Waddell wins title, 11 other Gilmer wrestlers place at state
GHS Wrestling, Team FYN Sports February 18, 2020
The Gilmer Bobcats wrestling team had a strong showing at the Georgia High School Association Traditional State Wrestling Tournament held Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Centreplex in Macon.
As a team, the Bobcats had 10 of 11 boys and two of seven girls finish as state placers. As a whole, Gilmer placed second as a team in Class 4A with 151.5 points, just shy of team-champion Woodward Academy’s 177 points.
Caleb Waddell, a senior, won his second-straight state title at 170 pounds. Waddell won his first three matches by pin before winning the title with a 16-2 decision. In the first round, Waddell won at 1 minute, 36 seconds, before winning the second round in 24 seconds and the third round in 1 minute flat.
On the girls side, Francisa Lopez placed second at 162 pounds after earning a spot in the finals with a pin at 3:35 in the semifinals.
Two wrestlers placed third for Gilmer: senior Lucas Lopez at 120 pounds and junior Brock Sumner at 132 pounds.
Lopez earned the right to wrestler for third place by winning his consolation match by a 3-1 decision, while Sumner earned his spot after winning his consolation match by a 4-3 decision.
Two boys and one girl placed fourth for the Bobcats: Karina Montoya-Gonzalez at 152 pounds, sophomore Dylan Galloway at 195 pounds, and sophomore Jacob Cruz at 285 pounds.
The team saw three boys place fifth in the state tournament: senior Gustavo Morales at 106 pounds, freshman Diego Jacinto at 138 pounds, and junior Samuel Tercero at 220 pounds.
Rounding out the state placers for Gilmer were sophomore Miguel Jacinto at 126 pounds and junior Abel Jacinto at 160 pounds. Both wrestlers came in sixth in their respective weight classes.
The state tournament brings to an end a very successful wrestling season for the Gilmer Bobcats.
Bobcats wrestling has 13 qualify for sectional tourney
GHS Wrestling, Team FYN Sports February 2, 2020
The Gilmer High Bobcats wrestling squad had eight win region championships and 13 qualify for sectionals at the 2020 Region 6-4A traditional tournament Saturday, Feb. 1, at Pickens High in Jasper.
Senior Caleb Waddell, who has multiple Division-I offers, led the way for the Bobcats. Waddell was the top seed in the 170-pound bracket, earning him a bye in the first round. He defeated No. 4 seed Bradey Ensley from Southeast Whitfield Co. by pin at 1:20 in the second round, then defeated James Seay from Northwest Whitfield by pin at 40 seconds to win the region title. Waddell is the defending state champion at 170 pounds.
At 106 pounds, Gustavo Morales brought home the region championship to Ellijay. Morales, a senior, was the No. 1 seed in the bracket. He defeated Esteban Chavarria from Southeast Whitfield Co. by pin at 2:36 in the second round, then defeated Tate Thomas from Heritage by pin at 1:28 to win the title.
Lucas Lopez, a senior, won the 120-pound title for the Bobcats. Lopez was the top seed in the bracket. He defeated Elijah Langston from Ridgeland by pin at 2:42 in the second round before taking down Riso Webb from Southeast Whitfield Co. by a 2-1 score to win the championship.
Junior Brock Sumner won the 132-pound title for the Bobcats. The top seed, Sumner defeated Garrett Pennington from Heritage in the second round by pin at 4:40, then defeated Avery Sullivan from LaFayette by a score of 6-2 to win the title.
Diago Jacinto, a freshman, was the top seed in the 138-pound bracket and won the title for Gilmer. Jacinto defeated Garrett Romans from Ridgeland by a 6-3 score in the second round, before winning the championship 6-4 against Manny Barreiro from Northwest Whitfield.
Junior Abel Jacinto brought home the title in the 160-pound class. As the No. 1 seed, Jacinto defeated Ethan Morgan from Ridgeland 14-4 in the second round, before defeating Jordan McCamish of Northwest Whitfield 3-2 to win the region title.
In the 220-pound class, No. 1 seed Samuel Tercero, a junior, defeated Kaleb Nicholson of Pickens 3-2 in the second round and David Patterson from LaFayette by pin at the three-minute mark to win the title.
