02 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION!

Transcription

1

2 02 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION!

3 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Welcome, GHSA Wrestling Community! Here we are again! Bringing together all classifications for the GHSA Wrestling Championships continues to be a highlight of the GHSA year. On behalf of the Georgia High School Association and its corporate partners, I want to thank you for your support at this year s State Championship matches, and for your support of high school sports throughout this season. The Georgia High School Association could not offer quality tournaments such as this without the hard work of a large number of volunteers who give of themselves tirelessly. This championship event is hosted by members of the Atlanta Takedown Association, who have participated in its planning and operation. A special word of thanks goes out to these volunteers led by Bud Hennebaul, Tournament Director, and to GHSA Assistant Executive Director, Gary Phillips, who is the GHSA administrator for Wrestling. The GHSA is extremely grateful for the support of a number of corporate partners. As you look through this program and as you look around the Arena at Gwinnett Center, please note the names of these fine partners and please use their products and services whenever possible. The quality of wrestling in Georgia continues to improve tremendously as players, coaches and officials perform at new levels of excellence. This championship event will showcase great wrestling and outstanding coaching. These athletes have persevered through the battles involved in maintaining their weight in a healthy manner, and they have endured long practices and intense competitions. The Georgia High School Association strongly believes that lifelong lessons about discipline and hard work are best learned in the competitive arenas of high school athletics. Now, get ready for exciting wrestling action. Support your wrestlers vigorously, and remember to demonstrate good sportsmanship always. Ralph Swearngin GHSA Executive Director Thursday, Feb. 19 Rnd Class 1:00-4:00 p.m. Weigh-ins AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAAA 4:30 p.m. Coaches Meeting AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAAA 5:30-10:00 p.m. 1 Round of 16 AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAAA 12 Mats - 3 Mats ea. Friday, Feb. 20 Rnd Class 8:00-9:30 a.m. Weigh-ins A 10:00 a.m. Coaches Meeting A 9:00-11:15 a.m. 2 First Round of WB's AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAAA 12 Mats - 3 Mats ea. 11:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 3 Quarter Finals All Classes 10 Mats - 2 Mats ea. 3:00-5:15 p.m. 4 Second Round of WB's AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAAA 12 Mats - 3 Mats ea. 5:15-7:00 p.m. 5 Consolation Quarters All Classes 10 Mats - 2 Mats ea. 7:00-9:30 p.m. 6 Semifinals All Classes 10 Mats - 2 Mats ea. Saturday, Feb. 21 Rnd Class 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 7 Consolation Semifinals All Classes 10 Mats - 2 Mats ea. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. 8 Consolation Finals All Classes 10 Mats - 2 Mats ea. 5:00 p.m. 9 Finals All Classes 5 Mats - 1 Mat ea. Awards immediately following the finals ATLANTA TAKEDOWN ASSOCIATION MEMBERS President Gary Schaefer Vice President Bud Hennebaul Gene Beck Treasurer Gary Jira Secretary Vicki Dixon Board Members Mary Lukacs Jim Gassman Bobby Robinett Al Watkins Scott Zeh Tom Marley Head Scorer Jim West The Atlanta Takedown Association would like to thank all volunteers for their assistance in the 2009 GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Tournament. The 2009 Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling State Tournament Guide is published by Score Prep, a division of Score Atlanta, in conjunction with the GHSA. The guide was designed by David Gaudio, edited by Tad Arapoglou, and written by Score Atlanta reporters. The photos on the cover and inside are courtesy of Doug Jackson and his staff at Photographic Arts ( ). I.J. Rosenberg is the publisher of Score Atlanta, and for more information go to scoreatl.com or call ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY CAN BE ORDERED AT PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS (SCHOOLPIX.BIZ). DVD/VHS COPIES OF THE SEMIFINALS AND TELEVISED AAAAA, AAAA, AAA FINALS CAN BE ORDERED AT GAMETAPES.COM.

