Gilmer High wrestlers added six more wins to their seasonal tally.
The No. 2 ranked GHS Bobcats hit the road for a pair of away events last week, and they first made their way to Dawson County Tuesday for a tri-match. Gilmer downed the host Tigers (60-18) before topping Habersham Central, 56-21.
The Bobcats were at the North Murray Duals Saturday. GHS notched wins over Pace Academy (79-0) and Northwest Whitfield (51-15) before teams were seeded. Gilmer then took down Gordon Lee (54-25) and Heritage (47-30).
At both events, the Bobcats were not at full strength, and wrestlers are still working their way down to their expected weight classes.
GHS head coach Josh Ghobadpoor noted that the Bobcats’ final three matches of the week were their toughest.
“I think we’re maybe a little bit better than that score shows versus Northwest,” he said. “At the same time, they have some tough kids, and the score really doesn’t indicate how tough some of those matches were.
“Versus Gordon Lee, that score really doesn’t indicate how close the score was. We were down 21-6 going into the 106 match. We got the maximum amount of bonus points in the next three, which put us up, 24-21.”
Gilmer fell behind in the championship versus Heritage as well, 16-0. Bobcat Denny Ramirez got a pin at heavyweight to get Gilmer rolling. Juan Rafael (106) pinned his opponent before HHS got six points back at 113. Down 22-12, Leo Domingo (120) pinned for GHS ahead of Kellen Watts’ (126) victory by technical fall.
Bobcats Carson Farist (132) and Bregan Berry (138) both got pins. Heritage secured a tech at 145 and decision at 152. Frisly Ambrocio (160) sealed the team win with a pin and Jovani Raymundo (170) did the same.
“Heritage has some really tough kids in the middle of their lineup that would be tough for anybody,” Ghobadpoor said. “I thought this was a good tournament for our team, and we have some tougher tournaments down the stretch.
“(For the week), it was good to see our leaders and veterans do what they should, which is go out and be dominant when they should and win close ones against good people. We’re not perfect right now, and we’re working to get a lot better.”
The Bobcats have a 17-3 dual record this season and traveled to Fannin County at press deadline for the annual 515 Duals. GHS will head north Saturday for the Cleveland, Tenn., Duals.
Girls
GHS attended the Atlanta Girls Invitational Saturday at North Atlanta High.
The event drew 24 teams, which included five ranked in the top 10. Gilmer took nine wrestlers to the tournament and four placed, while two more were a win away from doing so.
Gilmer finished with 99 points for third place, and its champions included Josephine Royer, Leticia Tercero and Taylor Scheisser. Linda Tercero finished second and Carmelino Tercero and Felisha Yarborough both fell a win shy of reaching the medal stand.
Osborne High deployed a full roster and won the tournament with 126.5 points. Carrollton (119) boasted a 13-wrestler lineup and took second.
“We have yet to compete in a tournament with all of our girls, so hopefully we will have everyone back and ready soon,” GHS coach Stacy Galloway noted.
“Overall, we keep showing improvements each week. They are working extremely hard in practice, and we are definitely proud of the direction they are heading, but know we still have a lot to work on to achieve our goals.”
JV Bobcats
The junior varsity made its way to the Marietta JV Invitational for a traditional tournament.
There were 16 teams in attendance, and GHS ended the day with five individual placers for seventh in the team standings.
Bobcat Manuel Velasquez was a champion at 126 pounds. A trio of Bobcats secured third place and included Deyson Lopez (106), Kade Miller (132) and Blakely Andrews (152), and Eliceo Perez (132) finished fourth.