Bobcats Beat Back Competition Win 14th State Championship Title

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.

Sam Snider Interview

Josh Snider Interview

Championship Run Highlights