4 04 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION! Collins Hill, Jefferson County look ver the past decade, two teams have Oachieved unparalleled success in Georgia High School Association wrestling. The Dragons of Jefferson County have dominated in Class A and now do so in Class AA, while the Collins Hill program has built a dynasty in Area 7-AAAAA and Class AAAAA. How do the two programs do it? Everything starts with Jefferson County head coach Doug Thurmond and Collins Hill head coach Cliff Ramos. For Jefferson County, several alreadydecorated wrestlers helped the team recently capture its eighth straight duals title in January (its first in Class AA). The Dragons won the 2009 duals championship, after moving up from Class A, to go along with the program s 12 traditional titles. Thurmond s two sons, Cason (103-pound champion, 2008) and Cam (119-pound champion, 2007 and 2008) helped lead the team to victory. The squad also boasts threetime champion Jay Fowler (152-pound, 2006, 07 and 08), and Zac Crosby (160-pound) is a reigning champion as well. The team has a great love for the sport, according to Thurmond. We don t treat wrestling as a secondary sport, he says. We feel the sport teaches for life. Thurmond s talented bunch also features several 2008 runners-up that will be seeking the elusive individual championship. Daniel Barber (112), Cutler Finch (130), Cole Hightower (285) and Patrick Allen (215) all came close last year and will now look to hit the mat and capture their respective titles. With a team championship already in the bank, look for Thurmond s bunch to make another huge splash with multiple individual championships. FLETCHER PROCTOR to continue their dominance on the mats vious state runner-up (152-pound), will try to overcome injuries to win what he missed out on last year. Nine other individual area champions will join those three in seeking state championships. Look out for Bazell Partridge (103), Nick Holbert (171), C.J. Collins (215) and Allen Willard (130). These wrestlers have been pushed all season by the team s nine seniors, which at times can be pretty tough, according to Ramos: We ve wrestled all over the country and sometimes you come back to the in-state meets and motivation is tough. Knapp, named most outstanding middleweight in the recent Sham Slam, and Caleb Sawchuck were huge in clinching the duals title when the team knocked off Pope, 47-9, to win the team crown. Ramos is proud of the fact that his program has done SOARING TO THE TOP Meanwhile, Collins Hill features just as many all-stars in Class AAAAA. Senior Taylor Knapp, who is ranked No. 10 in the country according to Amateur Wrestling News National, leads by example. Ramos said that Knapp is just one of the many seniors that does a good job, especially in practice. John Allgood is another senior that Ramos was quick to cite as being strong for this team. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that make this program successful, Ramos said, crediting the six outstanding assistant coaches, supportive parents and a fantastic youth program in helping the program win two straight team state championships and three since Thirteen Collins Hill wrestlers qualified for state sectionals and two of Ramos s juniors were his picks to go on to win state individual titles. T.J. Mitchell and Joel Smith are favored to win state, while Gary Tiller, a presomething no other Class AAAAA team in any sport has done: finish in the top three every season since AROUND THE STATE Wrestling fans will have plenty of storylines to follow in the individual championships. Carl Rider of North Gwinnett became the first Bulldog freshman to win an area title when he took home the 152-pound crown in Peachtree Ridge will send Michael Chapman (145) and Sam Kuntz (189) to try and win individual glory. Mill Creek has five hopes for a state title, led by Josh Harrison (130). Union Grove will be represented by Joey Lazor (135), who recently notched his 200th career victory. Lazor, who is committed to Northern Iowa, will be joined by his teammate, former champion Justin Crozier. Toombs County s Bryan Benton is a beast it the 140-pound division and already owns three state rings. Pope finished second in the Class AAAAA Duals and was led by Dexter Bushart (130). If pins are your thing, keep an eye out for Central Gwinnett s sophomore Jacob Aiken-Phillips (285), who recently won the area title and tied the Gwinnett County season record in pins. With so much talent hitting the mats, fans are sure to see some great action this weekend in Gwinnett. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. STANDING TALL: Jefferson County (Class AA) will be looking for its ninth consecutive traditional state championship after winning its eighth straight duals title weeks ago. The Dragons and Collins Hill Eagles (Class AAAAA) have ruled the mats in recent years will that trend continue this week? Photo courtesy of Photographic Arts.

