Woodland wrestling dominates 7-AAAAA; Cartersville, Adairsville reach state duals
- Staff
- Jan 12, 2020
- 2 min read
As expected Saturday, the defending state champion Woodland High School wrestling team dominated the competition at the Region 7-AAAAA Team Duals Championship and cruised to a second straight title region at Paulding County.
The Wildcats blanked Kell 82-0 and beat Kell 62-15 to reach the championship match where they utilized 13 first-period pins in 14 matches for a 78-3 rout of the Trojans. In the finals match against Carrollton, Demarcus Williams got things rolling for the Wildcats with a first-period pin at 195 pounds in a match that was expected to be much closer. The momentum carried forward as Woodland teammates Bryce Shedd, Beau Jernigan, Asher Jernigan, Carson Bailey, Easton Bailey, Caleb Jones, Caden McCrary, Caleb Henson, Bryce Hughes, Cole Cochran, Jaxon Smith, and Bryce Collum all followed with similar results. Woodland will likely be the No. 1 seed in the Class AAAAA State Duals Championship that begins Thursday morning at the Macon Centreplex. The Wildcats will be seeking their fourth duals state title since 2003 (2011, 2019). Woodland also won traditional state championships in 2003 and 2019. ADAIRSVILLE, CARTERSVILLE ADVANCE TO STATE The wrestling teams at Adairsville and Cartersville placed second at their respective region duals championships Saturday to advance to next weekend’s GHSA State Duals Championships at the Macon Centreplex. Adairsville finished second at the Area 4-AAA Duals at Sonoraville while Cartersville was runner-up at the Region 5-AAAA Duals at Central-Carroll. The Tigers had wins over Ringgold (66-12) and Coahulla Creek (57-18) Saturday to reach the finals against defending Class AAA state champions Sonoraville. Adairsville challenged, but fell to the Phoenix 47-27. The Adairsville loss left only one more match to secure a trip to the state tournament. In a challenge for true second place, the Tigers cruised past Calhoun 69-9. James Standridge and Steven Lynch went 4-0 on the day for Adairsville. Standridge pinned all four of his opponents while Lynch split time in the 195-pound and 220-pound divisions to win four matches. Teammates Dalton Cornett and Owen Henry also were undefeated on the day with 2-0 marks, splitting time in the 160-pound division. In Carrollton, Cartersville secured its second straight trip to the Class AAAA State Duals with wins over Chapel Hill and Cedartown before succumbing to host Central-Carroll in the finals for a runner-up finish. The third-seeded Canes narrowly beat Cedartown to reach the finals. Cartersville rallied for wins in the final three matches — Tyler Earick (113 pounds), Giles Turner (120), and Eoin Neal (126) to secure the victory. Cedartown, who had narrowly beaten Cartersville earlier in the season, later eliminated LaGrange in the loser’s bracket to prevent Cartersville from having to wrestle a fourth match for a true second place. CASS FINISHES THIRD IN 7-AAAAA The Colonels failed to reach the state duals championship next weekend in Macon but managed to finish third in the Region 7-AAAAA Saturday at Paulding County. Cass had wins over Villa Rica (59-18), Paulding County (49-18), and Kell (49-36) on the day, but a loss to Carrollton (36-32) kept the Colonels from reaching the state tournament. Zach McKnight (152) pinned all four of his opponents on the day to go 4-0. Montgomery Tompkins (106) and Bryce Kresho (120) were also unbeaten on the day with three pins each.
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