Gilmer High wrestling fans gathered for the purple and white alumni night to get a glimpse of this year’s team.
The annual event was held last Tuesday at the GHS gym. After falling behind early, an eight match purple winning streak allowed them to come away with a 42-31 win.
A family emergency has kept head coach Josh Ghobadpoor off the Bobcats’ sideline. Assistants have provided regular updates, and Ghobadpoor has been able to watch some matches live through phone applications.
“I’ve never missed a practice in all the time I’ve been here, and I’ve never missed a tournament. It was just a turn of events,” Ghobadpoor said Monday. “I can’t say how proud I am of all the wrestlers and coaches for stepping up and keeping it going and working hard through a lot of adversity.
“Our boosters and wrestling community really showed out, and we had a good crowd with good alumni night matchups. I really enjoy putting this dual together every year and figuring out the matchups. This was the first year where one team ran away with it for a little bit.”
National Wrestling Hall of Famer Sam Snider served as purple’s coach, along with and Dan Puac. Josh Snider and B.J. Clampitt headed up the white squad.
Three girls matches preceded the Bobcats’, and purple’s Sari Solis and white’s Linda Tercero and Leticia Tercero all won via pin.
The Bobcats were split evenly, and white’s Tony Puac and Juan Rafael came away with a pin and major, respectively, for a 22-6 edge.
Purple’s eight consecutive wins started with Leo Domingo’s minor and were followed by Anthony Pastor (pin), Kellen Watts (minor), Carson Farist (pin), Bregan Berry (major), Luis Lucas (minor), Frisly Ambrocio (minor) and Jovani Raymundo (pin).
Trailing 43-22, white’s Aron Patino secured a 3-2 victory and Diego Jacinto got a pin in the second round.
Season underway
Gilmer opened the season last Saturday at the Denmark Dane Duals. The Bobcats had a 4-0 record with wins over Heritage (50-19), East Forsyth (68-9), Cartersville (60-21) and Denmark (51-24).
Eight GHS wrestlers went undefeated on the day. Rafael, Watts, Berry, Ambrocio and Jacinto all posted 4-0 records. Denny Ramirez and John Oliver were both 2-0 and Carter Ortis was 1-0.
“I was following along and getting texts and updates and am just so proud of them for keeping their work ethic up and continuing to be there for each other,” Ghobadpoor said.
“Our captains are taking care of a lot of things before it even gets to the coaches, and when you’re in that kind of structure as a program, it makes things run a lot more efficiently. It’s bigger than just what goes on the mat, and I feel like our captains have taken that responsibility.”
The girls used a scramble format, and GHS had a successful day. All wins came via pin, and Leticia Tercero was 3-0, Linda Tercero and Solis were both 2-0, while Piper McCormick, Allie Mayo and Taylor Scheisser were 1-0.
“Overall, the girls all looked great,” said coach Stacy Galloway. “Everyone got in one to three matches, which was really good for the opening weekend. They put in a lot of hard work in the preseason on conditioning and strength training, and that has transitioned into some really great practices every day since we began wrestling.
“We have several first-year wrestlers who are really getting after it and learning a lot. If they keep working like this, I expect big things from this group.”
Giant arrives in 3A
GHS is fresh off a Class 3A traditional state title, the school’s 18th championship. The Bobcats enter the season ranked No. 2 behind Columbus, who dropped down from Class 4A and boasts a roster with nationally recognized wrestlers.
Gilmer graduated seven Bobcat state placers off last year’s squad and four return this season. Ghobadpoor discussed the team compared to seasons past.
“This year, we have some talent, but we’ve only talked about working hard,” he said. “We’re going to beat people on toughness and sheer will, and that’s how we’re going to have to take out these teams who may have more talent than us on paper.
“Obviously, at some weights, we have some very, very talented wrestlers, but some of those other wrestlers are going to have to beat people on their work ethic, being coachable, being gritty, being able to get to the third period and out-conditioning and out-toughing their opponents.”
There are around 45 wrestlers in the program, which includes 12 girls. In the past, GHS has had as many as 60-plus on its roster. Ghobadpoor noted they upped some of the standards and requirements in the offseason to ensure the lineup is filled with wrestlers who are dependable when needed most.
“This is definitely the smallest team we’ve had,” he said. “We’ve taken the people who have been serious and dedicated and have put in the time and have communicated with us, we’ve made them a priority.
“Ultimately, if they’re not willing to do those things ahead of time, they’re going to burn you when you need them. We set some high expectations in the offseason, with communication and commitment being a huge part of that. We need to dedicate our time to people who are going to be there.”
Gilmer’s top-four returning wrestlers from last season are seniors Juan Rafael and Diego Jacinto and juniors Carson Farist and Bregan Berry. Rafael is the defending state champion at 106 pounds, and Farist is a two-time state finalist with one title to his name.
Jacinto is a three-time state placer, which includes a pair of trips to the finals. Berry came away with fifth place at state a season ago.
“We’ve always been talented at the lower weights, and we have a strong crop of wrestlers coming in,” Ghobadpoor said. “We’re going to have some people in our lineup who haven’t been everyday varsity wrestlers who will make big waves this year.
“We’re real proud of our JV schedule, and they should get between 35 and 45 matches at that level.”
Taylor Scheisser returns as Gilmer’s state placer from last season on the girls side. Ghobadpoor has high hopes for them, and they have garnered some preseason attention.
“In one of the last rankings, they have us as the No. 5 team in the state, and that’s with everybody in one classification,” he said. “They’ve moved to a true 14-weight class format this year, and I think we’ll be able to fill double-digit weight classes.”
As in many previous seasons, Gilmer’s area is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in Class 3A. In addition to GHS at No. 2, area foes White County is ranked No. 3, Lumpkin is No. 4, and Pickens has cracked the top 10 at No. 6.
“We have a tougher area than we’ve had the past two years, and that’s OK,” Ghobadpoor said. “Every match this year is going to be a battle. To go and win a tournament, I think we’re going to enjoy those a lot more. In years past, we’ve just been extremely talented. We’ve lost a lot, and we’re a smaller team. It will be fun to see what we do after graduating seven state placers.”
Beyond area, Ghobadpoor expects Columbus to be Gilmer’s toughest test.
“They have a very good team and a ton of talent,” he said. “They have stellar individuals and good role players. They have some kids who are double Fargo All-Americans and state champions. They’re loaded down and we hope we get that opportunity.
“We’d love to see them in the state dual finals. That would be an amazing accomplishment for this team, but we’re going to take this season one match and one day at a time.”