Gilmer High wrestlers were in Cherokee County for a final test ahead of Thanksgiving break.
GHS attended the 12-team Etowah Duals last Tuesday, and the short-handed Bobcats were without six of 14 starters. Gilmer posted a 2-1 record in its group to start the day before teams were put into brackets. GHS split its final two duals to improve its seasonal record to 10-4.
“Ultimately, we were a victim of just not having all of our guys there,” said head coach Josh Ghobadpoor. “There were different reasons why some of them weren’t there, and it’s tough going to dual tournaments over the holidays. At the end of the day, we’ve got to keep moving along.
“We had some success, but if we had everybody, I think we have a great shot at winning the tournament. We knew we left a lot of firepower at home.”
The Cats’ day began against Newnan, and one bout separated the teams in a 46-36 GHS loss. Gilmer answered by winning its final two pool matches over Pepperell (57-18) and Lamar County (51-24).
“We ended up forfeiting several weight classes to Newnan,” Ghobadpoor said. “We could have done some things to win or put ourselves in better positions. Where Pepperell had some forfeits, so did we. We wrestled a lot better, and I thought we continued to wrestle better against Lamar County.”
The Bobcats were then grouped with rival Pickens and host Etowah to close out the event. Much like Gilmer, Pickens was missing some of its key wrestlers, and the Bobcats came out on top, 39-36. Etowah ended Gilmer’s day with a 42-27 defeat.
“To Pickens’ defense, they were down a lot of guys, too,” Ghobadpoor said. “It kind of balanced out a little bit, and it came down to who was going to be the healthiest with their lineup that day. We were able to edge them out a little bit. It’s always great to get a win against them no matter what. Etowah just had too much for us.”
Ghobadpoor was pleased with the Bobcats’ efforts given the circumstances. He noted that attending traditional tournaments rather than duals during the holiday season might be a better option for the program.
“We need to make sure we’re not going into dual tournaments and putting our kids in bad spots where they have to bump up a lot to cover different weights,” Ghobadpoor said. “It’s something we’ll have to address and look at.
“With a limited crew, we were 3-2 on the day, and we got a lot of mat time for a lot of guys. We’ve had a lot of freshmen and sophomores step up. I’m proud of the guys who stepped up for their team and their teammates. It was a great time to readdress that wrestling is a team sport. Whatever the variety of things were, if you’re not there, then somebody is going to have to try to pick up the slack.”
GHS will attend a dual tournament Saturday at North Murray High School beginning at 9 a.m.