Undefeated 106-pounder becomes Gilmer High’s first 9th grade state champ
One of the most storied wrestling dynasties in Georgia has achieved another program first.
At last week’s Class 3A traditional state tournament, Gilmer High freshman Carson Farist completed his undefeated season with a state title.
He became Gilmer’s first ever freshman state champion and posted a 22-0 season record.
Gilmer placed fourth in the team standings and also had three runners-up, three more wrestlers place fifth, as well as a third-place finisher in the girls portion of the event.
“I think there were some more points we could have scored in some situations,” GHS head coach Josh Ghobadpoor said. “I don’t think it was because of lack of effort, we just had some tough matchups in certain rounds. The tournament is won and lost in the consolation rounds, and we have to do a better job there to score points.
“You don’t have to have multiple state champions to win a traditional state tournament, but you have to have warriors come back through and win tough matches.”
Ghobadpoor discussed Farist’s season and title.
“To finish as an undefeated freshman state champion is amazing. Most of his wins were pins or won with bonus points,” he said. “Carson had to beat a real tough kid in the semis and stuck him. In the finals, he’s wrestling a guy (T.K. Davis) he had to beat one other time at state duals. They were the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in the state by far.”
Farist earned his spot in the finals with three pins, which included two in the first period and one in the third. In the finals, Farist and Davis squared off for the second time this season.
“I knew that he was fast on legs and watched some film on him,” Farist said of his finals opponent. “Last time, he got some shots on me, and this time, I tried to stay lower and be ready for him to come.”
While Davis was able to lead early, Farist scored a takedown in the third period to secure a 5-4 advantage he did not relinquish.
“He found himself down in 3-1 and had to battle back and never stopped and continued to push the action,” Ghobadpoor said. “Carson got a late takedown with 33 seconds left and then had to ride him out.
“The mental toughness that kid’s shown in the biggest matches of the year is incredible and something to behold. He’s probably our hardest worker. He never misses a workout, does everything we ask him to do and is so humble. He has put in so much time and energy over days and hours and years to build up to that moment.”
When asked about becoming Gilmer’s first freshman champion, Farist said, “This was big. I worked really hard and think I earned it. Our whole team earned the right to be here, and this means a lot. I’m really excited right now and just pumped to be here.”
Seven more GHS wrestlers land on medal stand
Gilmer’s runners-up included junior Arturo Gonzalez (113), sophomore Diego Jacinto (152) and junior Dylan Galloway (220).
Gonzalez reached the finals with a major and pair of minor decisions. In the finals, he faced Garrett Pace of Rockmart and was pinned in the third period.
“Arturo is a great young man who has had to sit and wait for his opportunity to shine,” Ghobadpoor said. “He wrestled extremely well all the way through to the finals. He lost to a guy he beat by a point earlier at state duals, but just got caught out of position. He wrestled with so much heart. He’s a captain on this team for a reason and represents our program with the utmost dignity.”
Jacinto paved his way to the finals with a pin, minor and major. He wrestled Adairsville’s Dalton Cornett in the finals.
Jacinto was denied what appeared to be a takedown in the third period, which would have moved him ahead, 4-3. Instead, he earned an escape to force overtime where Cornett secured a takedown for sudden victory.
“Diego has had to bump up weight classes most of the year and has never complained,” Ghobadpoor said. “I think there was a bad call in his state finals match, and he should be the state champion. Ultimately, it’s not about what I think. He looked so good as a sophomore out there and gave him (Cornett) all he wanted. He had an incredible tournament and has been a consistent piece to our puzzle all year.”
Galloway pinned his first two opponents in the first period before a second-period pin in the semifinals. He met White County’s Devin Sullens, a two-time runner-up. Sullens got the only takedown of the finals match in the first period and won, 3-2.
“He’s had an incredible season and had a tough style matchup in the finals,” Ghobadpoor said. “Dylan is a really good thrower but this guy (Sullens) is also a real good thrower. It ultimately came down to a one-point match. We knew it was going to be a war, and it was a tough loss. His goal is to be a state champion, and he has another year to prove that.”
Reaching the consolation semifinals were Gilmer seniors Walter Lopez (120) and Ronald Pierce (138) and junior Owen Moss (195). All wrestlers who lost in the round were granted fifth place.
Lopez posted a 2-2 record and Pierce was 4-2. Both placed at state for the first time.
“Walter was one match short of placing his sophomore and junior years,” Ghobadpoor said. “That’s really tough, but he finally broke through this year to the consolation semifinals, which locked up a state placement. He came over afterward and said, ‘Coach, I finally did it.’ When you see someone finally achieve a goal, it is so awesome.
“Ronald is a guy who just stuck with it. As a freshman, people might have looked at him and asked ‘Why is he even on the team?’ He just continued to come out and work and get tougher. He was put in a lot of tough spots last year and always did his best. He kept grinding and working. He had to win four straight to be a state placer and that was another great moment.”
Moss won three straight to reach the semifinals where he was defeated. He then lost in the consolation semifinals.
“Owen has come so far this year from changing his body and mindset, and we’re really proud of him for placing this year,” Ghobadpoor said.
Taylor Scheisser (172) finished third in the girls tournament. She started the event with two pins before she was pinned in the semifinals. Scheisser closed out her tournament with two more pins in the consolation bracket for third place.
“Taylor is a freshman who has been working hard all year,” Ghobadpoor said. “She wrestles with the guys (at practice) and really pushes it. She was extremely excited and deservedly so.”
Ghobadpoor added, “I’m so proud of everyone who made it to the finals for those individual efforts and for those guys to get on the podium for the first time. It was a great day for us, and we had a lot of great competition between Rockmart, Sonoraville and North Hall, and ultimately those teams came out a little ahead of us.”
Best of the rest
GHS had seven more wrestlers who fell short of placing but scored team points to help Gilmer achieve its fourth-place finish.
Sophomore Kellen Watts (126), seniors Abel Jacinto (160) and Brock Sumner (145) and junior Daniel Reynoso (182) all fell one win shy of placing. Watts and Sumner both posted 3-2 records. Watts’ final match of the event ended in a 10-2 defeat and Sumner forfeited. Reynoso was 2-2 and suffered a loss by technical fall in his consolation quarterfinals match.
Jacinto lost to Nolan Sorrow of North Hall in his first match of the event. Sorrow was later ruled ineligible but Jacinto had already entered the consolation bracket. He finished with a 4-1 record.
“North Hall wrestled an ineligible wrestler who we ultimately lost a close match (5-2) to in the round of 16,” Ghobadpoor said. “I think he (Abel) would have been a state finalist. He was injured after that and won three more while dealing with a pretty significant injury and just came up short.”
Senior Gaspar Perez (132) posted a 3-2 record, junior Miguel Jacinto (170) recorded a 2-2 mark and junior Tony Olea (285) was 1-2.
On the girls side, Carmelina Tercero (132) was 1-2, which included a pin. Hannah Mayo (152) finished with a 2-2 record and won her matches by forfeit and pin.
Ghobadpoor concluded by saying, “All our assistant coaches (Brent Berry, D.J. Underwood, Dan Puac and Stacy Galloway) have been really selfless and are a really great group. I couldn’t ask for better people and role models for these kids to be around.”
Behind state champion Rockmart (202.5 points) in the top five were Sonoraville (197), North Hall (194), Gilmer (171) and Adairsville (138.5).