One thing was certain about this year's edition of Pope wrestling: The team wouldn't finish second to Collins Hill for a third consecutive year.
A move down to Class AAAA got the Greyhounds away from their nemesis, and Pope took advantage Saturday, taking home the school's first wrestling state championship with 136.5 points. Runner-up Union Grove finished with 90.5, and Cass was third with 83.5.
An especially strong Friday sucked most of the suspense out of Saturday's action for the Greyhounds, who entered the finals with a nearly insurmountable 43-point lead over Union Grove for the team title.
That may even have allowed Pope to relax a bit on the final day, with little weighing on their shoulders.
"We had it [Friday] night, barring something catastrophic," Pope coach Jim Haskin said. "I think it really helped us today, really coming in and winning big matches. ... I think it took a lot of pressure off the kids, knowing that they didn't have to put anything away to pick up bonus points for the team race."
But they still did, highlighted by wins from three of their four finals participants -- Cameron Munsy at 112 pounds, John Anthony at 145 and Glenn Climmons at 160.
This wasn't a team that was necessarily going to be here when the season started, with only one senior on the mat to provide much-needed experience as the team came together.
"I felt like we had all the technique in the world, and we had all the ability to do this. At first, we just didn't have the toughness," said Anthony, the team's only senior, who won his first state championship Saturday. "It took time, but it grew. It grew and grew, and everybody matured on the team."
When they did, Pope became a team that left little hope for the other AAAA teams, coasting home for the easy victory.
"Coming out here and winning the state tournament, it's a dream come true for me as a coach and the kids on the team," Haskin said. "It's the biggest tournament of the year. ... We did our job. We did it all year long."
Class AAA
Gilmer had little trouble grabbing its third state title in four years, amassing 151.5 points, with Heritage-Catoosa finishing second with 108.5 and Locust Grove third with 103.
Hunter Barnes, at 171 pounds, was the Bobcats' only individual champion, but their three second-place finishes were the most in the classification, giving them more top-two finishers than anyone else and a significant edge in points. This was Barnes' second state championship.
Class AA
The closest of the five team races came down to Jefferson and Sonoraville running away from the pack. But Sonoraville's inability to win in the finals -- losing all three championship matches -- allowed Jefferson to win, 196.5 to 177. Toombs County edged Lovett for third place with 84.5 points.
Cain Finch (145) and Forrest Przybysz (171) both won for Jefferson, which won the team title for the 11th consecutive year, the first eight in Class A. This was the second consecutive title for both Finch and Przybysz.
Class A
Bremen continued its dominance of the state's lowest classification, taking its third consecutive team title with 205 points to Gordon Lee's 116. Commerce took third with 96.
Ryne Eriquezzo (135), Dustin Branom (160), Sam Murphy (171) and Joe Bexley (285) each won individual crowns for Bremen. This was the second title for Eriquezzo and first for the others.
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