Prep wrestling: It's goal time for area programs

The Georgia High School Association wrestling season will come to a close for everyone a little more than two weeks from now.

Starting today, area wrestlers will do their best to make sure it doesn�t happen any sooner than that.

As local programs head today to their respective area traditional tournaments, they�ll be taking the first step in the quest to qualify for state � all five classes will compete on Feb. 18-20 in Duluth � and hoping their individual performances can bring their teams some honors, too.

Here�s a look at what Dalton, Murray County and Northwest Whitfield are aiming for at the Area 7-4A traditional tournament and what North Murray and Southeast Whitfield are aiming for at the Area 6-3A traditional tournament.

Dalton

The Catamounts failed to defend their Area 7-4A duals title last month, finishing third at Woodland-Bartow behind Cass and the host Wildcats, but they might have reason to be more optimistic about repeating as traditional champs.

With a season of preparation and a little precious time having passed, Cats coach Charles Mitchell will have a full-strength lineup for the first time this year. With that in mind, he had little concern for whether or not the seeds would fall in his team�s favor when the brackets were drawn.

He just wants Dalton to worry about the match at hand � what he�s calling �the first step, not step eight or nine.�

�I�ve just took the approach of let�s put everything behind us,� Mitchell said. �I don�t care what happened last year or at area duals, our purpose now is going to be let�s be focused and do our best here at the end.�

Dalton had seven medalists at last year�s traditional, but four graduated. Christian Washington (125) and Reinaldo Torres (135) are both back, though, along with senior 130-pounder Henry Torres, the only local wrestler with the opportunity to repeat as an area champion.

And Mitchell believes they�re just three of 10 Cats with legitimate shots at finishing among the top four and earning a berth in next weekend�s Class 4A West sectional in Thomaston.

�I�m not worried about the physical aspect of it, I�m more concerned about our mental level of focus,� Mitchell said. �I think that�s what will separate us � if we can do that.�

Murray County

The Indians believe they deserve to be in the conversation if you�re talking about which teams have a shot at winning the Area 7-4A title.

However, with late-season injuries having thinned its lineup of some valuable experience, the margin for error is slimmer for Murray County � which expects to enter a wrestler in all but one of 14 weight classes � than some other teams in that discussion.

�Obviously, it�s a tough tournament and all that stuff,� Indians coach Chris Thornbury said. �But I was watching my team practice the other day and I couldn�t help but think, these guys are pretty dang good. I want my kids to battle. If they�ll battle, they�ll do just fine.�

Josh Webb (103), Dalton Lane (145), David Thornbury (171), Zac Dills (189) and D.J. Winters (285) all earned medals last season and should have a chance to do so again, while senior Andrew Baldwin (152) will also likely be among those Indians in the hunt for hardware.

The Indians can also look to their own precedence for success if they�re in need of motivation or confidence. Since 1992, they�ve finished first or second in their area traditional tourney 10 times and been at least fourth all but three of those seasons.

They were second last year, when they edged out area rival Northwest.

�I hope my kids want to win,� coach Thornbury said. �At Murray County, the guys in green singlets have never took a back seat to anybody. There�s no guarantee, but my guys will show up and battle and be in the mix.�

North Murray

The Mountaineers impressed their own coach by finishing with a winning dual record � they were 16-13 � in 2009-10, their first season on the mat.

Now Larry Cornelius, a former Murray County assistant who�s also leading the Mountaineers� football program, is allowing his wrestlers to focus a little more on themselves and individual accomplishments as the 6-3A traditional gets under way.

�I�ve seen some improvement out of our guys,� Cornelius said. �Our goal is to get five wrestlers to sectionals, but it�s going to be tough.�

That toughness won�t be unappreciated if they�re successful, though, because Cornelius has pinpointed this weekend as a chance for his program to �gain a little respect in the area� with the way they compete.

Cornelius considers Zach Penland (112), Seth Stainton (135) and Jackie Abernathy (140) good bets to finish among the top four in their weight classes, while Brandon Brock (103) and Justin Pack (160) might also have fair shots at stepping on the medal stand at Heritage-Catoosa High.

�Ninety percent of our team is right where they need to be, as far as mentally,� Cornelius said. �We have one or two kids who are great athletes, but you can�t just turn a switch, and the confidence isn�t there yet. Some guys just take a little longer.

�But I like the confidence we have. We�ve got a little chip on our shoulder because everyone tells us we�re young and we want to prove everyone wrong by facing that adversity.�

Northwest Whitfield

Veteran coach Allen Tucker hopes last weekend�s weather-induced break for his team � the Bruins were scheduled to compete at Pickens High�s Burnt Mountain Classic as a tuneup for the traditional postseason � will have a positive effect.

He probably doesn�t want to ponder the possibility of the unexpected rest taking his team in the other direction.

�Most of my kids have wrestled 30 matches,� Tucker said. �That�s kind of a small number, but in the process, we�re pretty healthy because of it. At the start of the year, we had one injury after another.�

Like Dalton, the Bruins should be stronger than ever this season, and at just the right time. But even when Northwest hasn�t had its best lineup, the one Tucker has put together has proven a tough task for opponents.

�I look at us, and we�ve been to five tournaments this year and we�ve finished near the top in all five,� Tucker said. �We�ve had some great finishes in the traditional stuff. In all those tournaments, we�ve been the 4A school that finishes the highest.�

Russell Royal (112) � who won a title at the prestigious McCallie Invitational in December � Andrew Bennett (119), Dustin Pendergrass (140), Conner Hayes (145), Josh Lewis (152) and Garrett Henderson (160) should lead the way for the Bruins, but Tucker believes Northwest wrestlers who don�t place can still be difference-makers.

�We�ve got to be a full team,� Tucker said. �Three kids in the finals is not going to get it done. No matter what happens that first day, you�ve got to come back and win some matches.�

Southeast Whitfield

You don�t have to tell Southeast coach Neil Nichols that his team has improved year to year in his three seasons leading the program, but the Raiders will have one of their best shots yet to hammer home that fact to a lot of other people at this year�s Area 6-3A traditional tournament.

While it may not match the depth of 7-4A, the field for 6-3A will feature some very tough teams in its uppermost tier and has a similar setup to 7-4A in that most schools have at least one wrestler who can do some damage to a bracket.

Showing up well despite that level of competition would help the Raiders add even more shine to a season that already includes their best-ever showing in postseason duals. They were fourth when they hosted 6-3A duals last month and could find themselves in that neighborhood again if they wrestle to their potential, Nichols believes.

�Team-wise, we could be in the top four or five,� he said.

Jeremy White (103), Mario Rodriguez (119), Nick Didonato (140), Andy Pichardo (145), Tanner Phipps (160), Jose Ortiz (215) and Cristian Perez (285) were all seeded for the tourney, with Rodriguez, Didonato, Pichardo and Perez drawing the No. 2 slots for their respective brackets.

Of those four, all but Rodriguez � a junior who�s competing at area traditional for the first time � finished third in 6-3A last season after losing in the semifinals.

�We�ve got five who I think stand a chance of qualifying,� Nichols said. �Two or three more could sneak in there and be surprises.�

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Site Map

Contact Us