Second seed Jacob Cruz, a sophomore, brought home the region title. He defeated Eli Rittenberry of Pickens by pin at 1:04 in the first round, Freddie Ambriz of Southeast Whitfield Co. by pin at 2:40 in the second round, and No. 1 seed Matthew Wallin of LaFayette by a score of 4-0 in the title match.
Junior Walter Lopez placed second in the 113-pound division as the No. 2 seed. Lopez defeated Cyrek Johnson of LaFayette in the second round, 7-1, before falling to No. 1 seed Victor Pineda of Northwest Whitfield by a score of 10-3 in the title match.
At 182 pounds, senior Mike Owens place second for Gilmer. The No. 2 seed, Owens defeated Daiman Banta of Northwest Whitfield 10-6 in the second round before falling to No. 1 seed Drake Parker of Heritage in the title match by pin at 1:35.
Miguel Jacinto, a sophomore, placed third at 126 pounds. After winning his first-round match against Joshua Hernandez of LaFayette by pin at 1:30, Jacinto fell in the second round to No. 2 seed Aiden Raymer of Ridgeland by pin at 2:30. In the third-place bracket, Jacinto defeated Ashton Pruitt of Southeast Whitfield by pin at 1:40, before defeating James Buck of Northwest Whitfield by pin at 4:43 to place third.
Freshman Hunter Brown placed third at 145-pound for Gilmer. Brown, the No. 5 seed, defeated Christian Merrill of Heritage 17-0 in the first round before falling to top-seeded Trenton Miller of Northwest Whitfield in the second round by pin. In the third-place bracket, Brown defeated Nate Davis of Pickens by a score of 6-4 to place third.
At 195 pounds, sophomore Dylan Galloway placed third for the Bobcats. Galloway, the No 2 seed, fell to Dalton Brunner of Pickens in the second round by a 5-3 score. In the third-place bracket, Galloway defeated Daniel Gonzalez of Southeast Whitfield Co. with a pin in 19 seconds, before taking down Alex Eacret of Heritage by pin at 2:21 to place third.
At 152 pounds, sophomore Domingo Escabor placed fifth for Gilmer.
The top four finishers from the region match will go on to wrestle in the sectional match, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7 and 8, at Lanier High in Buford.
There are two sectionals for the entire state, with the top eight wrestlers from each schedule meeting at the state tournament in a 16-person bracket to determine the state champion.
Weigh-ins for the sectional tournament are set to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday morning.
Gilmer Bobcats wrestlers set for Region 6-4A tournament
GHS Wrestling, Team FYN Sports January 31, 2020
With the Region 6-4A traditional tournament set to kick off at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Feb. 1, at Pickens High in Jasper, the Gilmer wrestling team comes in as the favorite in most weight classes.
The Gilmer Bobcats wrestling program is led by Josh Ghobadpoor (center).
Head coach Josh Ghobadpoor is in his third year at the helm of the traditional wrestling powerhouse Bobcats, who have been in the state dual finals for 11-straight seasons, losing this year to Woodward.
As a dual unit, the Bobcats went 26-3 on the season, with losses to Class 5A Woodland, Class 6A Cleveland from Tennessee, and the state finals loss to Woodward.
The Bobcats have won dual state championships and traditional state championships a total of 17 times, and hope this is the year they get back in the winner’s circle.
At 106 pounds, senior Gustavo Morales goes into the region tournament as the No. 1 seed in his weight class.
At 113 pounds, No. 2-seed Walter Lopez is coming off a state qualifier appearance in 2019.
At 120 pounds, senior Lucas Lopez is the No. 1 seed and Ghobadpoor said he is an “outstanding” wrestling and one of the captains of the squad. The coach also said Lopez has been contacted by collegiate wrestling programs.
At 126 pounds, sophomore Miguel Jaciento is the third seed. Ghobadpoor said the weight class is “one of the two toughest in the region.”
At 132 pounds, Brock Sumner, a senior, is the top seed and looks to be in position to qualify for the state tournament, according to Ghobadpoor.
The 2019-20 Gilmer Bobcats wrestling program finished as the Class 4A runners up at the state dual tournament.
At 138 pounds, Diego Jaciento, just a freshman, is the top seed. He is coming off finishing as the runner up in the kids state championship last season as an eighth grader.
