Six Gilmer youth wrestlers placed at the Kids State Tournament, and two returned home as state champions.
Members of the Gilmer Bobcat Wrestling Club attended the event in Perry last Saturday and Sunday. The “big kids” portion was held Saturday for 14- and 12-under aged wrestlers.
The “little kids” took the mat Sunday in the 6U, 8U and 10U age divisions.
Gilmer’s finalists from Sunday included 10U’s Isaiah Goodwin (100 pounds) and 8U’s Parker Settel (100). They both competed in four-man brackets and were crowned state champions.
Settel won 7-0 in the semifinals and earned a 3-2 finals victory to secure his title. Goodwin picked up a 4-0 triumph in the semifinals before a 2-0 championship win.
Advancing to the finals a day prior was Gilmer’s 14U Bregan Berry at 90 pounds. He posted a 2-1 record and dropped the title match, 8-2. He earned wins of 4-0 and 11-7 on his way to a runner-up placement.
Carson Farist wrestled in the 95-pound weight class in the 14U age division. He posted a 4-1 record and finished third. Following wins of 9-2 and 2-0, Farist was defeated in the semifinals, 18-3. He secured a 7-0 win before a 6-0 victory in the consolation finals.
Dawson Duncan placed third in 8U’s 42-pound division. Following a 4-3 win, he lost in the semifinals, 7-0. Duncan earned his third-place medal with a 10-5 victory in the consolation finals.
Gilmer’s Keigan Brookshire (8U, 73 pounds) placed fifth. He notched a 2-0 win and lost by the same margin in the semifinals. He was defeated 9-0 in the consolation bracket and victorious by pin in his last match.
Bobcat David Tercero placed sixth in 14U’s 150-pound weight class. He began the tournament with a 6-0 win before a loss by pin sent him to the consolation bracket. Wins of 10-0 and 6-2 advanced Tercero to the consolation semifinals where he lost, 4-2. He closed out the tournament with a loss of 4-1.
Girls state
The middle school girls state tournament was held a week prior, and Gilmer finished second as a team and had six placers.
Queyli Solis posted a 1-2 record and finished third in the 128-137 pound weight class. Taylor Scheisser (195) was third as well and 1-2 at the event.
Fourth-place finishers included Carmela Sanchez (120), Felisha Yarborough (128-137) and Sarai Solis (105).
A round-robin format was used, and both Sanchez and Solis were 1-3 while Yarborough finished 0-3. Lasha Young had a 0-5 record and placed sixth at 155-175 pounds.