Once again, the top 72 high school wrestling teams took to the mats at the Macon Centreplex to compete for the 2009 wrestling state dual championships. To crown a new champ, the divisions were broken up into the traditional GHSA A-5A structure, but the tournament invites the top eight teams from A and the top 16 teams from 2A through 5A schools.
With the exception of Bremen in A and Whitewater in 4A, the traditional Georgia powerhouses in the sport added to their legacy with new championships. Collins Hill, Jefferson and Lafayette rounded out the field of 2009 state champions by successfully defending their 2008 titles.
The most dominating performance in the tournament was turned in by Collins Hill, which coasted to the 5A title. The team’s run to the finals could best be described as decisive. In the first round, they set the tone for the rest of the tournament by beating Valdosta 67-12. Off to a quick start, the team never looked back and followed up on their early success by beating Newton 58-15 in the quarterfinals and Camden County 58-6 in the semifinals. The final piece to the puzzle came when Collins Hill knocked off Pope to claim their third dual state title in five years.
At the helm of the Collins Hill program, head coach Cliff Ramos added to his impressive career resume by helping this year’s team reach another state title. After getting inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 and being named region coach of the year 23 times, Ramos doesn’t hesitate when discussing what his yearly expectations are for his teams. “We expect to compete for the state title every year,” stated Ramos. Though the goal is lofty, as of late, Collins Hill is achieving the top rank in 5A with state dual titles in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
The class 3A final provided the most intriguing and exciting matchup in the tournament as Lafayette faced Eastside. Lafayette, the reigning 2A state champions, looked to prove that moving to 3A would not deter them from continuing their recent dominance over the field. In a thrilling conclusion, Lafayette and Eastside ended in a 30-30 tie, forcing the referee and judges to determine a winner by criteria. In the end, Lafayette celebrated the state title by securing the crucial criteria point to give them a 31-30 victory. After finishing second in the dual meets last year in 4A, the move down to 3A proved equally as heartbreaking for Eastside, which had to settle for runner-up for the second year in a row.
When determining a match by criteria, there are several aspects of the competition that the judging party keeps in mind. First, the team having won the greatest amount of matches is taken into account. Next, judges also assess both teams based on greatest amount of takedowns, reversals and escapes. In all, there are 14 different areas of criteria that could decide a match.
Filling the void left by Lafayette in 2A, perennial powerhouse Jefferson moved up a division. After winning the state title seven years in a row, surely there aren’t many A teams that are sad to see them make the move. The Dragons powered their way to a 49-19 defeat over Lovett in the championship match. Eight straight dual state championships is quite an accomplishment for Jefferson County.
In a break from the current dominance by a select group of teams in the ranks of high school wrestling, Whitewater in 4A and Bremen in A captured state titles. Fighting off Dalton, Whitewater improved upon a 2007 state duals runner up finish by securing a 36-27 victory in this year’s final. After moving down from 2A and winning a state duals title as recently as 2007, Wesleyan was sure to be the favorite to win the 1A division this year. However, Bremen edged the wolves 29-24 to win the title.
Gupta can be reached at rgupta@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