At 145 pounds, Hunter Brown is the fifth seed in just his freshman year. Ghobadpoor described Brown as “tough” and capable of pulling an upset to move on to the sectionals next week.
At 152 pounds, sophomore Domingo Escobar goes into the tournament as the No. 6 seed. Ghobadpoor said he will “battle. He’s a fighter and a hard worker.”
At 160 pounds, junior and top see Abel Jaciento is looking to get back to the sectionals, where he has qualified to reach in the past. Ghobadpoor said Jaciento is 29-8 on the season and has already defeated the 2019 state champion in the weight class.
At 170 pounds is the top seeded senior Caleb Waddell, who is the defending Class 4A state champion in the weight class. Waddell has offers already on the table from some top Division-I programs and should be able to earn his ticket back to the state tournament.
At 182 pounds, Mike Owens, a senior, is the second seed heading into the region tournament.
At 195 pounds, Dillon Galloway, a sophomore, is the No. 2 seed in what Ghobadpoor said is “probably the toughest weight class in the region.”
At 220 pounds, Samuel Tercero is the top seed as a junior. “He’s a really tough kid. He’s already beaten the other seeded wrestlers in the bracket this season,” Ghobadpoor said. Tercero missed the state tournament by just one match last season.
At 285, Jacob Cruz, a sophomore, is the No. 2 seed. He went 4-0 in the state dual finals. “He’s got a different style than most heavyweights. He likes to move around,” Ghobadpoor said.
The top four finishers in each weight class at the Region 6-4A tournament will move on to sectionals.
The sectional tournament is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8, at Lanier High in Buford.
There are two sectional tournaments covering the entire state. The top eight finishers from each sectional move on to the state tournament, where a 16-member bracket decides the state champion.
The state traditional wrestling championships are scheduled for Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Centreplex in Macon.
Gilmer wrestling sees 10 boys, five girls guarantee state spots
GHS Wrestling, Team FYN Sports February 9, 2020
Ten members of the Gilmer boys wrestling team are earned spots as guaranteed qualifiers for the state tournament at the Class 4A A Sectional Tournament on Feb. 7-8 at Lanier High in Sugar Hill.
The Bobcats had two wrestlers take the top overall spot in the tournament.
At 132 pounds, Brock Sumner placed first after winning four matches by decision. In the first round, Sumner won 12-9; in the quarterfinals, Sumner won 4-1; in the semifinals, Sumner won 6-2; and he rounded out the tournament by winning the final match by a 2-0 decision.
Caleb Waddell, defending 170-pound state champion, took first place in the same weight class. Waddell won matches by pin, including winning the quarterfinal match in 32 seconds and the final match by 1 minute, 3 seconds.
Three wrestlers placed second for the Bobcats.
At 120 pounds, Lucas Lopez won his quarterfinal match by pin at 2:49 after a first-round bye. He then won his semifinal match before falling in the finals.
Diego Jacinto, at 138 pounds, placed second after winning his quarterfinal match by a 3-2 decision and the semifinal match by pin at 4:53.
In the heavyweight division, Jacob Cruz placed second at 285 pounds. Cruz, who had a first-round bye, won his quarterfinal match by pin at 1:13 and his semifinal match by pin at 5:27.
Five members of the Gilmer wrestling squad placed third at the sectional tournament to earn a spot in the state tournament.
Gustavo Morales, in the 106-pound bracket, won his first match by pin at 1:12 before falling in his second. In the consolation bracket, Morales won four straight matches, including a win by a 9-3 decision, a win by pin at 2:13, and a win by pin in 14 seconds to place third.
At 113 pounds, Walter Lopez won his first three matches, the first by a 5-2 decision, the second by pin at 1:06, and the third by pin at 4:47, before falling in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, Lopez won by pin at 31 seconds and pin at 3:25 to place third.
Abel Jacinto, at 160 pounds, also placed third. He won his first two matches by pin at 3:12 and a 5-1 decision before losing. In the consolation bracket, he won by a 3-1 decision and a 6-3 decision to take third.
Dylan Galloway, at 195 pounds, won his first two matches by pin before falling and heading to the consolation bracket. There, he won by pin at 1:45 and pin at 3:25 to place third.