5 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I 05 January January January January

6 06 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION! Work of Atlanta Takedown Association helps provide exciting tournament all it February Madness. C Last Sunday, volunteers from the Atlanta Takedown Association concocted five brackets one for each classification for Georgia s Traditional State Wrestling Tournament, which runs this weekend at Gwinnett Arena. Unlike in any other high school sport in Georgia, wrestling uses a committee to come up with its playoff brackets. It s as similar to the NCAA Tournament s selection Sunday as a seeding process in the Georgia High School Association can get but at the same time, it is much different. Yes, there is often chaos, controversy and tireless hours of work, but the ATA s bracketing meeting relies solely on a formula rather than the opinion of certain committee members. Of course, that does not mean the ATA s method is problem free. It never has been and probably never will be. ATA First Vice President and tournament director Bud Hennebaul admits as much. There are flaws in every system, Hennebaul said. It will never be perfect. Every year, however, the seeding process is tweaked as necessary and this time around Hennebaul is confident the ATA has produced its best and most fair brackets ever. There s no seeding that goes into it, he explained. There s not enough head-to-head competition. It s too difficult to compare kids from different parts of the state. So it s done strictly by formulas, and we will use one of three for the state tournament bracket. Hennebaul hopes the result will be a 2009 tournament in which the best wrestlers are correctly positioned within their respective brackets. In past years, that has not always been the case. Two of the best kids could wrestle in the same sectional, he recalled. We could see the two best wrestlers go head-to-head in the quarterfinals. SELECTION PROCESS With the ATA using a formula that seeds wrestlers based on the results from eight area tournaments that took place around the state earlier this month, Hennebaul insists that similar problems will be mostly avoided in this year s tournament. It s kind of secret who came up with the formulas, he added, but we should have the best kids wrestling in the finals. Restricting all coaches from attending Sunday s bracketing meeting should also make the process more effective and much more efficient. According to Hennebaul, coaches have technically never been allowed to attend the meeting, but more than a few have nonetheless found their way into the room on previous occasions. We had to start over three times last year, Hennebaul said, adding that the ATA s goal was to keep the coaches away until we [were] done. That will leave the manual labor at the hopefully controversy-free bracketing meeting to the ATA volunteers, led by ATA president Gary Schaefer. As long as everything goes according to plan, however, they aren t working frantically until 6 p.m. like the NCAA Tournament Committee so famously does every year. The whole thing shouldn t take more than two to three hours, Schaefer explained. We have different groups of volunteers working on all the different classifications. It s also a lot easier when committee members are simply processing results and filling in names accordingly, a far cry from whatever goes on during the March Madness meeting. Everything is in writing, Schaefer added. There s no discussion. We ve got the formula. They fax or the winners to us on Sunday morning and we just fill in the bracket. Sounds pretty simple to get the field set for what has become the largest wrestling tournament in the country, right? Well, maybe, but a lot more than merely making the brackets goes into putting on the whole show. Bud and I start working on the next year s tournament in March or April, Schaefer said. We have to line up mats, line up motels, food, drinks, clocks, heaters, doctors, scoring tables. There are a lot of little things here and there. READY TO GO Thanks to the hard work of Hennebaul, Foster and the rest of ATA, Georgia s Traditional State Wrestling Tournament becomes RICKY DIMON more and more friendly to fans, volunteers, coaches and officials every year. Most importantly, however, the hours of work and tweaking of formulas are done for the benefit of the participants themselves. It s all about the kids, Hennebaul concluded. Our goal is to make the whole tournament experience better for them. Consider it done. Now, let the madness on the mats begin! Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. HEAD TO HEAD: In what could be called February Madness, each wrestler earns a seeding before the state championships begin. When Georgia s best wrestlers battle this weekend, remember that all of the seedings and matchups were compiled by the Atlanta Takedown Association s volunteers. Photo courtesy of Photographic Arts. January

