Lady Cat wrestlers played host and claimed third place.
The Gilmer Girls Holiday Duals had some of the best teams in Georgia in attendance last Saturday at the Noah Harris Wrestling Center. GHS took the mat six times and won four matches. While the Cats tied for second place, they were awarded third based on tiebreaker criteria.
Gilmer hit the mat with its full roster and head coach Stacy Galloway was pleased with their performance.
“It was a great day for our program. This was the first competition where our girls returning from flag football were able to join us, so it was exciting to finally have more of our roster on the mat,” he said.
“We’re still working on getting everyone into the correct weight classes, and with a few injuries in the lineup, we had to give up 24 points in forfeits each dual.”
Even while starting in a 24-point hole, the Lady Cats took down Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe (42–24), North Forsyth (53–24) and Lanier (54–18).
Next up was Lumpkin County, the defending Division II state champions, and GHS lost, 75–6. Then it was on to Greenbrier, the defending Division I state champs, and GHS was victorious, 43–42. In its last match of the day, Gilmer was defeated by Houston County, 43–42.
“We started out a little flat in our first dual, but the girls regrouped quickly and wrestled with grit and confidence the rest of the day,” Galloway said.
“While there are still areas we need to improve, I’m proud of how we competed against some of the top teams in Georgia. This group continues to grow each week, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.”