Finally, Samuel Tercero, at 220 pounds, also placed third. After a first-round bye, Tercero won his quarterfinal match by pin at 3:18 before falling in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, Tercero won by a 6-2 decision before winning the third-place match.
For the Gilmer girls wrestling squad, three members placed first, two placed second, three placed third, one placed fourth, and one placed fifth at the sectional tournament.
In the 112-A bracket, Laura Tercero took home first place, while in the 162-pound bracket, Francisca Lopez also placed first. At 152 pounds, Karina Montaya-Gonzale placed first.
Hannah Mayo, at 142 pounds, placed second in the tournament, as did Maribel Perez-Lopez at 197 pounds.
At 132 pounds, Anna Waddell placed third, while Noemi Torres did the same at 152 pounds and Claudia Zilke followed suite at 172 pounds.
In the 122-A bracket, Ange Davis came in fourth, while Valley Wofford placed fifth in the 102-pound bracket.
The top-two finishers at each girls weight class punched a ticket to the state wrestling tournament, meaning Laura Tercero, Mayo, Montaya-Gonzale, Francisca Lopez, and Perez-Lopez will be wrestling for state titles.
The state wrestling tournament is set for Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Centreplex in Macon.
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Community January 17, 2019
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BOC says Wrestling Capital “is what you’ve earned”
Bobcat's Corner, News September 17, 2018
ELLIJAY, Ga – The Gilmer County Board of Commissioners are moving forward with plans to seek state recognition of the school system’s major success in the wrestling world with a proclamation of Gilmer as the State Wrestling Capital.
Parents and Coaches filled the Commissioner’s conference room on Wednesday, September 12, to ask the board for a sign at the county line claiming Gilmer as the wrestling capital of the state in honor of the 17 state titles the county has brought home in the sport.
Coach Mark Waddell spoke first for citizens in the work session saying that what Gilmer has accomplished is “pretty unprecedented.” Noting the 17 team state titles, he said that these were only the team’s titles, not individuals.
As each student practices and becomes part of the team, several parents noted in the work session that their kids have become entirely different people. From the discipline to the camaraderie and the inclusion of faith into the program, many of those present threw support behind the idea, lauding the coaches who have done so much and pushed these athletes to accomplish even more.
One parent even said, “They carry themselves differently.” The changes the students go through during the program was constantly repeated emphasizing its importance to them.
Coaches, Parents, and Students all attended the BOC Meeting in September to show how meaningful that state recognition is to the community.
Waddell asked for the support of the Commissioners in placing a sign to highlight the 17 combined titles. He noted that part of the success is that it is a singular program. It doesn’t individualize the middle school, the youth, and the high school. With the whole program on track to a singular vision, the success follows with the students accomplishing everything they can.
Coach Sam Snider also spoke about the program’s state recognition sharing stories about the numerous times that Speaker David Ralston brought Gilmer Wrestling to the capital to highlight their championships. Students from Gilmer are spreading across the country, Snider pointed to those who wrestle on scholarships in college and others who use what the program teaches to further their careers in other areas.
Honoring their success, these and other coaches want to highlight the students with a sign acknowledging them. As Snider said, “A sign that says Gilmer County has accomplished this rewards success.”
Coaches weren’t the only ones pushing for recognition of these students as several parents were present at the Work Session. Some spoke of the program’s influence, but Jim Fox emotionally recalled one of the parades they held for winning the state championship, “The memory I have is right across the square during the parade. People were coming out on the sidewalks from the different stores. And out of the city barbershop comes a man with shaving cream on half of his face and a bib trailing behind him… We were escorting all the trucks down the road and I got a view of the sunrise, the flags, and people cheering and wondering what was going on. They were coming out of the store saying, ‘Why is traffic stopped?'”
Fox continued saying that they were explaining that they were celebrating the young people involved in the state wrestling title when he was asked, “Gilmer County won a state wrestling title?”
Fox says he replied, “No, they won two.”
Gilmer Wrestler, Thomas Chastain speaks to the Commissioners about the wrestling program and what it means to him.
