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DEL.ICIO.USSurprise! Dragons win Sham Slam
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Jan. 28.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Scoring slipup at Sham Slam
All the way up in Mt. Airy, some of the state’s finest teams got together for the Sham Slam at Habersham Central. Jefferson and Lafayette were so close that when the two teams left Habersham Saturday evening it was believed they had tied for the team title. Sunday, two scoring errors were found, giving the Class A Dragons a three-point tournament title.
Jefferson had 10 placers and four champions: lightweight outstanding wrestler Cam Thurmond (119), Jed Gurley (125), Jay Fowler (152) and Zac Crosby (160). Lafayette, the Class AA Duals champs, also placed 10 and had three champs: Preston McCalmon (103) Derek Murdock (135); and Derek Thompson (189). Northwest Whitfield (3rd), Wesleyan (4th) and Brookwood (5th) rounded out the top 5.
Pound for Pound Top 10 (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1. Collins Hill (1): Lost one match in three duals at Woodward Academy Duals
2. Union Grove (2): Unbeaten at Effingham County Duals
3. Jefferson (3): Continued fine season with win at Sham Slam
4. Harrison (4): Five champs in Whitewater Invitational romp
5. Cass (5): Bartow County champions again
6. Pope (6): Cruised to four wins at Classic Duals
7. Lafayette (8): Finished three points back of Jefferson at Sham Slam
8. Eastside (7): The Eagles remain AAAA’s Traditional favorites
9. Gilmer (9): Bobcats took weekend off; head back to dual competition Tuesday
10. Ringgold (10): Do they have enough to make a run at Class AAAA Traditional?
Did we do something wrong?
Despite coming off a Class AAAAA State Duals title and three dominant wins over Groves, Woodward Academy and Northview, Collins Hill dropped eight spots to No. 28 in this week’s Amateur Wrestling News Prep 40. The Eagles (35-2) only two losses are to AWN No. 12 Colonial Forge (Va.) and No. 27 Christiansburg (Va.) at the Battlefield Duals.
Dacula enjoying success
Got to hand it to Dacula, which continued one of the finest seasons in the program’s history. The Falcons, who already set the school record for dual wins in a season and reached the state duals for the first time, nipped Lovett by a 1/2 points to win the first Titan Cup at Blessed Trinity.
Dacula’s lower weights are as solid as any in Class AAAA and it showed this past weekend: 103-pound freshman Brandon Bullock and 119-pounder Noah Hunt won individual titles, while Frankie Miller dropped a three-OT thriller to Lovett’s Matthew Hines in the 112-pound final. J.C. Hall also picked up a title at 145 pounds.
“That’s the key for us is the lower weights,” said Dacula coach Jason Holcombe. “You get to our middle weights and we’ve got solid kids.
Dacula wasn’t the only story at the Titan Cup. The Pound for Pound editors followed a number of great storylines at Blessed Trinity. In the 140-pound final, Lovett’s Daniel Domanico won a 5-4 decision over Matt Bridges of Cherokee, although Domanico’s winning takedown was controversial. Either way, both wrestlers showed they’re the favorites at 140 pounds in Class AA and AAA.
West Hall’s Colby Yates not only cruised to the 130-pound final with three pins and a 14-0 major, but picked up his 200th career win in his first match of the tournament, a 57-second pin over Holy Innocents’ Alex Jesperson.
There weren’t any Outstanding Wrestler awards but PFP handed out its own set of medals:
• Lightweight — Michael Parker (Blessed Trinity) and Yates. Neither allowed a point all tournament in winning the 125 and 130-pound titles, respectively.
• Middleweight — Alex Maus (Kennesaw Mountain). Was a machine all weekend — collected three pins in a total of 2:33, then capped his 135-pound title and improved to 53-3 on the year with a dominant, 16-1 tech fall in the final.
• Heavyweight — Lee McMahon (Pickens County). Pinned his way to the 189-pound title.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
Comments
By Cobb Nut
January 29, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
Cobb County gonna be some fun this weekend - lots of great wrestlers, Westerman, Condon, Medved, Pifer, Bushart, Joasaint, Lanham, Olsen….team title got to give to Harrison.
By The Ole Ball Coach
January 30, 2008 7:39 PM | Link to this
By Gangbuster
February 2, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Collins Hill Union Grove Harrison LaFayette Jefferson Gilmer Ringgold Pope Cass Eastside
By jerseypeach
February 3, 2008 6:32 AM | Link to this
I think you are over looking Woodland High school Cartersville.
By bigin
February 6, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this
Jefferson beat LaFayette….
By The Ole ball coach
February 8, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
In My Opinion Jefferson would not beat LaFayette heads up. Jefferson had what I see as Luck of the draw in the Slam and won by 3 points. Yes Jefferson won the Slam by 3 “a win is a win”
But again In my opinion Jefferson would not beat LaFayette heads up.