Gilmer High was one of eight teams in attendance for the first-ever girls state duals wrestling tournament.
GHS entered the event at the Buford Arena as the No. 3 seed and notched an opening-round win over Osbourne (48-36) before falling to eventual runner-up Jordan in the second round, 42-39.
Once in the consolation bracket versus Woodward Academy, Gilmer rallied for a 40-39 victory to advance to the consolation finals against Greenbrier. Gilmer’s day ended with a 48-36 loss for a fourth-place finish.
Gilmer found itself at a disadvantage in each dual. GHS only filled 11 of the 14 weight classes, which meant it had to forfeit three bouts in each match.
“Every team we faced, covered every weight, so we were having to overcome that 18 points every time,” said coach Stacy Galloway. “We covered that spread every single time, and the girls wrestled their hearts out today. I couldn’t be more proud of them. It’s just a great experience to go down in history as being part of that top four.
“It would have been nice to have been able to cover those other three weights just to see where we could have been. We lost by three points to the second-place team who lost in the last bout in the finals. We were right there, and they left it all out on the mat. A couple of them got a little banged up in that second dual and they battled through.”
Unlike the boys who compete in seven separate classifications, all of the girls from across the state compete against each other regardless of school enrollment.
Wrestling in the opening round got started at 170, and Hannah Mayo (190) got Gilmer’s first win with a pin. Taylor Schiesser (235) also pinned for GHS and a 12-6 lead.
Gilmer’s next wins came via pin at 105 and 110 pounds by Josephine Royer and Sarai Solis, respectively. Leticia Tercero also pinned at 125, but GHS had to forfeit at 115, 120 and 130.
Carmelina Tercero broke the 30-30 tie with a pin at 135, and teammates Linda Tercero (140) and Allie Mayo (145) did the same to open a 48-30 edge. GHS forfeited at 155 with the match in hand.
Versus Jordan, GHS pinners included Hannah Mayo, Schiesser, Royer, Carmelina Tercero, Itzzy Xec-Luna (155) and Piper McCormick (170), while Linda Tercero secured a 12-9 decision.
Schiesser got her third pin in the consolation bracket against Woodward Academy. Following Royer’s 14-4 major, Solis, Carmelina Tercero and Linda Tercero pinned.
Trailing 39-28, McCormick and Hannah Mayo also pinned for the Cats to secure the one-point victory.
Gilmer’s winners by pin versus Greenbrier included Royer, Solis, Carmelina Tercero, Linda Tercero, Hannah Mayo and Schiesser.
Galloway hopes to get more wrestlers on the team for next year, and he is excited about the program’s direction.
“We’re only losing two girls off this team, and it’ll be tough to replace them,” he said. “I think we’ve got four or five coming up from middle school. Hopefully, with the excitement of placing at state and everything will help get some more out.”