No less emotion came to the Commissioners Regular Meeting when coaches returned with part of the wrestling team. This time, though, it wasn’t parents or coaches to share what the program meant. It was a wrestler, Thomas Chastain, who stood before the Commissioners saying, “It helps everybody grow as a team. Most people don’t think wrestling is a team sport, but it is because you all have to work together to get a team score to get first. Not just one person can get first in duals.”
Addressing the request for a sign calling Gilmer the capital, Post Commissioner Travis Crouch said the state would only give the county one state-level recognized “capital” sign. Though that didn’t stop the board from planning to seek state-level recognition without the sign.
Additionally, Crouch brought up an older discussion that the county seek a county-owned sign at the line recognizing the Wrestling Capital among other things.
Gilmer County Commission Chairman Charlie Paris noted that an electronic sign of substantially larger size than requested was something the county could feasibly look at next year as they move forward seeking the state’s recognition as well. Engaging in talks with Speaker Ralston, they hope to have the item in the legislative session early next year.
In the last few moments of discussion during their regular meeting, one of the coaches offered his deepest thanks to the commissioners for listening and for what they do.
Paris responded by saying, “This is not so much something that we are doing as it is something that ya’ll have earned.”
And with that, an unanimous decision was made to move forward with both options.
Daddy/Daughter Dinner & Dance fundraiser for Clear Creek Middle School wrestling
Bobcat's Corner February 16, 2018
Daddy/Daughter Dinner & Dance Fundraiser for CCMS Wrestling
When: March 17, 2018 at 6 p.m.
Where: Agricultural Center at Clear Creek Middle School
Cost: $25 per couple, $5 for each additional daughter
Cost includes: Dinner, flower for each daughter, and picture
Dinner will include: Barbecue, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, green beans, roll, and dessert
If you wish to purchase a ticket, please contact Michelle Bentley at Chick-Fil-A, Monica Berry at Huff’s Drug Store or Melissa Galloway at Clear Creek Middle School.
Bobcats Wrestling Recognized By B.O.E.
Team FYN Sports March 26, 2018
The Gilmer Co. Board of Education recognized the Gilmer High School wrestling team for an outstanding season on Thursday. Bobcat wrestling was first on the agenda with Coach Josh Ghobadpoor thanking Dr. Wilkes and the entire board for doing all they do for the schools in Gilmer Co. Coach Ghobad, as he is commonly called by his team, brought to the forefront that the accomplishments for Gilmer wrestling this season once again followed the continued winning tradition the program is known for.
The 2018 season saw the Bobcats win 1st place in Traditional Duels and Area Duels with a Runner Up in State Duals falling just short of a strong Jefferson Dragons team. On the individual level, the Bobcats had 12 athletes qualify for the GHSA State Tournament with 6 of those placing and bringing home the hardware. All Bobcats performed well in the state tournament with Tristan Kendall(126 lbs) placing 4th, Alex Repetun(138 lbs) placing 6th, Caleb Waddell(152 lbs) placing 2nd, Grant Ledford(160 lbs) placing 6th, Ryan Crump(182 lbs) placing 3rd and Anthony Zilke(285 lbs) placing 3rd.
Congratulations to the 2017-2018 Bobcats on a great wrestling season!
See the video of these Bobcats being highlighted below:
Snow Sprawl: Burnt Mountain Classic turnout better than expected
Team FYN Sports January 24, 2018
The Burnt Mountain Classic took place on Friday night and Saturday at Pickens Co. High School. The Classic comes with high expectations by the teams attending – and although inclement weather forced school cancellations throughout the week – the tournament still lived up to the bill.
Although the weather was rough all week, 15 of 19 Varsity teams that were scheduled came off the buses ready to strap on their head gear and hit the mat. Fannin County was one of 22 varsity teams scheduled to attend but like a handful of the teams who cancelled, they followed the school cancellation schedule due to potential hazardous road conditions.
The acclaimed Gilmer Bobcats varsity squad, who have been living up to their legacy of absolute domination all season long, was originally scheduled to attend as well. After speaking with head coach Josh Ghobadpor about his decision to give his varsity the weekend off, he stated that with the weather being what it was during the week, they hadn’t been able to practice. Rather than put his varsity in a high-pressure situation so close to area and sectionals, Ghobadpor focused instead on taking his junior varsity team to compete in the JV Scramble.
