Gilmer Bobcat wrestlers continued their reign over Highway 515.
GHS hosted the 515 Classic last Thursday, as the northern corridor continues to thrive on the mat. The 19-time state champion Bobcats have gotten by this season on grit and hard work, and both were on display at the event.
Gilmer faced Union County in the finals, the No. 6 ranked team in Class 2A. While the Panthers deployed a lineup of seasoned, accomplished wrestlers, the Bobcats proved they were up for the challenge and earned a dramatic 39-37 victory.
Ahead of the finals, GHS ransacked the Fannin County Rebels, 63-16.
GHS head coach Josh Ghobadpoor discussed Union and the finals matchup. The Bobcats found themselves in a similar situation as they have all season but were unfazed by the circumstances.
“Union is a great team that is working hard and doing all the things right to be successful. Last year, this year and next year are really what they’ve been building up to. They were top four (at state in both duals and traditional) last year and had their first ever individual state champion. They also have two state finalists, some guys who finished third and other state qualifiers. They’re loaded.
“We had zero state qualifiers wrestle against them. We were missing five kids who were starting for us this season. Our kids stepped up. That’s why it doesn’t matter about what’s on paper. It matters what you believe, what you do, what you’ve been trained to do and your work ethic.”
Bobcat Denny Ramirez’s second period pin put GHS on the board versus Union. Deyson Lopez (106 pounds) pinned his Panther opponent in the first period and Gilmer led, 12-0.
UCHS won by fall at 113 and got a technical fall at 120. Bobcat Manny Velasquez’s (126) pin and a Panther victory via tech at 132 trimmed Gilmer’s edge to 18-16. Bobcat Braelyn Nelson (138) pinned his Panther opponent in the first period, Union forfeited to Adolfo Bautista (144) and Gilmer’s Dawson Richard (150) earned a decision.
Trailing 33-16, Union won the next three bouts. The Panthers came away with a tech at 157, pin at 165 and major at 175. Bobcat Augustus Lamey’s (190) pin at the end of the first period sealed Gilmer’s victory a 39-31 advantage.
“Lamey has shown he has a lot of toughness. He’s not really scared of anybody; he’s a gamer,” said Ghobadpoor. “He wanted to go out and wrestle and didn’t care which weight it was (as he normally wrestles at 175 pounds).
“It all goes back to being willing to wrestle and compete. That was his first ever varsity match, and we were ready to go out there.”
Union claimed the final bout at 215 with a pin.
“That was one of my favorite team wins I’ve ever been a part of,” said Ghobadpoor. “We were truly underdogs, and I don’t know if they’ve ever beaten Gilmer. We went out there and wrestled hard and fought. Those three techs were one-sided but our guys fought. They each saved a point and we won by two points. That was the difference; fighting and giving effort.”
Gilmer’s opening match with Fannin included six pins by Bobcats Lopez, Manny Velasquez, Richard, Domingo Velasquez (157), Gaspar Tercero (165), Jovani Raymundo (175) and Ramirez.
Nelson secured a decision, and FCHS forfeited to Maynor Lucas (113), Alex Alonzo (132) and Bautista.
Gilmer’s dual record is 11-4 on the season.
Bobcats head to Forsyth Co.
The Bobcats attended the Denmark Invitational and were pitted against a field made up predominantly of 5A and 6A schools.
Gilmer placed eighth out of 19 teams, and five prior starters were not in attendance for the traditional event.
Ramierz placed second, while Nelson, Domingo Velasquez and Madden Hopkins (215) took fourth. Lopez, Manny Velasquez and Tercero all finished inside the top six of their respective weight class.
A tournament was also held for junior varsity wrestlers, and Bocbat freshman Hunter Newhart won the 138-pound title. Rylen Haley (215) was a runner-up.
GHS will attend a trimatch at Forsyth Central today and wrestle at the Coal Mountain Classic Saturday.
Girls take sixth
The GHS girls attended the Creekview Invitational Friday, Dec 6, and placed fifth out of 20 teams.
“This was a really tough tournament loaded with some great large teams and some outstanding wrestlers from some of the smaller schools,” said head coach Stacy Galloway. “We were missing several returning state qualifiers who normally would score a lot of points, so I am really happy with our performance.”
Sarai Solis (115 pounds) was Gilmer’s lone champion. She posted a 3-0 record and all wins came via pin. Margarita Lucas (145) reached the finals as well and took second.
Abelinda Tercero (140) placed third, and Erica Velasquez was fourth at 135.
“We had several other wrestlers who came up just a little short of placing by losing in the consolation semifinals, but they all earned points toward the team score,” Galloway noted.
GHS wrestlers also scoring points included Salma Gonzalez, Esther Bowman, Juana Tercero Rafael and Erika Tercero.
“Overall, I felt that we had a good showing based on the competition that was there,” Galloway concluded.
A recap of Gilmer’s results from Denmark High School and the Gilmer Girls Holiday Duals will appear in a future edition.