By Marty Kirkland
Local wrestling coaches may not have an easy answer for which team is the favorite to win this year�s Area 7-4A traditional tournament, but they seem certain of this � whoever wins it won�t do so easily.
At last month�s Area 7-4A duals at Woodland-Bartow High, Cass beat the host Wildcats by two points in the championship. Dalton, which lost to Cass in the championship semifinals by a point, beat Rome by a point for third place. And in the second round, both Murray County and Northwest Whitfield were eliminated by losses of six or fewer points.
Local coaches believe those schools, all from the northern subdivision of Area 7-4A, could be in another tight race for the traditional title in the 15-team field when competition begins at 5 p.m. today at Allatoona High in Acworth.
�I think it will be just like (area duals),� Murray County coach Chris Thornbury said. �There are six or seven teams who have a legitimate shot. If you look at the dual scores, it tells you that you�ve got some really, really good teams that are pretty even and it will make it exciting stuff to watch.�
As Dalton, Murray County and Northwest head south to Allatoona, North Murray and Southeast Whitfield will make a shorter trip north to compete in the Area 6-3A traditional tournament, which starts at 6 p.m. today at Heritage-Catoosa High in Ringgold.
Both tournaments will continue on Saturday starting at 9 a.m., with finals projected to start at 4 p.m. for 6-3A and 5 p.m. for 7-4A. At least for the latter tourney, it may not be until all of those matches are finished that a clear winner is decided.
Dalton won last season�s traditional title with 196 points � the Catamounts had three champions among their seven medalists � while Murray County was second with 181 points and Northwest was third at 180, just 10 points ahead of Cass. An even closer call might be on the way in this year�s standings, and teams that aren�t in the fight for the team title could still figure into the decision.
�We�ve got a lot of teams in our area who are going to make it tough,� Dalton coach Charles Mitchell said. �Like North Paulding. They may not be a tough dual team, but they�ve got a couple tough guys. Allatoona�s not a real good dual team, but they�ve got four or five or six guys taking a spot from somebody.�
And in area traditional tourneys around the state, this weekend�s wrestling will be as much about individual accomplishments as those of teams.
The top four finishers in each of the 14 weight classes advance to next weekend�s sectional tournaments � the Class 3A West sectional will be held at Atlanta�s Riverwood High, while the Class 4A West sectional is at Upson-Lee High in Thomaston � where the top eight in each class move on to the state tournaments in Duluth on Feb. 18-20.
Taking that first step toward state will be difficult in area tournaments in Northwest Georgia, though.
When reached earlier this week, no local coaches appeared excited about the debate anticipated at their respective meetings to seed wrestlers for the tourney. That was both because of the amount of talent in most weight classes and the fact that some teams could be springing late changes to their lineups as wrestlers who have followed the Georgia High School Association�s prescribed weight management program are finally cleared to wrestle in a desired class.
And once those brackets are drawn, those local coaches� wrestlers face no easier prospect in moving through, regardless of their seeds.
�Well, you look at it and there�s seven quality wrestlers at 171,� Thornbury said. �Three ain�t going (to sectionals). It�s the same thing at 152. And I�m sure there are other weights that if the kids are where we think they�re going to be, it�s going to be tough.�
Maintaining confidence even in a tough field will be crucial, though. Northwest coach Allen Tucker, who led the Bruins to back-to-back 7-4A traditional titles before Dalton�s win last season, said he�s emphasized to his wrestlers the importance of not getting discouraged even if a loss sends them into the loser�s bracket.
�I think it will be won in the wrestlebacks,� Tucker said. �Those six teams (expected to compete for the title) are all going to have anywhere from two to four kids in the finals, but it�s what those kids in the wrestlebacks do that will determine who wins the area.�
Neither North Murray nor Southeast are likely contenders for the 6-3A traditional title, a fight likely left to LaFayette and Heritage, last year�s champion and runner-up, but that doesn�t mean the Mountaineers and Raiders don�t have goals at the 11-team tourney.
North Murray coach Larry Cornelius hasn�t had a chance to expose his first-year team to many traditional tournaments, but the Mountaineers � who went 16-13 overall in duals this season, their first on the mat � are looking for something more than simply experience from this weekend after going 1-2 at Area 6-3A duals last month.
�The biggest thing we want to gain is a little respect in the area by wrestling hard,� Cornelius said.
Three years of progress under Neil Nichols have been especially noticeable in the second half of this season for Southeast. The Raiders finished fourth at Area 6-3A duals behind LaFayette, Heritage and Carrollton and had four medalists two weeks ago at the Murray Invitational, where 6-3A foes Heritage, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold were among the competition.
Nichols said finishing in the top four or five in team standings is a legitimate goal for the Raiders. The coach expects to have at least five wrestlers advance to sectionals, with the possibility of �two or three more who could sneak in there,� he said.
�I think we�ve wrestled the best we�ve ever wrestled over the last few weeks,� Nichols said.