“We tried to get to the gym to train but with ice on the roads we didn’t want to take any chances. This weekend we decided to bring our JV and let them get the extra work in, though. After all the JV is the future of Bobcat wrestling,” Ghobadpor told TeamFYNSports.
As the wrestlers laced up and shook hands, match-by-match the competition began to heat up right away. Pickens, Lumpkin, Creekview, Etowah, Cherokee High, Calhoun, Alcoa, Milton, Sequoyah, Chestatee, Towns, SE Whitfield, Walker, West Hall and River Ridge all came in pursuit of conquest.
With each win or loss, the cream began to rise to the top. While all in attendance had much to be proud of, two standout teams battled for the heralded prize of tournament champions. As the dust (and sweat) settled, congratulations went to the Creekview High School Grizzlies for capturing the crown in the team scoring with 219 points. Narrowly taking the runner up award in the team points was the host: the Pickens County High School Dragons.
On Saturday, the action heated up with the JV Scramble. The young freshmen and sophomore athletes showed up and showed out on the mats with Calhoun Yellow Jackets taking the JV trophy. Individual award winners from Pickens County included: Zach Meadows(113 lbs) 2nd Place, C.J. Murphy(120 lbs) 2nd Place, Joseph Ferguson(152 lbs) 2nd Place Michael Burrell(160 lbs) 1st Place, Tyler Vreeland(170 lbs), Kellie Dover(182 lbs) 3rd Place and Dalton Bruhner(195 lbs) 4th Place.
Other results were not available at the event. Congratulations to all athletes and best of luck in Area Competition and State!
Gilmer Wrestling takes 3rd at Kyle Maynard Duals
GHS Wrestling December 28, 2017
The Kyle Maynard Duals are one of the most heralded wrestling tournaments in the Southeast, drawing some of the best competition the area has to offer. The success Gilmer High School has had on the mats this season certainly warranted their invitation to compete, and compete they did.
They kicked off the duals with a huge win over Hoover, Alamaba; followed by team victories over Cook County and Union Grove to catapult the Cats into the semifinals.
In the semi’s, they “exchanged pleasantries” with Commerce, arguably one of the best wrestling programs in the state of Georgia. Commerce was able to derail the Cats from their championship run, but only by 3 points (33-36).
The loss pitted Gilmer against tournament host Collins Hill, resulting in a 41-24 win after what head coach Joshua Ghobadpoor called “an outstanding performance by everyone on the team”.
Locust Grove defeated Commerce to win the overall top team place.
The team returned to mandatory practices on Wednesday and look forward as they prepare for upcoming Area Duals and a hopeful run at another state title.
Hydration Test Rescheduled for Tuesday
Uncategorized October 22, 2017
The Gilmer Wrestling mandatory hydration test has been rescheduled for this Tuesday, 10/24 at 5pm. GCHS wrestling coaches will be taking a bus and it will leave the high school at approximately 3pm Tuesday afternoon. Wrestlers who are still in football will have to go to the Hydration Test this coming Saturday 10/28 and will meet at the high school at 8:45am. GCHS Coaches are asking that the wrestlers please drink plenty of water and eat healthy in preparation for the test. Athletes will need to wear a t-shirt and shorts, and the cost for the test is $10.
Wrestling Hydration Tests Postponed due to Gold Rush
GHS Wrestling October 19, 2017
The upcoming Hydration Test has been cancelled by the UNG Testing Administrator. He told coaches that he forgot “Gold Rush” would be this Saturday. Though the coaches offered several solutions, the testing administrator chose to postpone the mandatory hydration test until a later date.
“I am working on rescheduling, and it will be either this coming Tuesday or Saturday,” Coach Joshua Ghobadpoor told his wrestlers Thursday evening. “I will let everyone know the time and date once it is rescheduled.” Coach Ghobadpoor added, “I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused for many many people.”
TeamFYNSports looks forward to following and reporting coverage of the Gilmer Bobcats’ wrestling season. If you are a parent, alumni, or simply a fan; we are looking for volunteers to help us cover matches and upcoming events! If interested, please contact Jason Banks at [email protected] !
