The Gilmer Bobcats did not have to travel far for their latest tuneup.
With the Area 7-3A duals on the horizon, GHS hosted the annual Bobcat Duals last Friday. Four opposing teams made the trip to Ellijay for the event, and they all returned home with a loss as the Bobcats posted a 4-0 record for first place.
“Three of the teams going in, we knew were going to be tough, and we were going to have to wrestle well and couldn’t slip up or things would go off the rails pretty quickly,” said head coach Josh Ghobadpoor. “I was really proud of how our kids finished out. We looked a little rough in the beginning, but we got better as the day went on.”
GHS was still missing three starters, and its day got underway with a win over Class 7A’s Forsyth Central (52-27) before the Bobcats topped 6A Etowah (46-21).
“Against Forsyth, it wasn’t the best match we’ve ever had,” Ghobadpoor said. “We have some spots where we’re still working on things we can control better as far as position and doing the things we do in practice. If we can listen and do the things we drill, teach and learn, then we’ll be in a much better position.
“Etowah is a tough team for us because they match up well with us and have some tough kids. It was very similar to the first match. I felt like we made some good decisions with our lineup, and I was proud of that win.”
The Bobcats had their toughest match of the day against Chestatee in the third round. While the War Eagles, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, defeated GHS at the first tournament of the season back in November, the Bobcats came out ahead on the scoreboard this time, 39-31.
“We knew it was going to be a close dual, and those are the types of things we need to see,” said Ghobadpoor. “We need to be in these tough duals and see how to battle and win close ones. It was a good team win and we were down a few guys, too.”
Bobcat Juan Rafael (106 pounds) won via forfeit before Leo Domingo’s 7-3 decision at 113. Chestatee got a decision at 120 and then forfeited to Bobcat Alex Raymundo (126). Carson Farist’s first round pin at 132 gave GHS a 21-3 advantage.
CHS got a technical fall at 138 before Gilmer’s Luis Lucas and Frisly Ambrocio secured decisions at 144 and 150, respectively. After another War Eagle tech at 160, Gilmer’s lead was trimmed to 27-13.
Hunter Brown (165) put GHS in a very favorable position with his pin for a 20-point lead with only four bouts remaining. Chestatee got a pin at 175 before Diego Jacinto (190) did the same for Gilmer.
Ahead 39-19, GHS forfeited at 215, and the War Eagles pinned at 285.
The Bobcats ended the day against Haralson County and earned a 60-21 victory to claim the tournament title.
“Haralson is not a bad team. They’re a better 2A school and have some really tough kids who we don’t match up with super well,” Ghobadpoor said. “We reminded our guys that the tournament wasn’t over and we needed to close out this deal. They were a tough team and it was a good win.”
Gilmer’s dual record now stands at 24-7 for the season. Next up will be the area duals tournament Saturday at White County High School.
“It will be good to focus on some specific things this week and just focus on area duals,” Ghobadpoor said.
“We don’t have any mid-week matches, we’re back in school and we’re back in a routine. It is difficult to lose our wrestlers over the holidays. Wrestling is one of those things where you have to be ultra committed over the holidays. That’s something we have to address and get better about.”
Wrestling Saturday is set to begin at 10 a.m.
Girls
Gilmer’s girls were in attendance as well, and while they did not wrestle any duals, they participated in individual matches as they continued to get valuable mat time.
Assistant coach D.J. Underwood praised the efforts of Josephine Royer and Taylor Schiesser, but noted it was a strong day for Gilmer as a whole.
“They all did pretty good overall,” he said. “We still have things to work on individually, but they are getting better every day and working hard. I’m proud of these ladies and their effort.”