The Gilmer High School Bobcats wrestling team recently completed a sweep of the State Duals Tournament in route to 14th State Championship. The “Cats” clobbered the competition winning by a combined 151 points in the tournament for an average margin of victory of 38. The Finals featured an Area 7-AAAA Duals Finals rematch, as Gilmer again faced Northwest Whitfield, bashing the Bruins 52-13.The first round win over Eastside was truly significant as head coach, Sam Snider, procured his 500th win as the Bobcats coach. The Bobcats lead 40-0 before Eastside ever led in an individual match.
Jake Parker began the Dual with a pin an 11-7 minor win at 195, followed by a Luis Estaban first period pin at 220 that put the Bobcats up 9-0. Successive first period pins from Levi Seabolt (Heavyweight), Domingo Reynoso (106) and Trevor Preece (113) gave Gilmer a 27-0 lead.
Marcelino Lopez’s minor win at 120 followed by Alberto Perez’s major win at 126 put Gilmer up 34-0. Ethan Teague’s pin at 132 pushed the lead to 40-0.
Losses at 145 and 152 cut the Gilmer lead to 30, 40-10; however, Jordan Caviness scored a pin at 152 to put the Bobcats up 46-10. Enrique Jacinto scored a major win at 160, before a loss at 170 gave Eastside six more points. Freshman, Dawson Jenkins, finished with a Bobcats pin at 182 for a final score of 56-15. Eastside lost a team point due to an equipment violation.
After the victory Snider spoke about his 500th victory as the Bobcats coach and the path to a 14th title.
500th Win Highlights
The second round saw Gilmer dismantle Troup County despite the Tigers battling to an early 12-12 tie. The tide turned after Peerce’s 14-4 major victory, which started a 10 match streak that ended with Gilmer winning 55-12.
The semifinals saw the Bobcats face the Marist Eagles. The Bobcats may have had the most dominant performance of the weekend versus the Eagles, as Marist failed to score a match point until the fourth match. The Bobcats again jumped out to big lead, 40-0, before Marist scored its first team point, and that was after the Bobcats backups began wrestling. The Bobcats clipped the Eagles wings 46-18 to move on to a Finals match up with Northwest Whitfield.
As with most of the teams Gilmer faced in the tournament, the Bruins got bested early, as the “Cats” climbed to a 37-0 lead before Northwest scored a team point. Gilmer cruised to 52-13 victory and with a 14th State Championship.
Afterwards Sam Snider, and his son, assistant coach, Josh Snider, spoke with FYN about winning yet another wrestling championship.