As we gear up for the wrestling state championships this week, defending champion Collins Hill and Area 8-AAAAA champ Parkview have some momentum after each school won its respective league title. For Collins Hill it was the school’s sixth straight region title, and the Eagles qualified all 14 wrestlers into the Class 5A state sectional tournament. The Eagles claimed 10 weight class championships, two runner-ups and two third-place finishers as well. Allen Willard, Mac Bennett, Drew Ferguson, T.J. Mitchell, Bazell Partridge, Joel Smith, Steven Bradtmuella, Devante Brown, C.J. Collins and Thomas Delain all took home championships for head coach Cliff Ramos. North Gwinnett had two wrestlers take titles in Greg Epps and Carl Rider, while Peachtree Ridge claimed one weight championship with Tsvetomir Petrushev. Mill Creek also qualified two wrestlers for the individual sectionals with Nick Shaw and Austin Ross.
Parkview, meanwhile, won its seventh straight traditional team title in 8-AAAAA, thanks to 10 wrestlers qualifying for sectionals and five weight class championships with three runner-ups. The Panthers claiming titles were Jesse Forte, Matt Johnson, Kevin Ulmer, Clint Jones and Ryan McFall. Grayson (two individual champions) finished second in the team standings, followed by Brookwood (two individual titles) and Dacula (two individual titles). Central Gwinnett’s Jacob Aiken-Phillips won his third area title at the 285 level. His record is 56-0 with 47 pins. He was named most outstanding heavyweight wrestler. Shiloh’s Ryan Mosley was named most outstanding lightweight wrestler. The sectionals will be held this week with the finals Feb. 18-20 at the Gwinnett Arena.
IN THE POOL …
The Georgia high school state swimming championships are currently being conducted at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. Several Gwinnett powers are looking to make a big splash in the event. Defending state 5A boys champion Brookwood will be looking for yet another title and coach Greg Puckett shares a secret as to why his teams as well as Gwinnett schools in general are so successful: “When a team is used to being successful they usually are not willing to accept anything lower than that standard set by previous teams. Those teams ultimately know what it takes to be successful and the athletes are willing to work hard and push each other to continue that success.”
Parkview’s head coach Jack Gayle credits Puckett as well as former Parkview swim coach Rick Creed (now at Mill Creek) with his school’s success: “Tradition is difficult to maintain, but it is even harder to create. The tradition began with [Creed]; we merely try to continue the legacy he started.” Parkview knocked off Brookwood recently at the Gwinnett County Championships.
HOOPS STRETCH RUN …
Finally, the hardwoods were certainly heated last week as several ranked foes did battle in Gwinnett County. Both the girls and boys Greater Atlanta Christian squads met ranked opponents last week and both came out victorious. First the girls got a boost from Chaney Means’s pair of threes with under 90 seconds to play to upset No. 1 Buford 56-52 in overtime. Means finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals, four blocks and four assists in the No. 6 Spartans’ win. Buford would rebound the next night with a win over Gainesville. The No. 1-ranked Spartan boys also knocked out Buford behind 23 points from Trent Wiedeman before facing No. 10 Blessed Trinity. Junior Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points, including 20 in the second half, to stretch a six-point lead to a 70-52 final margin. Wiedeman tallied 18 points against the Titans. The GAC girls also bested Blessed Trinity behind 16 points from Means. Kristina Nelson contributed 12 points in the Lady Spartans win.
Both Norcross teams scored victories against Chattahoochee last weekend. First, the boys were led by Jeremy Lamb’s 20 points in a 75-44 win. Malcolm McDonald chipped in 14 points and E. Victor Nickerson pitched in 11 points in the Blue Devils’ win. The Lady Blue Devils were buoyed by Diamond DeShields’s 20 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Briana Jordan added 16 points and eight assists while freshman Kaela Davis added 13 points.
Lastly, Grayson’s girls knocked off Berkmar 57-41 thanks to Taren White’s game-high 21 points, but it was the boys Berkmar/Grayson tilt that had everyone talking. It took two overtimes, but the Patriots edged the Rams 67-66 after Yonel Brown hit a buzzer-beating three to cap the victory for Berkmar. Brown’s 23 points were a big reason for the win, but the Patriots also received 19 points from Brandon Thompson and 14 from Obu Obu.
Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.
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