The Gilmer Bobcats were a bit shorthanded at the Bradley Central (Tenn.) Invitational, but that did not stop them from finishing eighth out of 43 teams.
The traditional wrestling tournament took place Dec. 20-21, and only seven grapplers from the starting lineup made the trip. Out of 14 weight classes, Gilmer entered 13 wrestlers in the event, and four placed in the top six of their respective weight classes.
“I was very happy with our finish,” said GHS coach Josh Ghobadpoor. “Out of our wrestlers, we only brought seven starters. We had some guys who were banged up and others who were out of town. Considering the number of teams and level of that tournament, and that we had to bring some backups and a couple third-string guys in a couple weights, we’re really excited about finishing eighth.”
Senior Caleb Waddell (170 pounds) was the top Bobcat finisher. He placed second and lost to Jackson Smith of Woodland in the finals. Smith, who defeated Waddell at an earlier tournament in November, is the only wrestler to beat him this season.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud,” Ghobadpoor said. “Caleb got his lip cut pretty badly, and we thought he might have to get a couple stitches. He was bleeding all over the place, but when he was out there wrestling, it didn’t matter what the score was and he was wrestling as hard as he could. He never got frustrated and didn’t let the moment get too big.
“At the end of the day, that’s what you want to see out of these young men and women is that they continue to fight no matter the circumstances. I was extremely proud of how he wrestled, how he composed himself and how he finished.”
Sophomore Dylan Galloway placed fourth at 195 pounds. He lost to Woodland’s DeMarcus Williams in the consolation finals, and he continued to make a name for himself after not wrestling much as a freshman last season.
“Dylan lost to a Williams, who he (Galloway) beat earlier this season, and he (Williams) finished third in state last year in Class 5A,” Ghobadpoor said.
“Dylan is still learning. With the mat time he’s had compared to some of the other kids ... he only had five matches last year because of an injury. At an upper weight class, he’s been wrestling very well, and we are happy with how he’s progressing.”
Bobcat Lucas Lopez took the mat at 120 pounds, and the calm and cool senior placed fifth.
“In the matches he’s lost this year, they’ve been so close,” Ghobadpoor said. “He wrestled great. His demeanor and the way he mentally approaches things ... when he walks off the mat, it’s sometimes hard to tell if he won or lost. Sometimes, you’d like to see just a little emotion out of him, but with Lucas, you always get the same thing, and that’s going to help him in the long run.”
Freshman Diego Jacinto (145) placed sixth. He was injured in the consolation bracket and defaulted his final match of the event.
“Diego wrestled great,” Ghobadpoor said. “He was wrestling a really good Bradley Central kid, was winning, and his opponent dove in for a shot and they hit heads. We noticed he was a little off and were a little worried. He saw the trainer and we decided to be on the cautious side of things and pulled him out.
“He was upset he didn’t get to wrestle and I loved it. He wanted to be out there more than anything.”
Also securing victories and earning team points were Bobcats Walter Lopez (113), Ronald Pierce (138), Abel Jacinto (182), Sammy Tercero (220) and Tony Olea (285).
GHS will attend the Murray County Invitational Jan. 4.