Bobcats Open Wrestling Season with Solid Performance
GHS Wrestling November 13, 2017
The Gilmer Bobcats have officially competed in their first wrestling tournament of the season, and it was a successful performance overall. The Cats have enough wrestlers to make up two separate varsity teams, and that’s exactly what they did as they took a team to compete in the Spartan Slam Invitational at West Hall while a second team traveled to Woodstock to compete in the River Ridge Varsity Duals.
The Spartan Slam Invitational boasts some of the toughest wrestling competitors in the state, with a 16-team turnout and so many wrestlers that the event had to limit individuals to only 5 matches.
The Cats finished 3rd overall (out of 16) and scoring was led by first place finishers Caleb Waddell (152lb class), Ryan Crump (195lb class) and Anthony Zilke (285lb class). A complete list of individual results is listed below.
Gilmer coach Joshua Ghobadpoor was pleased with the effort of his wrestlers and excited about the future. “We wrestled hard and with a purpose, team atmosphere was great, and we had success,” Ghobadpoor told his team after the meet. “[We] still have a lot we can improve upon which is a great position to be in! Couldn’t be more proud of the effort that was displayed by all our wrestlers!”
– Varsity Team #1: Spartan Slam Invitational Results:
Team took 3rd overall.
113: Gabe Reimer: 5th Place
120: Logan Bentley: 2nd Place
126: Cameron Martin: 7th Place
132: Javier Jacinto: 2nd Place
132: Tristain Kendall: 3rd Place
138: Alex Repetin: 3rd Place
145: Hoyt Stover: 4th Place
152: Caleb Waddell: 1st Place
160: Chase Calvert: 8th Place
170: Grant Ledford: 3rd Place
182: Chad Weaver: 3rd Place
195: Ryan Crump: 1st Place
285: Anthony Zilke: 1st Place
285: Jhaydon Ragsdale: 5th Place
– Varsity Team #2: River Ridge Varsity Duals Results:
*individual stats for this event not yet reported, but there were several wrestlers that were undefeated on the day
Overall Record: 3-2
Wins Over:
– Etowah
– Meadowcreek
– Dunwoody (Forfeited to us)
Losses To:
– Sequoyah
– North Gwinnett
Gilmer will compete on Tuesday in a Quad Match against Dawson County, Murray County, and Riverside Military Academy at Gilmer County High School.
Gilmer Wrestling Takes Top Spot at Etowah
GHS Wrestling November 29, 2017
Less than a week after finishing second place to Cass at the Blackbeard Duals, the Gilmer High Bobcats turned around and dominated a 21 team tournament at Etowah to take top honors; and they were able to do so by beating the very team that trumped them just a few days earlier in the week.
With huge wins over Cambridge, Northwest Whitfield, Woodland-Cartersville, and Cass; the Cats were relentless in their pursuit of victory on the mats and would not be denied.
Their second team finished 2nd Place in the JV tournament as well.
When we reached out to the Gilmer coaches, we gained some insight as to the strategy involved from a coaching standpoint and the impact it can have on the team’s overall results.
“We wrestled well at Allatoona just a few days before and Cass was really tough. They have a couple of kids that are experienced and have wrestled in the state tournament,” Bobcats head coach Joshua Ghobadpoor told TeamFYNSports. “We made some adjustments with our roster going into [Etowah] with some weight adjustment and it gave us a more favorable matchup. The team wrestled hard and even with a couple of forfeited matches we knew we had a chance to win and we did.”
Results from the Allatoona Duals:
Gilmer vs. Carrollton (Win)
Gilmer vs. Allatoona (Win)
Gilmer vs. North Forsyth (Win)
Gilmer vs. Woodland-Cartersville (Win)
Gilmer vs. Cass (Tough/Narrow Loss)
Waddell Pins Scholarship to Oklahoma
Team FYN Sports December 4, 2016
Matthew Waddell, a local Gilmer High School Student, has officially received a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.
Signing with the University, Waddell was joined by coaches Walt Monroe, Bo Dorsey, Sam Snider, Doug Haynes, Joshua Snider, Casey Wingard, aand Greg Wingo as well as his parents Mark and Lisa Waddell.
Waddell takes a lot with him to join Oklahoma as he is a two-time Georgia State Champion, Junior Nationals All-American, he placed third at the 2016 NHSCA Junior Nationals, and was a sixth-place finisher at the 2016 Super 32 Challenge.
