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Ollie Weiland (left) won the 112-pound title at the sectionals. Sidney Sullens (right) posted three pins on the way to the 152-pound sectional title.
After two long days of wrestling, the White County Warriors are sending seven wrestlers to the GHSA State Wrestling Championships this weekend in Macon.
The Warriors contingent includes five wrestlers in the Class AAA tournament, and a pair of wrestlers in the All-Classification Girls state tournament.
The WCHS earned the state spots during the state sectionals last weekend in Dahlonega.
The Class AAA tournament kicks off on Thursday at 9.m., with 12 wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes.
All of the opening round through the semifinals will be contested on Thursday, with the state championship matches and consolation finals set for Friday at 6 p.m.
The Class AAA/AAAA girls state tournament begins Friday at 1 p.m. with opening round matches through the semifinals on the schedule. The state championship matches and consolation finals set for Saturday at 10 a.m.
Over two days, Lumpkin County High School hosted the Class AAA B sectional, along with the Class AAAA A sectional, and the Class AAA/AAAA Girl's sectional.
The event started Friday afternoon and wrapped up last Saturday afternoon.
The Class AAA sectional had wrestlers from 22 schools around the state, with AAAA tournament featuring wrestlers from 21 schools. The girl's section consisted of wrestlers from 54 different programs.
“The number I heard was 864 wrestlers, with the girls and (Class) 4A,” WCHS head coach Patrick Lowendick said. “There was a lot of wrestling that went down Friday night and all day Saturday. There were a lot of matches, and a lot of really good matches. The caliber of matches that will decide state championships and state placers this week (in Macon).”
WCHS had a pair of sectional champions on the girl's side with Sidney Sullens and Ollie Weiland winning their respective weight classes. For the boy's, Devin Lightsey, Isiah Whitlow, Cayden Autry, Christian Kehely and JD Trowell all cashed in a ticket for the state tournament.
“If you made it through this sectional, you have a pretty good chance of doing well this weekend,” Lowendick said.
Lowendick said having having three different sectionals in the same building wasn't exactly ideal for the teams involved, considering the other Class AAA sectional was a one-day event, held at the LakePoint facility near Cartersville.
“The guys in the other sectional only had to wrestle one day,” Lowendick said. “How is that fair? We had to weigh-in twice and we lost a guy (Saturday morning) that would have made it through to state. You can't tell me that's a fair way to do it. It should be apples to apples when you compare the two sectionals.”
AAA/AAAA
Girl's sectional
Sullens, the 2021 Girl's All-Classification 152-pound champion, earned a shot at another state title by winning the sectional tournament, and she will be joined by Weiland, a freshman that made a big splash by winning the 112-pound sectional title.
“We got both of girls through, and they both won their weight class,” Lowendick said. “It was a great day for Sidney and Ollie.”
Sullens had no problems winning the 152-pound class, posting three consecutive pins on the way to the sectional title. Lowendick expects Sullens to be one of the favorites this weekend as she goes for her second state title.
Sullens (24-11) has yet to lose to a girl this season, and she continued that trend Saturday in Dahlonega.
She opened the morning session in the 152-pound division with a pin of Dougherty's Fatima Ba, needing only 30 seconds to end the match.
In the semifinals, Sullens made quick work of Arabia Mountain's Charity Floyd, wrapping up the match at the 1:12-mark with a pin.
Sullens saved her best for the last she needed only 21 seconds to win the title match, putting Gilmer's Hannah Mayo on her back in the opening seconds and finishing things with her third pin of the day.
“Sidney did what she usually does; she bulled her way through it,” Lowendick said. “She wrestled really well and just rolled through the sectional. There are some good girls in the state tournament, and she knows there are some girls that are pretty darn good that she hasn't seen this season. She just has to take it one match at a time and not look ahead. There will be some competition in the (state) bracket, and that's why wrestle.”
Sullens opens the state tournament Friday, taking on Burke County's Aaliyah Walker in the first round.
In the 112-pound division, Weiland methodically made her way through the field, winning three matches, all by major decision.
Weiland received a forfeit in the first round, and then stepped on the mat in the quarterfinals and posted a 12-1 win over Gilmer's Leticia Tercero. In the semifinals,Weiland seized control in the opening period and never allowed Chestatee's Andrea Espinoza to scored, posting an 8-0 win.
In the championship match, Weiland followed the same game plan, scoring early and often on the way to a 14-8 win over North Oconee's Bella Mingledorff.
Weiland takes on Putnm County's Lily Frisch in the state opener.
“Ollie wrestled absolutely great,” Lowendick said. “She was seeded fifth or sixth, and she really hadn't wrestle at this weight during the season. She put on a technical clinic; she won all three of her matches by major decision and she has positioned herself to make a run this weekend. Winning the sectional and the way she wrestled tells me she will be in the mix for the podium. This was a good confidence builder for her going into the state tournament.”
Class AAA
Boy's sectional
The Warriors took 13 wrestlers to the state sectional, getting five through to the state finals.
Trowell led the way with a 3rd place finish, while Lightsey and Autry finished fourth, and Whitlow and Kehely were fifth.
“We got five guys through, and maybe could have had eight, but in this sectional, any little slip up can end your season,” Lowendick said.
