The Gilmer Bobcats proved they were one of the state’s top teams.
The unheralded Bobcats were in Troup County for the Class 3A state duals and narrowly fell in the quarterfinals of the 16-team event. Gilmer went on to win two matches in the consolation bracket before another close loss to Lumpkin County.
GHS posted a 3-2 record at the event and took the mat with 11 first-year starters.
“We hard worked our way into being a tough competitive team,” said head coach Josh Ghobadpoor. “Five of our seven losses this season were to teams who either won state or got second in state. We were a very good dual team and just a little bit off from being a great dual team.
“The guys competed hard and they went out with a lot of pride in how they wrestled. We were 0-2 last year at state duals. This year, we’re tied for top five. I’m just really proud of our guys and what our staff worked hard to do. They see that if some of them commit just a little bit more, we’re right there again and even better. All in all, they’ve really done a great job this year and achieved a lot.”
After smashing Jenkins County 69-9 in the first round, Gilmer squared off against host Troup County. The match came down to the final bouts, and the Bobcats lost, 39-38.
“Troup has a great wrestling tradition, and I knew they were going to be well-coached, athletic and tough,” said Ghobadpoor. “After the first couple matches, I felt good about the match and where it was going.”
Wrestling versus THS got underway at 190 pounds, and Gilmer was behind 12-0 after two bouts. Heavyweight Denny Ramirez earned a first period pin, and Troup did the same at 106. Bobcats Daniel Escobar (113) and Manny Velasquez (120) both made short work of their Tiger opponents with respective pins in 24 and 43 seconds.
With the match even at 18-18, THS won by fall and technical fall at 126 and 132 pounds to move its lead to 11 points. Bobcat Braelyn Nelson won his 138-pound bout by tech fall and teammate Domingo Velasquez (144) got a decision.
With GHS down 29-26, the teams swapped wins over the final four bouts, and they all included bonus points. Troup won via pin and major at 150 and 165 pounds, respectively. Bobcats Dawson Richard (157) and Jovani Raymundo (175) both earned pins.
GHS went on to defeat Upson Lee (56-23) and Luella (58-14) in the consolation bracket. Winners by fall versus ULHS included Ramirez, Deyson Lopez (106), Manny Velasquez, Adolfo Bautista (132), Domingo Velasquez, Harrison Chester (150) and Bryan Loarca (190).
Escobar and Nelson both majored their opponent, and Upson Lee forfeited to Rylen Haley (215).
Versus Luella, Ramirez, Escobar, Manny Velasquez, Bautista, Nelson, Domingo Velasquez, Chester and Bo Cronic (165) were all victorious via pin. Lopez, Raymundo and Madden Hopkins (190) came away with decisions for Gilmer.
The consolation semifinal matchup versus Lumpkin came down to the heavyweight bout. LCHS notched a sudden victory in overtime to knock Gilmer out of the tournament, 38-35.
All but one of Gilmer’s seven wins earned bonus points. Lopez, Bautista and Raymundo all pinned. Winning by tech fall were Manny Velasquez and Nelson. Escobar won with a major decision and Richard won with a minor decision. ,
The Bobcats first round match against Jenkins included pins by Hopkins, Ramirez, Lopez, Escobar, Manny Velasquez, Eddie Alonzo (126), Bautista and Domingo Velasquez. Nelson teched his opponent, Richard earned a decision, and Jenkins forfeited to Chester.
GHS posted a 18-7 dual record on the season.
“If you go back to the summer, we weren’t even ranked in the top 20,” Ghobadpoor said. “They counted us out, and I get it. When you look at us on paper, we lost all our starters, essentially, and have one state qualifier.
“At the end of the day, if you look back and someone would have told us we would have been region champions and top five in the state and with what we did ... with what we have, that’s a very good season. You want to win state, but you have to be realistic, and we’ve had a really good season on the duals side when you look at all the factors.”
Jefferson defeated Troup in the finals, 55-15. Lumpkin toppled Heritage for third place, 52-24.