Sports

Area wrestling teams set for state tourney

• Westover, Lee County, Dougherty, Monroe, Americus-Sumter and Bainbridge will represent Southwest Georgia today at the all-classes GHSA state tournament at Gwinnett Arena in Atlanta.

Danny Aller

The GHSA state wrestling meet gets under way today at Gwinnett Arena in Atlanta as nearly 100 area wrestlers, representing six schools in Southwest Georgia will be competing for both individual and team honors.

While few will argue that Lee County’s traditionally strong program — which won Region 1-AAAA hands down yet again this past weekend — has the greatest shot of going the deepest, there’s no overlooking Region 1-AAA champs Westover. The Patriots are led by 140-pound titlist Ryan Cauley, along with teammate and region finals runner-up Brannon Scott (152), both of whom finished in the Top 10 at the state tournament in their respective weight classes in 2007. Additionally, Westover produced four more region champs this season in addition to Cauley — David Metz (119 pounds), Dylan Snapp (130), Colby Faircloth (135) and Chris Snyder (heavyweight) — and second-year Patriots coach Kevin Fretwell hopes his team can build on their strong state showing from last year.

“We took 12 guys last season who qualified, and we’re taking 13 now this season, so we’ve already shown some improvement,” Fretwell said Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours before his team was set to board a bus for Gwinnett, where wrestling will begin at 7:30 tonight. “Right now, the guys are pretty peppy, pretty excited. They seemed refreshed (after winning region) and emotionally revived, so I expect us to do well.”

From Monroe, which finished second to Westover in the region tournament and upsetting usual power Cairo (third place), the Tornadoes have two wrestlers to watch in particular, and one that everyone likely will be talking about.

Region champs Chris Chambers (125) and Wendell Pringle (189) are no doubt looking to add to their success at state while Monroe’s 103-pounder — female wrestler Sandriana Cribbs — should turn a few heads when she takes the mat as the reigning region titleholder at her weight class. Cribbs, however, won the division in a walkover, meaning she will take the mat at state somewhat untested, but looking to add to a what already has turned into a stellar Monroe season.

Led by Dexter Malone, Monroe has emerged in the latter part of the year and is a team “that can do some things,” according to Fretwell, who coached the Tornadoes program two years ago and has been impressed with their progress this year.

And closing out Region 1-AAA is Dougherty, which finished a close fourth behind Cairo and Monroe at the conference meet last week and will be led at the state tournament by region champs Kharee Postell (112) and Nichols Mulkey (215).

Out of 1-AAAA, Lee County will be led by four of its five region champs from Saturday’s tournament in Leesburg, where the Trojans dominated from start to finish, beating second-place Thomas County Central by nearly 60 points. Brandon Paustian, who won the 1-AAAA title at 103, will not make the trip after opting to concentrate on his classwork instead of missing three days of school, according to coach Phil Maxfield. However, the Trojans will be led by region champs Dennis Eckles (130), Jonathan Hyde (152), Danny McCray (145) and Conner Cloud (160).

Maxfield, whose team has won the region title and advanced wrestlers to state every year but three since he took over 15 years ago, says he expects the Trojans will once again be a force to be reckoned with as long as they don’t get unfavorable draws.

“Just like every year at these things, it’s literally the luck of the draw,” said Maxfield, whose team won’t open up the state meet until Thursday, giving way to Class A-AAA, which open today. “Right now, I’d say Dennis has the best shot to make it a long way because his draw looks good, opposed to some weight classes where you have four or five top state placers from last year all lumped on one side.

“It makes for exciting wrestling, but when you have one of your kids in that mix trying to fight his way through, it can be a nightmare (way to end the season).”

Maxfield is taking 12 wrestlers, whom — like all the rest of the GHSA classes with qualified wrestlers making the trip — were one of the top four finishers in their respective weight classes during last week’s region tournaments.

Alongside Lee County in 1-AAAA will be Bainbridge, which finished fourth at the region tournament, and will be paced by titleholders Timothy Greene (135) and Reuben Reynolds (heavyweights). Americus-Sumter, which was last at region, did not have any region champs, but still qualified several wrestlers for state.

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