7 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I 07

8 08 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION! First official Award Show to celebrate high school wrestling community ho is going to win the Witt Award? WThat is the question that Cliff Fretwell hopes high school wrestlers, coaches, parents and fans will be asking each other next year and every year after. And if all goes according to plan on Sunday, March 15 at Center Stage in Midtown, he might just get his way. Fretwell is the wrestling coach at Henry County and a member of the Georgia National Wrestling Alliance. Last year, while attending a closed ceremony to honor the state s champions, he realized there wasn t a year-end event honoring the effort put in over the course of the season by all of the wrestlers, coaches and parents in Georgia. There were no events to bring the wrestling community together to celebrate the year and the wrestlers who made lasting impressions. Wrestling gets such a little amount of respect. It is one of those sports that demands so much but returns so little, said Fretwell, pointing out the need for a bigger ceremony. This year, with the 2009 High School Wrestling Award Show, he hopes to change that. THE RUNDOWN When Fretwell decided to take over the planning of Georgia high school wrestling s season-culminating event, he wanted to change it from the quiet inviteonly affair for state champion wrestlers to a state-of-the-sport event open to all wrestlers, their families and the public. He wanted to make a commitment to go over the top with it, to give the wrestlers a night to remember. Along with help from Team Georgia Wrestling and the Georgia National Wrestling Alliance, Fretwell has taken the award ceremony out of the shadows in a high school cafeteria and into the limelight at Center Stage. No longer will state champions be recognized in relative anonymity with a pat on the back and a wooden plaque. This year there will be a splash of glitz, a little glamor, and a slew of new awards given out to wrestlers extending beyond the traditional awards for the state champions. People like award shows where there is some suspense, drama and excitement to it, Fretwell said. And that is where the Witt Award comes in. It is named after Witt Durden who Fretwell calls the kind of man you would want your son to grow up to be like. Durden is the four-time state champion and Dublin High School wrestling legend who went on to national recognition at Oklahoma University and eventually to medical school. The Witt Award will be given to the most dominant high school wrestler in the State of Georgia across all classifications in other words, the king of the mats. Joining the new awards along with the Witt Award will be the Kyle Maynard Award, given to a wrestler who overcomes physical limitations to compete on the mats. Maynard is the Collins Hill High School graduate who was born a quadruple congenital amputee with no elbows or knees, yet wrestled to a record and won an ESPY in 2004 as the Best Athlete with a Disability. Sean Hage, a Harrison High School graduate and four-time state champion, has agreed to personally present an award to anyone who joins him in the elite group of Georgia wrestlers who have won four high school state titles (fewer than 20 wrestlers have accomplished this feat). Adding to the suspense, the newly created Match of the Year award will be handed out: It s an award given out based on what the public thinks, Fretwell says. We ll put the nominees out there for Match of the Year and let the public vote on it. BUILDING INTEREST With these awards, Fretwell is trying to draw attention to not just the championship winners but to the entire wrestling community. He is looking beyond the records and the pins to find stories about the wrestlers who have given so much of themselves to their teammates and their sport. By putting these previously unrecognized wrestlers in the spotlight alongside wrestlers who have won championships, the 2009 High School Wrestling Awards will provide Georgia s wrestling fans with a more complete idea of what is happening in the sport. On March 15, Georgia high school wrestlers will get a chance ZANDER LENTZ to trade a singlet for a suit, as Fretwell says, and fans of Georgia high school wrestling will finally have a night when they can come together and celebrate the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in making the 2009 season a success. And the question that everyone will talk about in the future Who will win the Witt Award? will be answered for the first time. Lentz can be reached at zlentz@scoreatl.com. AT THE TOP: Bryan Benton of Toombs County (center) has won three state titles and will be going for a fourth in Class AA s 140-pound division. If Benton wins this weekend, he will become one of a handful of Georgia high school wrestlers to win four state championships. A win would give Benton a chance to be honored at the inaugural High School Wrestling Award Show. Photo courtesy of Photographic Arts. Good Luck To All The Wrestlers! From Wayne Terry Harry Danny Bob Sue

9 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I 09

10 10 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION!

