Cartersville), 3:43; 195 - Taylor Brogdon (Gilmer) dec. Alex Eacret (Heritage), 5-4; 220 - Quori Alexander (Luella) pinned Matthew Wallin (LaFayette), 2:21.

CLASS AAAAAA

Team Scores

1. Valdosta 177, 2. Pope 141.5, 3. Alexander 132.5, 4. Richmond Hill 131, 5. Creekview 116.5, 6. Dalton 109.5, 7. South Paulding 100.5, 8. Cambridge 83.5, 9. Coffee 78.5, 10. Brunswick 70.

Championship Matches

126 - Hunter Noland (Dalton) pinned Alex Hearn (Pope), 1:40; 132 - Tyler Hunt (Dalton) major dec. Kyle Romano (Cambridge), 12-4.

Third-Place Matches

106 - Hunt Cole (Dalton) dec. Joey Robinson (Pope), 3-0; 138 - Bryan Hernandez-Martinez (Houston County) dec. Jaxon Wells (Dalton), 4-3.

Fifth-Place Matches

120 - Ethan Carroll (Dalton) won by forfeit over Dustin Byers (South Paulding).

GIRLS

Championship Match

95 - Candalaria Velasquez (Gilmer) pinned Alana Washington (Hiram), 1:54.

Third-Place Match

225 - Teonna Bonds (Southeast Whitfield) dec. Mi'Kel Jiles (Meadowcreek), 8-5.

Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.

photo Sonoraville's Trevor Burdick, top, wrestles with Notre Dame's Grant Speer during the McCallie Invitational in December 2017.

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