The Gilmer Bobcats have been a model of consistency in Georgia high school wrestling.
The 17-time state champions were looking to add to their title tally last Saturday. Cherokee Bluff High School was the destination for Georgia’s top-eight teams at the Class 3A state duals tournament.
Gilmer entered the event as the No. 3 seed and won two matches to set up a finals meeting against the top seeded North Hall Trojans. NH entered the match as the two-time defending state champions and left with their third in a row.
The Trojans notched a 37-27 win over the Bobcats as Gilmer settled for second place for the fifth season in a row.
Prior to their five runner-up placements, Gilmer won seven consecutive duals state championships.
“It’s 12 years in a row in the finals. As far as that goes, second place is outstanding,” GHS coach Josh Ghobadpoor said. “Let’s not lose track or lose focus and let’s not be complacent, but let’s not take this program for granted of what it’s been able to do in the past and present. We’ve been second five years in a row in state duals. I feel like we have an amazing track record and so much for our kids to be proud of.
“We’ve had some great teams and have just come up a little short. The fight and effort was there. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men.”
Gilmer as the underdog
North Hall entered the season and state tournament as the favorite to repeat as champions and fields a talented senior-laden squad.
Gilmer’s team consists of six previous state placers. Nine Trojans are former state placers, which includes two state champions and a three-time state finalist.
“On paper, with what we both had returning, no one would had given us a shot,” Ghobadpoor said. “They’re a loaded squad. While it looked like we may not matchup, we have kids across the board who are so tough. They’re kids who were maybe never a starter or went to state, but they’ve stepped into those roles and embraced them. We have a lot of young kids in those roles, and I’m super proud of how our kids wrestled.
“We were up against the defending state champions, and we did not let that faze us. We came to win.”
Wrestling got under way at 145 pounds where North Hall won with a minor decision followed by a pin at 152. Gilmer’s Diego Jacinto (160) snagged a pivotal 3-2 victory before another Trojan pin at 170.
Behind 15-3, Bobcat Hunter Brown (182) won by decision, and North Hall scored four points at 195 with a major.
At 220 and 285, Gilmer scored six team points with pins. Dylan Galloway was up first and pinned his opponent in a matter of seconds. Tony Olea was next and ended his Trojan opponent’s day in the second round.
NH forfeited at 106, which moved Gilmer ahead, 24-19. Ghobadpoor opted to bump Carson Farist up to the 113-pound bout, and the freshman Bobcat proved he was up for the task.
Farist faced Trojan Christian Contreras, the No. 1 ranked 113 pounder in Class 3A. Farist controlled him from start to finish, and Contreras was one stall call away from being disqualified.
Farist’s decision gave GHS a 27-19 edge with four bouts remaining.
NH dashed Gilmer’s title hopes when it closed out the match with four wins. The Trojans scored a decision at 120 and a pin at 126 to pull ahead, 28-27. NH also pinned at 132 and secured a minor at 138 for their 10-point win.
“This is an amazing program and one of the most fun teams I’ve had since I’ve been here (four years),” Ghobadpoor said. “They’ve had to really work hard. They knew what they had to do on the mat, and they’ve sacrificed so much time and effort to be where they are. I think we’re going to be just as good next year, especially with having a full true offseason.”
Battle ahead of finals
GHS faced the No. 2 seeded Rockmart Yellow Jackets in the semifinals and won, 46-21.
“Overall, as a team, we wrestled really well. We knew Rockmart was a really well-coached team and really strong in the lower weights pretty much from 106 to 145,” Ghobadpoor said. “We didn’t have to win all of those, but we knew we were going to have to pull out a few.”
RHS snatched a minor at 132 and pin at 138 for a quick 9-0 lead. GHS came back with 12 points as both Brock Sumner (145) and Miguel Jacinto (152) pinned their Yellow Jacket foes.
A Rockmart pin at 160 was answered by four straight GHS wins. Abel Jacinto (170) won by major, Brown got a minor, Owen Moss (195) pinned and Galloway got another minor decision.
Trailing 28-15, Rockmart needed wins, and they got a pin at 285.
In another marquee matchup, Farist met T.K. Davis, the No. 1 ranked 106 pounder. Farist weathered an early storm and took control for a 6-3 win. Bobcat Arturo Gonzalez took the mat at 113 pounds, and his 4-3 win made Rockmart’s comeback impossible.
“In Carson’s and Arturo’s matches, it felt like the 15th round of a Rocky fight. They both knew they had to win for us to ice it and seal the deal,” Ghobadpoor said.
“At that point, we were up 13 points (34-21), and their coaches knew it was out of reach and forfeited the last two weights to us. In reality, it could have been much closer. It was a very solid victory over a very solid team. Most of what I saw (before the match) everyone had them beating us and possibly winning the state championship. It was a heck of a win by our guys.”
RHS forfeited to Walter Lopez (120) and Kellen Watts (126) to close out the match.
To being the tournament against Morgan County, GHS won, 50-24.
Pins were secured by Bobcats Watts, Sumner, Daniel Reynoso (182), Moss and Galloway. Gaspar Perez (132) and Abel Jacinto won by major decision, while both Diego Jacinto and Juan Rafael (106) received forfeits.
Morgan County was able to get pins at 113 and 120, minors at 138 and 152 and a forfeit at 285.
Gilmer finished its dual season with an 18-2 record. The Bobcats will begin the qualification process for the traditional state tournament Saturday at home.
“We have an area tournament to win this weekend, and our goal is to bring 14 guys to state. If we bring 14 to state, then we give ourselves another shot,” Ghobadpoor said.
“There’s another state tournament and another ring out there for us if we dig deep and really push ourselves. I think we’re in the running for that as well. I’m very proud of this group and really proud of our parents and the support they’ve given us. I’m proud of our coaching staff. This has been an uncertain year with so many variables that could have taken away from it. Our kids have kept a good attitude and pushed and I’m very proud of them.”
GHS will host the Area 6-3A traditional tournament Saturday at 10 a.m. A top-three placement is needed for a wrestler to advance to next weekend’s traditional state tournament.