Boys, girls qualify for Class 3A state duals
Gilmer High is set for a return to the Class 3A state duals.
GHS cemented its postseason wrestling destination last Saturday with three wins at home during state preliminaries. The Bobcats trounced Monroe Area and Jackson while Gilmer’s girls crushed Burke County.
“Overall, I thought we wrestled really well,” head coach Josh Ghobadpoor said. “The strength of our opponents’ lineups didn’t match up well with ours. Our guys did what they were supposed to. They went out there and were technical, pushed the pace and attacked. I thought we did that in all those matches for the most part.
“We won 25 of 28 (bouts), and in one of those losses, we were winning decisively before an injury and in the other two we had young guys stepping in and learning.”
Ghobadpoor added, “I was really proud of our girls team getting the win and moving on to state.”
Against Jackson in the finals, the Bobcats sealed the win before the Red Devils scored a point.
Alex Raymundo (120) and Carson Farist (126) got the Bobcats on the board with first-period pins. Bregan Berry (132) pinned his opponent in the third period ahead of Domingo Velasquez’s 12-8 decision at 138.
Lleison Puac (144) got another pin in the opening period for GHS before teammates Luis Lucas (150) and Frisly Ambrocio (157) pinned their opponents in the second period.
Ahead 39-0, an injury default at 165 gave Jackson six points. Bobcat Hunter Brown endured an elbow injury while attempting to brace himself and the bout was stopped. A 20-minute delay followed as emergency services were called to take Brown to receive further medical attention.
The Red Devils pinned at 175, and Gilmer’s lead stood at 39-12 before five-straight Bobcat wins.
Diego Jacinto (190) pinned and Jackson forfeited to Bryson Shubin-Gibbs (215) and Juan Rafael (106). Bobcat Denny Ramirez (285) secured a second-period pin, and teammate Leo Domingo (112) pinned his opponent in the first for a 69-12 win.
In the semifinals, GHS had an another dominating performance versus Monroe Area, 78-6.
Bobcat winners by pin included Raymundo, Velasquez (132), Berry (138), Puac, Lucas, Ambrocio, Brown (175), Shubin-Gibbs (190), Jacinto (215) and Rafael.
Domingo, Farist and Jovani Raymundo (165) won by forfeit. The wins improved Gilmer’s record to 28-7 for the season.
“Overall, it was a great day, but it’s hard to be excited and celebrate when one of the guys (Brown), who has been working hard and battling for you for so long gets injured on the mat,” Ghobadpoor said.
The loss of Brown leaves a hole in the Bobcats’ lineup where they were already battling depth issues.
“We’re going to have to use each day (before state) to continue to improve,” Ghobadpoor said. “I think a lot of that will be gaining confidence in these last few days. We want to make sure that we’re ready to do what we do well and do it in intense moments. We want to be able to keep our focus, and that will be a big key to our success and situation.”
The state tournament will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Stephens County High School.
Gilmer’s girls needed one win to advance to state, and they hammered the Burke County Bears, 60-24.
The match got going with six straight forfeits. GHS forfeited at 110 and 120 pounds, while Burke forfeited to Gilmer’s Josephine Royer (105), Sarai Solis (115), Leticia Tercero (125) and Felisha Yarborough (130).
Leading 24-12, the first bout with competing wrestlers took place at 135, and Gilmer’s Carmelina Tercero made short work of her opponent with a first-period pin. Linda Tercero (140) did the same to push Gilmer’s lead to 36-12.
Burke also forfeited to Itzzy Xec-Luna (145) before the Bears got a pin at 155 and 170. Hannah Mayo (190) sealed Gilmer’s state duals spot with a pin for a 48-24 advantage.
Taylor Schiesser kept the wins coming for GHS with a pin in the first period, and Burke forfeited to Juana Tercero (100).
The state tournament will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at the Buford Arena.