11 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PLACE WINNERS CLASS AAAAA 103 LB. CLASS 1 Stephen Spradlin, Camden Co. 2 Kyle Salone, Centennial 3 Jason Anderson, Hiram 4 Clint Jones, Parkview 112 LB. CLASS 1 Andrew Sartain, Peachtree Ridge 2 Brian St. James, Centennial 3 T.J. Mitchell, Collins Hill 4 Ryan Maus, Kennesaw Mt. 119 LB. CLASS 1 Brandon Westerman, McEachern 2 Ryan Devita, Union Grove 3 Peter Mosher, Harrison 4 Allen Willard, Collins Hill 125 LB. CLASS 1 Alex Hudson, Sprayberry 2 K.J. Bell, Harrison 3 Matt Smith, McEachern 4 Kevin Konigsburg, Centennial 130 LB. CLASS 1 Joey Lazor, Union Grove 2 Jordan Mallard, Pope 3 Ty Nielsen, Milton 4 Ryan Medved, Harrison 135 LB. CLASS 1 Carson Fields, Parkview 2 Joel Smith, Collins Hill 3 Alex Maus, Kennesaw Mtn. 4 Matt Schneider, Milton 140 LB. CLASS 1 Alex Medved, Harrison 2 Daniel Helena, Shiloh 3 Kendall Albert, Peachtree Ridge 4 Gerrard Spice, Kell 145 LB. CLASS 1 Taylor Knapp, Collins Hill 2 Tyler Hollis, South Cobb 3 Andrew Lanham, Walton 4 Chris MaClafferty, Brookwood 152 LB. CLASS 1 Josh Condon, Harrison 2 Gary Tiller, Collins Hill 3 Brian DeCormier, Kell 4 Marc Rioux, Centennial 160 LB. CLASS 1 Bradley Banks, Union Grove 2 James Chapman, Peachtree Ridge 3 Travis Sheehy, N. Gwinnett 4 Andrew Sills, Centennial 171 LB. CLASS 1 Jeff Olsen, Walton 2 Nick Smith, Collins Hill 3 Zach Dunn, Tift County 4 Jack Roberts, Union Grove 189 LB. CLASS 1 Jordan Dukes, Hirma 2 Sam Kuntz, Peachtree Ridge 3 Allen Scruggs, Valdosta 4 Chris Rowland, Paulding Co. 215 LB. CLASS 1 Christian Flavin, East Coweta 2 Josh Hodge, Kell 3 Keith Parker, McEachern 4 Brian Farris, Parkview 285 LB. CLASS 1 Chris Daniels, Valdosta 2 David Coffey, Collins Hill 3 Wesley Mena, Union Grove 4 Marcus Brewster, Tri-Cities TEAM SCORES 1 Collins Hill Harrison Union Grove Kell 125 CLASS AAAA 103 LB. CLASS 1 Pawlloes Belete, Tucker 2 Tony Pullen, Clarke Central 3 Josh Barnhill, Effingham Co. 4 Brandon Minnex-Sloan, Pebblebrook 112 LB. CLASS 1 Frankie Miller, Dacula 2 Jamarkus Griggs, Eastside 3 Joel Carnow, Fayette County 4 Josh Blue, South Paulding 119 LB. CLASS 1 Noah Hunt, Dacula 2 Joel Stafford, Eastside 3 Dequan Warner, SW DeKalb 4 Merle Bolton, NW Whitfield 125 LB. CLASS 1 Ben Lesniak, Jackson 2 Luis Ponce, Rockdale Co. 3 Kevin Ulmer, Effingham Co. 4 Eric Bell, Woodland 130 LB. CLASS 1 Nathan Allen, Stockbridge 2 Zane Sary, Woodland 3 Adam Pollard, Alcovy 4 Dennis Eckles, Lee County 135 LB. CLASS 1 Zach Hopkins, Ringgold 2 Trevor Bailey, Eastside 3 Preston McCallum, Alexander 4 Kevin Olson, East Paulding 140 LB. CLASS 1 Matt Bridges, Cherokee 2 Justin Blue, South Paulding 3 Jake Huddlesten, Whitewater 4 Doug Taylor, Woodward 145 LB. CLASS 1 Peter Yates, Salem 2 John Hall, Dacula 3 Justin Eash, Brunswick 4 Kenny Kellerman, Whitewater 152 LB. CLASS 1 Tommy Carney, Woodward 2 Andrew Blackwell, Jackson 3 Conor Young, Rome 4 David Bender, Eastside 160 LB. CLASS 1 Chase Penland, Whitewater 2 Malachi Outlaw, Alcovy 3 Jeraime Hester, NW Whitfield 4 Ben Jones, Stockbridge 171 LB. CLASS 1 Ethan Blackstock, Alexander 2 Devin Graham, Glynn Acad. 3 Steven Walkey, NW Whitfield 4 Jacob Williamson, Whitewater 189 LB. CLASS 1 Derrick Laney, Lakeview-FO 2 Patrick Blankenbeker, Fayette Co. 3 Fred Byars, SW DeKalb 4 Ardest Carter, Eastside 215 LB. CLASS 1 Jonathan Gregory, Ringgold 2 Matt Carroll, McIntosh 3 Jose Paz, Stockbridge 4 Karl Williams, Eastside 285 LB. CLASS 1 Rodriguez Cade, Clarke Cent. 2 Stanley Lattimore, C. Shoals 3 Jose Carrillo-Garcia, Jackson 4 Trey Selby, NW Whitfield TEAM SCORES 1 Eastside Stockbridge Jackson County NW Whitfield CLASS AAA 103 LB. CLASS 1 Mason Martin, Cass 2 Nicholas Wright, Benedictine 3 Wesley Forrester, Lumpkin Co. 4 Kavon Saddler, Henry Co. 112 LB. CLASS 1 Austin Sheppard, Apalachee 2 Preston Berrong, Cass 3 Michael Hall, Jordan 4 Jordan Turpin, Henry Co. 119 LB. CLASS 1 Evan Warrington, Henry Co. 2 Shane Summerlin, Benedictine 3 Carlos Espinosa, Hardaway 4 Zak Moore, Apalachee