Trowell was one of three Warriors to advance to the semifinals after he posted back-to-back dominant pins over Greater Atlanta Christian's Zachary Berry (38 seconds) and North Murray's Case Glover (25 seconds).
In the 285-pound semifinals, Trowell ran into Rockmart's Jase Davis, the 2021 third-place finisher in the weight class. Davis hit a move early in the first period and pinned Trowell, ending his hopes of a sectional title.
“For a heavyweight, you just can't make a mistake, and he did in the match with Rockmart,” Lowendick said. “That just comes with experience. JD has only been wrestling for a year and a half. Losing that match might be a blessing in disguise. We just have to come up with a plan and execute it. The kid from Rockmart finished third last year, and he's probably the front runner for the state title. The 285-pound division might be the deepest weight in Class AAA. All of these guys are pretty darn good, so whoever comes out on top, they will have earned it.”
Trowell bounced back to win the next two matches and earn the third-place spot. He pinned Adairsville's Luke Story at the 2:43 mark, and the captured the consolation final with a pin of Murray County's Eli Hope at the 4:38 mark of the match.
Trowell will take on Windsor Forest's Kylon Daniels in the opening round fo the state tournament.
Lightsey earned a state spot in his high school debut, finishing fourth in the 106-pound division.
He opened the sectional tournament with a first period pin of Dawson County's Noah Smith, and then pinned Westminster's Brian Schaeffer in 64 seconds to earn a spot in the semifinals. He dropped a 9-3 decision to Gilmer's Juan Rafael in the semifinals, but bounced back to pin Pike County's Aiden Stanley in the third period of the consolation semifinals. Murray County's Landon Banks won the third-place match over Lightsey with a 13-7 decision.
“Devin was pretty good both days,” Lowendick said. “He was very aggressive and physical. He had to fight and battle in some matches during the sectional, so that was good for him. The 106-pound division is very deep (at state), but I think he will be in the mix for the podium this week.”
Lightsey will face East Jackson's Charlie Wheeler in the opening round of the state tournament.
Autry earned a fourth place finish in the 120-pound class, posting a 3-2 record. After getting a bye, Autry dropped a match to fall into the consolation bracket.
Autry strung together three consecutive wins and earned a spot in the consolation finals.
Autry pinned Peach County's Kollin Miller in 45 seconds, and then pinned Upson-Lee's Scotty Nix at the 1:35-mark of the first period. In the consolation semifinals, Autry needed just over a minute to pin North Murray's Brock Bennett. In the consolation finals, Gilmer's Arturo Gonzalez won a tight battle, taking a 4-0 decision over Autry.
“I think all six placers (at state) might come from our sectional, so Cayden is in the mix,” Lowendick said. “He was at Macon last year, won a match, so he knows what to expect. Cayden's been on a mission since Christmas; I think his only losses since Christmas were this weekend, so we expect some good things out of him this week. He's hungry and he wants it.”
Autry will face Appling County's Brax Carter in the first round of state action.
Kehely earned his first trip to Macon with a fifth place finish in the 145-pound division.
Kehely won in overtime by sudden victory in the opening match against Westminster's Spencer Gordon, and recorded a 13-6 win over Gilmer's Frisly Ambrosio to move into the semifinals.
He dropped back-to-back matches to Pike County's Gage Lee and Adairsville's Jamori Speights, before closing things out with a 7-1 win in a rematch with Ambrosio to earn the fifth-place spot.
“Christian is in a similar spot to Cayden,” Lowendick said. “I think most of the (state) places will come from our sectional. Christian had a great weekend. He wrestled three of his best technical matches he's wrestled all year. He's started to realize he can compete with anybody in the state, so he's got some confidence going into state. It's his first time in Macon, but I don't think the moment will be too big for him.”
Kehely takes on East Jackson's Juan Zavala in the opening round of the state tournament.
At 113 pounds, Whitlow won three matches during the weekend to earn a fifth place finish. Whitlow is making his second straight trip to the Class AAA tournament, taking on Hart County's Harrison Krause.
Whitlow pinned Murray County's German Domingo in the opening, but was knocked into the consolation bracket with a loss to Upson-Lee's Russel Kaczmark.
After a bye, Whitlow posted a second period pin over Pike County's Jack Bell, but was beaten by North Hall's Matthew Lee in the consolation semifinals. In the fifth place match, Whitlow took early command of the match with Greater Atlanta Christian's Wyatt Davis, earning a pin at the 1:18 mark.
“Isiah lost a tough in the second round, but he bounced back and battled his way through it,” Lowendick said. “I think he's got a chance to get on the podium this week. He made it to Macon last year, so he understands what this week is about. He can take that experience from last year and lean on this week.”
Kane Lowery finished seventh at 160 pounds and is an alternate for the state tournament. Lowery went 3-2, beating East Forsyth's Britton Daniel (pin), Westminster's Chase Cha (pin) and Rockmart's Skylar Edwards (technical fall).
Jeb Robinson, Mason Autry, Jon Scott, Tyler Autry, ad Trenton O'Kelly all posted a win during the tournament, with Ashton Pickett and Jacob Besiterfield rounding out the Warrior contingent.