Gilmer High wrestlers were in Acworth last Saturday for Allatoona’s Blackbeard Duals.
The Bobcats were without three starters, and while two of those spots were filled by backups, the 106-pound spot remained vacant, and GHS fortified six points versus each opponent.
The nine teams at the event were split into pools of three where GHS posted a 1-1 record. Gilmer picked up two more wins in the crossover matches for fourth place.
“I had mixed feelings on the day,” head coach Josh Ghobadpoor said. “I was proud of how some guys wrestled. It’s frustrating to go in when you know you have a better team when you have everybody there. Everyone is dealing with those types of things. It takes a lot to be there over the holidays and to sacrifice some family time. It’s a busy time, so our season is kind of tough in that regard.
“You also look for who is going to step up. It’s an opportunity for some wrestlers, and they want that moment whether they win or lose. Then we have some who are trying to figure out if they want to be a starter and have that little bit of pressure that comes with that role or if they just want to work hard and be a backup.”
The Bobcats were paired with Class 6A’s Allatoona and Sequoyah to start the event. GHS crushed the host Buccaneers (60-6) before falling to Sequoyah, 46-18.
“We lost two matches versus Allatoona, and we could’ve won those. It just comes down to us working a little harder to do some things and wrestle our style,” Ghobadpoor said.
“Against Sequoyah, we lost two matches in the last 15 seconds. We lost another match I thought we should’ve won. I think we’ll get a rematch against them Tuesday. I’m excited about that when our lineup looks a little different and we’re ready and we win those swing matches we should’ve won before.”
With the way the event was set up, the best placement for those who lost a pool match was fourth place. GHS claimed that finish by notching a 45-27 win over Class 3A’s Adairsville before toppling Class 7A’s North Paulding, 45-31.
“We wrestled better against Adairsville. But again, we need to do a better job because it seems like when we get pinned, we get pinned in three matches in a row. It’s contagious either way. Either we’re getting wins and pins like that or it’s the other team,” Ghobadpoor said. “That’s a good win for us, and they’ll probably be in the top four in Class 3A this year.
“North Paulding had some tough guys in the middle, and we gave up some bonus points again. It seems like the middle part of our lineup is where we need to make up some ground and do a little bit better job. As our weights get settled as the weeks go on, that will get better and better.”
The junior varsity Bobcats posted a 4-1 record and placed third in their division. GHS notched wins over Allatoona, North Paulding, Adairsville and Sequoyah with a loss to Woodland.
The Bobcats’ varsity record stands at 7-1 on the season. GHS made the trip south Tuesday for the Etowah Duals.