12 12 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION! 2008 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PLACE WINNERS 125 LB. CLASS 1 Joe Denova, Columbus 2 Dale Becker, Gilmer 3 Justin Martin, Cass 4 Josh Jameson, S. Effingham 130 LB. CLASS 1 Damon Cadle, Cass 2 Colby Yates, West Hall 3 Stefan Smith, LaGrange 4 James Bennett, Carrollton 135 LB. CLASS 1 Mikey Mooney, Gilmer 2 Tyler Austin, Henry County 3 Jason Screens, S. Effingham 4 Shane Fadem, Blessed Trinity 140 LB. CLASS 1 Michael Fox, Gilmer 2 Scott Buzzard, Blessed Trin. 3 Terry Orange, West Laurens 4 Chase Lackey, Cass 145 LB. CLASS 1 Anthony Fretwell, Henry Co. 2 Michael Gordon, Cass 3 Robbie Collum, S. Effingham 4 Brent Osborne, Blessed Trin. 152 LB. CLASS 1 Rashad Moss, Troup 2 Ryza Willis, Harris County 3 Derek Wojcik, Sandy Creek 4 Hunter Barnes, Gilmer 160 LB. CLASS 1 Ryan Gregory, Benedictine 2 Trevoine Hudson, Hardaway 3 Stevie Timm, Cass 4 Bo Buehlerr, Columbus 171 LB. CLASS 1 Terrance Gaddy, Clarkston 2 David Snider, Gilmer 3 Alex Anderson, Dunwoody 4 Benson Gyang, Henry Co. 189 LB. CLASS 1 Nick Burks, Hardaway 2 Reed Fleming, Columbus 3 Brandon Roberts, Lumpkin Co. 4 Adam Morse, S. Effingham 215 LB. CLASS 1 Josh Boler, Apalachee 2 Brian Davis, Spencer 3 Bobby Liggins, Hephzibah 4 Tom Pennington, Flowery Branch 275 LB. CLASS 1 Dane Magnussen, W. Forsyth 2 Ticorey Grissom, Troup 3 Juan Pickett, Shaw 4 Harris Howard, Blessed Trin. TEAM SCORES 1 Gilmer Cass Henry County South Effingham CLASS AA 103 LB. CLASS 1 Jay Teague, Sonoraville 2 Preston McCalmon, LaFayette 3 Blake West, Dade County 4 Ty Sumner, Cook 112 LB. CLASS 1 Matt Hines, Lovett 2 Chris Mann, Holy Innocents 3 Case Hill, LaFayette 4 Justin Griffith, East Jackson 119 LB. CLASS 1 Elvino Felipe, Chattooga 2 Travis Elrod, GACS 3 Korey Pitts, Darlington 4 Josh Jeng, Wesleyan 125 LB. CLASS 1 Apollo Harris, Cook 2 Hovie Sawyers, Dublin 3 Kjuan Few, Westside-Aug. 4 Jordan Taylor, Adairsville 130 LB. CLASS 1 Jack Templeton, Holy Inno. 2 Jernato Harris, Cook 3 Clay Lee, LaFayette 4 Hovie Sawyers, Dublin 135 LB. CLASS 1 Bryan Benton, Toombs Co. 2 Wes Rampley, Armuchee 3 Cody Carmack, Sonoraville 4 Cody Lary, Calhoun 140 LB. CLASS 1 Daniel Domanico, Lovett 2 Tyson Gilland, Wash.