Gilmer High faced off against some of the best girls teams in the state.
Last Saturday’s Big 10 Duals at Woodward Academy included the top teams from last season. Gilmer finished with a 3-1 record for third place.
Teams were split into two pools of five, and Gilmer earned wins over Campbell (48-30), Woodward Academy (42-33) and Gainesville (39-30).
Next up was defending state champion Carrollton, and a third-period pin allowed the Trojans to escape with a 42-39 win. In the crossover match, GHS met last year’s state runner-up, Jordan. After 14 bouts the match was tied, and Gilmer won on criteria, 43-42.
“Many of the girls have been battling sickness leading up to this tournament, but they went out there and battled hard and showed some real grit,” said head coach Stacy Galloway. “I am so proud of how well we wrestled and how the girls responded to some adversity during the day.
“(The Carrollton match) was definitely a learning experience for the whole team, and it helped everyone see how each point matters.”
Greenbrier defeated Carollton on criteria to claim the first place, 43-42.
“The top four teams are all so close to each other,” Galloway noted. “State duals is definitely going to be a battle. We have to keep working hard and improving from week to week. If we do that, we definitely have a shot of winning it all.
“Josephine Royer was the one undefeated wrestler for the weekend, and she won all five matches by pin. Everyone wrestled great, and I am excited about the direction we are heading.”
GHS also faced Lumpkin and Chestatee last Monday for their first duals of the season and won by respective scores of 57-17 and 52-27.
Two days prior, Gilmer won a traditional tournament at Putnam High. GHS had two champions, three runners-up and secured first place over Putnam, 246.5-165.5.
GHS champions included Salma Gonzalez and Amayah Jones, and runners-up were Juana Tercero, Abelinda Tercero and Leticia Tercero. Winning in the consolation finals for third were Felisha Yarbourgh, Margarita Lucas Bautista. Magdalene Thompson, Erica Velasquez and Andrea Garcia all placed fourth.
“We wrestled really well. Every girl at least won one match, and everyone has shown improvement from the last time they wrestled,” said Galloway. “I am really excited about the direction everyone is heading.”
GHS will return to Woodward Academy Saturday for a traditional tournament.