Wrestling Preview
The 17-time state champion Bobcats are hungry for another wrestling title.
Over the past three seasons, GHS secured a trio of runner-up finishes at state duals and turned in placements of second, fifth and fourth at the traditional state tournament.
While coaches and wrestlers do not downplay their recent success, the top spot is what they crave.
“For us, second place is phenomenal and it feels great,” said head coach Josh Ghobadpoor. “We were so proud to be there and were happy for our kids. But you also see the other end of that and 20 kids crying (after the finals) because second place isn’t what they were shooting for. That’s a testament to our kids, the work they put in and the goals they have. We’re aiming for that top spot.”
“With our program, we’re very fortunate that we’re in position every year that we’re going to fight for a state title. Last year, we dealt with a lot of injuries and a lot of circumstances that led up to the finals of the (duals) state tournament. There was nothing guaranteed. We were four points off from a state championship. We have to go back to the drawing board as coaches.”
Following a busy summer schedule, Ghobadpoor and staff were able to instruct up to four wrestlers each during the preseason, per GHSA guidelines. Wrestlers were put through their paces during sessions that ran throughout September.
By Sept. 30, full-team conditioning started. Before mandatory practice began Oct. 21, wrestling tryouts were held for the first time in school history. Seventy perspective wrestlers attended and 47 boys and 13 girls made the cut.
“It’s really tough to have 70 practicing in the Noah Harris Center without people falling over each other, and generally, handling that many kids with four coaches,” Ghobadpoor said. “The kids knew about tryouts months in advance, and by the end of that first week, we made some cuts and kept around 60 wrestlers.”
Once the roster was settled, wrestlers were often split into groups at practice to make the best use of time. Seasoned wrestlers worked together while some of the less experienced got the proper instruction needed.
Aside from fundamentals, one aspect that was a focus in October was one-on-one drilling where situational wrestling and perfecting moves are paramount.
“One thing that we focus on is our drilling,” Ghobadpoor said. “We have to get better at our drilling and get those repetitions. That’s a part that the guys probably find the least fun or exciting, but that’s the reality of it. When you drill, you’re getting your mental and physical conditioning out of that. And then you get to the point where you don’t have to think about things (and they come naturally on the mat).”
Aside from the usual challenges that come with working with high schoolers, Ghobadpoor was pleased with what they were able to accomplish in the weeks leading up to the season.
“Some days we have to chew them out,” he said. “We’re dealing with a lot of teenagers from 14 to 18 years old and they can get a little squirrelly here and there. We have to make sure we’re heading in the right direction, and we all have that focal point of ‘This is where we need to be.’
“But overall, it’s been very positive. We’ve had great attendance, kids are coming to practice and ready to work. I’ve been impressed with some of our newer wrestlers and our freshmen. When you take roll for 60 kids and you’re not missing any, that’s a big deal. Once we get wrestlers down to the right weights, we only expect to get better.”
In regard to the program’s mental approach, Ghobadpoor wants wrestlers to strive to be the best while remaining grounded.
“Some of the things we talk about is staying humble,” he said. “We’re a very good program, a perennial powerhouse and there’s a reason for that. We put a lot of time, effort and energy into it. We have to stay humble and not believe we’re above anybody else. We may not have the greatest athletes in the world, so we have to make sure our technique and mental toughness are there and that we can count on one another when we get in a tough situation.”
The Bobcats return two state placers off last season’s team. Ghobadpoor did not reveal the team’s entire projected starting lineup but did mention some wrestlers he expects to be heavy contributors.
“Caleb Waddell is a returning state champion (at 170 pounds), and we have Carson Bentley, who was sixth place last year (at 106),” Ghobadpoor said. “Lucas Lopez (120) got hurt at region duals, and that’s a guy who is one of our top two or three best wrestlers.
“Logan Bentley (126) has been in the blood rounds (on the verge of placing) at state two years in a row. Dylan Galloway (195) beat a couple state placers but was just banged up at the end of the year.”
Both Galloway and Carson Bentley are sophomores, and Logan Bentley, Lopez and Waddell are seniors. Throughout the season, wrestlers will work to get to their optimal weight by region, sectional and state tournaments.
“I feel like we have a great opportunity to go through and not have any real holes in our lineup,” Ghobadpoor said. “In our weakest spots, we may have guys winning 60 or 70 percent of their matches. When you have something like that, you have the ability to score a lot of points in dual and traditional settings. If things go the way we’re hoping, we have a chance to have a very good lineup.”
Ghobadpoor added, “I think we may be somewhat underrated or overlooked going into the year by some of the teams. That’s fine with us. The lower you put us, the better because we need to have a chip on our shoulder.”
Some of the teams Ghobadpoor predicts to be at the top of Class 4A are Woodward Academy, West Laurens, Central Carroll and Blessed Trinity.
“I expect us to be right there with everybody,” Ghobadpoor said. “A lot of it is going to come down to making sure we put our kids in good situations, know their strengths and weaknesses and make sure we know (opposing teams’) lineups. It’s going to be fun to watch for sure.”
GHS will also field a girls team for the second year in a row. Last year, just Candilaria Valesquez made it though the season, and she was rewarded by winning the first girls state championship in Georgia history.
Ghobadpoor believes they add a good dynamic and said, “We have 13 girls out. We had three last year and one stuck it out. That (Valesquez’s championship) has kind of set the tone. If we’re going to do this, lets make sure we try to get good athletes and have great kids out and teach them what they’re doing.
“They bring a good energy to the room because they’re not necessarily beaten down by years and years of wrestling. They’re new to it, they’re learning and you can see improvement on a daily basis. They have been a big plus for our program.”
Ghobadpoor will be assisted by Dr. Charles Higdon and Brent Berry. Joining the staff this season is Scott DeGraff.
Busy first weekend
The Bobcats attended two varsity tournaments last Saturday to begin their wrestling season and mostly faced teams in higher classifications.
At West Hall High School, 15 Bobcats entered the event, and 12 came away with placements in the top six of their respective weight classes.
A second group of GHS wrestlers made their way to Lassiter High, and Gilmer finished sixth as a team and had six placers.
In West Hall, Gilmer’s Caleb Waddell defeated the defending 182-pound Class 5A state champion 7-2 for first place. Teammates Logan Bentley (132) and Dylan Galloway (220) took first, as each claimed the first tournament title of their high school careers. Bobcat Gustavo Morales was the 113-pound champion.
Arturo Gonzales (106) was a runner-up, and Carson Bentley (120), Brock Sumner (145) and Diego Jacinto (160) all placed fourth.
Gilmer’s fifth-place finishers included Logan Ellis (152), David Lucas (170) and Sammy Tercero (285), while Bartolo Lopez (106) was sixth.
Team scores were not kept.
At Lassiter, Gilmer’s Lucas Lopez (132) and Owen Moss (285) finished second. Juan Rafael (106) was fourth, Carlos Lopez (182) took fifth, Miguel Jacinto (138) placed sixth and Zac Domingo (113) finished seventh.
Gilmer will host Murray and White counties Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. GHS will travel to Allatoona High Saturday for the Blackbeard Duals starting at 9 a.m.