-Wilkes 3 Justin Gilbreath, LaFayette 4 Luis Verduzco, East Jackson 145 LB. CLASS 1 Scottie Forrester, Buford 2 Joe Franks, LaFayette 3 Antonio Scott, Avondale 4 Wesley Flynn, Model 152 LB. CLASS 1 Colin Genthert, Wesleyan 2 Mason Head, Fannin County 3 Charles Kilpatrick, Screven Co. 4 William Bishop, Lovett 160 LB. CLASS 1 Brian Livingston, Lovett 2 Rett Jones, Callaway 3 David Kaszyski, Wesleyan 4 Wade Fallow, Swainsboro 171 LB. CLASS 1 Quinton Carter, Dublin 2 Nick Childers, Morgan Co. 3 Chad Pair, Walker 4 Kyle Hagenau, Wesleyan 189 LB. CLASS 1 Brett Padgett, Armuchee 2 Michael Douglas, Wesleyan 3 Justin Hall, Fannin County 4 Neal Smith, North Oconee 215 LB. CLASS 1 Kelby Smith, Wesleyan 2 Demery Hawkins, Toombs Co. 3 Kelvin Jordan, Rutland 4 Landon Littlejohn, LaFayette 275 LB. CLASS 1 Ronnie Starling, Randolph-Clay 2 Shelton Goble, Pierce Co. 3 Wes East, Morgan County 4 Derrick Shuemake, Swainsboro TEAM SCORES 1 LaFayette Wesleyan Lovett Sonoraville 95 CLASS A 103 LB. CLASS 1 Cason Thurmond, Jefferson Co. 2 Corey Tomlinson, Turner Co. 3 Addison Davis, Commerce 4 Jacob Bryson, Gordon Lee 112 LB. CLASS 1 Doug Maloch, Commerce 2 Daniel Barber, Jefferson 3 Jason Jackson, Irwin Co. 4 Chris Jordon, Whitefield Ac. 119 LB. CLASS 1 Cam Thurmond, Jefferson 2 T.J. Bell, Bremen 3 Jessie Williams, Social Circle 4 Zach Widdon, Turner Co. 125 LB. CLASS 1 Jed Gurley, Jefferson 2 Trey Travis, Bremen 3 Chad Thames, Landmark Ch. 4 Casey Drinkard, Commerce 130 LB. CLASS 1 Horace Young, Irwin Co. 2 Cutler Finch, Jefferson 3 Manny Hinkel, Gordon Lee 4 Nick Arostegui, Commerce 135 LB. CLASS 1 Taylor Pace, Gordon Lee 2 Wayne Elliott, Jefferson 3 Drew Henderson, Trion 4 Kurt Yates, Bowdon 140 LB. CLASS 1 Slade Madden, Bremen 2 Nic Elliot, Gordon Lee 3 Kevin Anderson, Jefferson 4 Adam Love, Treutlen 145 LB. CLASS 1 Hunter Fugatt, Gordon Lee 2 Josh Whitson, Eagles Lan. Ch. 3 Alan Hembrer, Bremen 4 Jordan Loveless, Bowdon 152 LB. CLASS 1 Jay Fowler, Jefferson 2 Josh Weller, Gordon Lee 3 Thomas Sears, Commerce 4 Matthew Mobley, Irwin Co. 160 LB. CLASS 1 Zac Crosby, Jefferson 2 Austin Mcgraw, Trion 3 Austin Goodlet, Gordon Lee 4 Jarred Strickland, Bowdon 171 LB. CLASS 1 Lucas Redd, Jefferson. 2 Steven Strickland, Bowdon 3 Kaleb Grimsley, Irwin Co. 4 Mitch Parris, Trion 189 LB. CLASS 1 Howard Jordan, Turner Co. 2 Cody Morris, Social Circle 3 Zach Allen, Jefferson 4 Michael Farmer, Gordon Lee 215 LB. CLASS 1 Matt Sprewell, Bowdon 2 Patrick Allen, Jefferson 3 Tyler Pitt, Telfair County 4 Marc Panu, Whitefield Acad. 275 LB. CLASS 1 Ryan Smith, Athens Christ. 2 Cole Hightower, Jefferson 3 Brandon King, Bowdon 4 Eric Kirkland, Mt. Zion-Car. TEAM SCORES 1 Jefferson Gordon Lee Bowdon Commerce 91

