It was another stellar week for Gilmer High School wrestling.
The GHS Bobcats were in White County last Saturday for the Area 7-3A duals tournament. Gilmer overcame a pair of opponents to add another championship to its billowing tally.
A day prior, the first-ever girls area dual tournaments were held across the state. Gilmer was in Hiram, and the Cats were once again the top team. GHS notched two wins to come away with the title to extend its season.
For the Bobcats, they have now won 11 area duals championships in a row.
Head coach Josh Ghobadpoor put the season in perspective, saying, “We lost 11 seniors and seven state placers from last year, and then we lost some guys before the season even started who could have helped us. I’m really proud of our guys. We have the toughest area in terms of quality teams in the state.
“We had some close ones that came down to matchups. I think we are down from what we have been, but other teams are getting better. That kind of closed the gap in a big way. The top-four teams are very close.”
Gilmer and archrival Pickens met in the finals to decide the title, and the Bobcats came out on top, 41-26.
To minimize losses and maximize points in victories, GHS wrestlers were moved to different weight classes.
“A lot of the matches were based on draws and who was going to have to show first, and we used that to our advantage in a big way,” said Ghobadpoor.
“We had to move certain people around and get certain matchups. Domingo Velasquez has probably only wrestled three varsity matches all year. We had to trust him enough to put him in at 132, and he ended up getting a pin for us. That allowed us to move Bregan Berry up to 138. All the things we did gave us an opportunity to win at the end. The score could have been 35-32.”
Wrestling in the finals got started at 215, and GHS got on the board with a pin by Juan Rafael at 106. Leo Domingo (113) got a pin as well and Carson Farist (126) won via decision to spark a three-bout winning streak. Following Velasquez’s pin, Berry won with a decision.
Bobcat Luis Lucas (150) pinned his opponent as did Hunter Brown (165), who turned the tide in the third period. Bobcat Diego Jacinto (190) closed out the dual with a technical fall.
“It was pretty close,” Ghobadpoor said. “Over the last few years, we’ve been pretty dominant over them. Now they have (former Clear Creek) coach Walt Monroe over there with some green on. That’s a little different, and they’re going to be well-coached.”
Versus Lumpkin in the semifinals, Ghobadpoor deployed a different lineup. In five bouts, Bobcats bumped up to wrestle at a heavier weight. Gilmer was able to build a healthy lead before ending the match with four losses in a row for a 38-31 win.
“We didn’t matchup great with Lumpkin,” Ghobadpoor said. “We had to move some people around to maximize points. We also didn’t wrestle well in some weight classes, and we’ve consistently done that all year. That means other wrestlers have to pick up the slack in a big way. We had the match locked up by (the) 144 (weight class). You can’t always be up by so much so the next four guys can lose and you can still win.
“At the same time, I’m really happy with what we’ve been able to do with the wrestlers we have.”
As an area champion, GHS will host one of eight state duals preliminaries in Class 3A. Gilmer will be the top seed, Monroe Area is slotted at No. 2, Douglas is No. 3 and Jackson will be the No. 4 seed at Friday’s event.
Preliminaries are set to begin at 10 a.m., and the top team will advance to state duals.
Girls
GHS was the top seed, and the Cats first met the host Hornets and secured a 60-12 win to advance to the finals versus Southeast Whitfield.
Gilmer had defeated Southeast earlier this season and did the same for the championship, 51-30.
“It was an historic night for the Gilmer wrestling program,” said coach Stacy Galloway. “Our boys team has now won area duals 11 years in a row, so to be able to step out on the mat and take the first ever girls area dual championship is really special.
“The girls were so excited to be able to accomplish this. They have worked really hard this year to achieve this goal. We are so proud of them and this accomplishment, but we have more goals to achieve this year.”
Versus Southeast, Juana Tercero got a forfeit before Josephine Royer’s pin. Sarai Solis picked up a forfeit, and Leticia Tercero battled for a 7-2 decision.
SHS did get a pin to cut Gilmer’s lead to 21-6. GHS forfeited a match before Felisha Yarborough, Carmelina Tercero and Linda Tercero all took wins by forfeit for a 39-12 lead.
The Raiders won the next three bouts with pins. Gilmer’s Hannah Mayo and Taylor Schiesser did the same to close out the match for a 19-point championship win.
In the semifinals, Gilmer’s wins were earned by Juana Tercero, Royer, Solis, Leticia Tercero, Carmelina Tercero, Linda Tercero, Itzzy Xec-Luna, Piper McCormick, Mayo and Schiesser.
Gilmer will host a girls state preliminary Friday beginning at 5 p.m. GHS will take on Burke County, and the winner will advance to the state duals tournament.