Gilmer wrestlers were in Haralson County for the uniquely-named Possum Snout Duals.
All five teams wrestled each other once, and GHS posted a 4-0 record and received a possum trophy for its efforts.
The host was only able to secure one referee for the event, so one of the teams was cut from the field. First up was Haralson, and the Bobcats won, 63-15.
Head coach Josh Ghobadpoor noted that Gilmer’s next two matches were versus opponents who fielded a mix of varsity and junior varsity wrestlers. GHS easily disposed of Hiram (70-6) and Carrollton (70-9) ahead of its toughest match of the day versus Paulding County.
“This was a good tournament for us, and we had one really good dual with Paulding County,” Ghobadpoor said. “It could have been a blowout, but we went from getting pins to getting pinned in two matches. Instead of being a 24-point swing the other way, we ended up winning by three (37-34).”
Wrestling against PCHS started at 132 pounds where the Patriots secured a pin before seven straight Gilmer victories. Bregan Berry’s (138) pin was followed by a forfeit at 144 to Alex Raymundo. Harrison Chester won in overtime at 150 and Bo Cronic (157) won with a major.
Bobcat Carson Farist (165) won his bout, 3-1. Earlier versus Haralson, he pinned its returning state champion. Israel Francisco (175) pinned as well and Juan Jacinto’s (190) decision gave GHS a 31-6 lead.
Gilmer got pinned at 215, forfeited at heavyweight and endured another pin at 106. Manny Velasquez’s pin at 113 secured Gilmer’s victory, and Paulding won via pin at 120 and with a major at 126.
“We could have won 59-22, which sounds a whole lot better than 37-34,” said Ghobadpoor. “We saw the things we need to work on, and anyone can get beat on any given day.
“Overall, the kids did well. I thought it was a good tournament for them after a good week of practice. We went from a really tough tournament the previous week to seeing some more local teams.”
Gilmer has a 19-7 seasonal record. The Bobcats faced Forsyth Central and Dawson at Tuesday’s press deadline. GHS will be in Armuchee Thursday and Friday for a traditional tournament.