Gilmer High’s girls battled back to show they are still one of the top wrestling programs in the state.
Following its loss in the semifinals of the state duals last Saturday in Lumpkin County, GHS won both matches in the consolation bracket to claim third place.
Gilmer took the mat four times and earned two wins. After downing Chestatee in the first round, 47-36, No. 2 seeded Jordan was up next in the second round. JHS won 43-31, and GHS was sent to the consolation semifinals.
Gilmer ended the tournament with wins over Oglethorpe County (66-18) and Chestatee (45-36).
GHS entered the event seeded No. 6 out of eight teams.
“I feel like we wrestled exceptionally well,” said head coach Stacy Galloway. “We had to start with a tough No. 3 seeded Chestatee team even though the GHSA had us ranked as the sixth seed. That should have been a semifinal matchup, but the GHSA saw it differently. Despite the tough draw, we gave it everything we had in that dual. We were focused, and everyone did their job.
“In the semifinals, I knew we’d have to wrestle a near-perfect dual to beat Jordan. We came so close to making it happen. In three separate matches, we were ahead, only to get caught and pinned. If we had just held on and secured those wins, we would’ve won the dual by two points and advanced to the finals to face Lumpkin.”
Gilmer’s seeding served as motivation for wrestlers, who felt slighted entering the tournament.
“The team was extremely focused and motivated to give their best effort. When GHSA ranked us as the sixth seed, they took it personally — and rightfully so. They felt disrespected, and it lit a fire under them to prove everyone wrong,” Galloway said.
“Throughout their matches, they demonstrated incredible grit and determination. Even when they found themselves in tough positions, they fought with everything they had to wrestle out of those situations. Their resilience was truly inspiring. I couldn’t be prouder of the effort shown by every single wrestler.”
Gilmer used injured 190 pounder Juana Tercero-Rafael to secure crucial points in both matches versus Chestatee. Erika Tercero’s ability to take the mat at different weight classes also proved beneficial.
“When scouting Chestatee, we learned that their 235-pound wrestler had dropped to 190,” said Galloway. “We asked our 235-pound wrestler, Erika Tercero, who was only a few pounds over 190 if she could make the cut by state duals. We knew this could be a key matchup, especially since she had pinned Chestatee’s 190-pounder in their last meeting.
“In the opening round dual with Chestatee, we were required to show first at 190. When we sent Erika out, Chestatee forfeited that weight, and they then sent out their 190-pound wrestler to claim a forfeit at 235. In the third-place match, Chestatee had to show first at 190, and when they sent out their 190-pound wrestler, we put Erika in for the matchup. Erika won with a pin, and then we sent Juana out at 235, securing a victory by forfeit.”
In the first-round match versus Chestatee, Gilmer won eight matches with the first two coming at 140 and 145 pounds. Margarita Lucas-Bautista and Leticia Tercero both earned third period pins.
Gilmer’s Amayah Jones (170), Josephine Royer (105), and Salma Gonzalez (110) secured pins, and Chestatee forfeited to Erika Tercero (190). Sarai Solis (115) rolled to a 15-0 technical fall win, Esther Bowman (120) pinned her opponent.
Leticia Tercero earned a decision victory and Jones pinned their opponents to start the Jordan match. JHS went on a four-match win streak to open a 27-6 lead. A Gonzalez pin and Solis major cut Jordan’s lead to seven points.
A pair of Jordan pins put Gilmer behind, 39-19. Abelinda Tercero (135) and Lucas-Bautista both pinned for GHS, and Jordan did the same at 135.
GHS kicked off the Oglethorpe match with six straight wins. Pins by Lucinda McArthur (155), Jones, Erika Tercero and Royer and forfeits to Tercero-Rafael (235) and Allison Hernandez (100).
Solis, Bowman and Erica Velasquez (130) earned Gilmer’s last three pins, and OHS fortified to Lucas-Bautista and Leticia Tercero.
In the rematch versus Chesatee in the consolation finals, Gilmer’s winners via fall were Royer, Gonzalez, Solis, Bowman and Abelinda Tercero.
Erika Tercero won by minor decision, and CHS forfeited to Jones and Tercero-Rafael.
Multiple GHS wrestlers were undefeated at state. Galloway mentioned one who had a stellar tournament.
“Solis truly stood out with her exceptional performance,” he said. “She faced the toughest set of opponents throughout the day and went a perfect 4-0, not allowing a single point to be scored against her. Sarai recorded two wins by pin — one late in the second period and the other late in the third — a dominant 12-0 major decision and a 15-0 tech fall. Her performance was absolutely phenomenal.”
Gilmer finished its dual season with an 11-4 record with its only losses coming against top teams.
“Our only losses came to the state champion Lumpkin (twice), Chestatee early in the season, and the state runner-up Jordan. However, we also beat Greenbrier, the Division 1 state champion, which really speaks to the strength and growth of our team. It was an amazing year overall,” Galloway said.
“While we had some seasoned veterans on the team, most of our starting lineup consisted of four freshmen, two upperclassmen who were first-year wrestlers and four upperclassmen who were second-year wrestlers. The improvement we saw throughout the season was incredible.”