13 FEBRUARY 19-21, 2009 GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP I 13

14 14 I GHSA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP GREAT WRESTLING ACTION! GEORGIA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY TRADITIONAL Year AAAA AAA AA A 1996 Sequoyah Westminster Fitzgerald Adairsville 1997 McIntosh Lakeside, DeKalb Westminster Irwin County 1998 McEachern Eagle's Landing Westminster Walker 1999 Sequoyah Troup Morgan County Lovett 2000 Harrison Starr's Mill Morgan County Lovett Year AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A 2001 Starr's Mill Troup Lovett Morgan County Jefferson 2002 Collins Hill Ringgold Dublin Rockmart Jefferson 2003 McEachern Woodland Lovett Rockmart Jefferson 2004 Parkview Ringgold Dublin Dawson County Jefferson 2005 Collins Hill Ringgold Gilmer West Laurens Jefferson 2006 Parkview Ringgold Cass West Laurens Jefferson 2007 McEachern Stockbridge West Laurens LaFayette Jefferson 2008 Collins Hill Eastside Gilmer LaFayette Jefferson DUAL Year AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A 2002 McEachern Ringgold Lovett Northgate Jefferson 2003 McEachern Woodland Lovett Dawson Co Jefferson 2004 Parkview LaFayette Dublin Dawson Co. Jefferson 2005 Collins Hill Ringgold Gilmer West Laurens Jefferson 2006 Parkview Henry County Columbus West Laurens Jefferson 2007 McEachern Stockbridge Gilmer Wesleyan Jefferson 2008 Collins Hill Ringgold Cass/Henry Co. LaFayette Jefferson 2009 Collins Hill Whitewater LaFayette Jefferson Bremen GEORGIA TRADITIONAL WRESTLING TITLES Jefferson 12 Lovett 11 McEachern 10 Rockmart 9 Troup County 9 Westminster 8 Briarcliff 6 Walker 6 Columbia 5 Fitzgerald 5 Armuchee 4 Ringgold 4 West Laurens 4 Collins Hill 3 LaGrange 3 Morgan County 3 North Springs 3 Woodward Academy 3 Bremen 2 Chamblee 2 M.D. Collins 2 Dawson County 2 Dublin 2 Feldwood 2 Gilmer County 2 Hapeville 2 LaFayette 2 Macon County 2 Marist 2 McIntosh 2 Murray County 2 Palmetto 2 Parkview 2 Redan 2 Rockdale County 2 Sequoyah 2 Starr s Mill 2 Adairsville 1 Atkinson County 1 Avondale 1 Campbell, Smyrna 1 Cass 1 Commerce 1 Cook County 1 Cross Keys 1 Dacula 1 Dykes 1 Eagle s Landing 1 Eastside 1 Harrison 1 Irwin County 1 Jonesboro 1 Lakeside, DeKalb 1 Lithonia 1 Lumpkin County 1 Milton 1 Pepperell 1

15

16