Woodland edges Cass for the 2026 GHSA Class 4A Team Dual state championship

January 17, 2026 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Woodland defeated county-rival Cass 36-35 on Saturday to win the 2026 GHSA Class 4A Team Dual state championship at Ola High School in McDonough.

For the third straight season, Woodland and Cass squared off in the finals of the GHSA State Dual Tournament, but this time it was the Wildcats who edged the Colonels by a single point on Saturday at Ola High School in McDonough, 36-35.

Cass had won the state title match in the two previous seasons and had captured three dual titles since 2022.

The team dual title is the first for Woodland since winning three-straight in 2019 through 2021, and the program’s sixth dual state title overall.

Woodland swept all four matches in the 16-team single-elimination championship bracket. The Wildcats defeated Pace Academy (78-3), Cambridge (60-16), and Harris County (60-18) to reach the title match.

The Colonels’ three wins to reach the championship round were over Drew (42-35), Central-Carroll (50-27), and Ola (42-25).

Six individual Wildcats were unbeaten in the tournament. Joshua Palmore (132 pounds), Nathan Cates (150/157), and Owen Jones (190) each went 4-0. Cayden Bagley (106) and John Gill (215) finished 3-0. Paul Lanier (175) won his only bout. Nick Weathersbee (113), Adrian Zapata (126), Dylan Couey (144), and Skylar Pizzutiello (165) finished the tournament with 3-1 marks. Noah Cates (138) was 2-1. Brayden Postell (150) split his two bouts, and Will Thomas (285) went 2-2.

For Cass, Hayden Trimm (120), Rowdy Duck (138), and Luka Jensen (144) went 4-0 in the tournament. Ethan Harrington (157) was 3-0, and David Jewel (150) won both of his bouts.

Mason Tompkins (175), Brandon Lalbehari (106), Gavin Walker (113), and John Abernathy (285) finished 1-1. Ethan Edwards (132) finished 2-2. Justus Fife (126), Collin Armona (150/157), Zach Stiles (190), and Codey Dean (215) each won one of three bouts for the Colonels.

The two teams will now turn their focus to the Traditional Tournament portion of their schedules, where Woodland owns state titles in 2003, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Cass has won three Traditional Tournament championships: 2006, 2022, and 2025.