Woodland wrestling wins GHSA state Traditional Tournament championship

February 14, 2026

The Woodland High School wrestling team captured the 2026 Class AAAA GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championship Saturday, with ten individuals earning top-five spots in their respective weight classes.

The Woodland victory completed a season sweep of the two state championship tournaments in Class AAAA. Woodland also won the State Duals Tournament championship, defeating Cass in the finals.

Woodland and Cass have dominated their classification in recent years, with one of the local teams winning the State Traditional tournament in six of the last eight seasons. The two programs have also won a State Duals title in seven of the last eight seasons.

The Wildcats scored 218-½ points to finish 25-½ points ahead of state runner-up Cass (193) on Saturday. Ola (157) finished third, followed by Jones County (87-½) and Harris County (83-½) in the top five.

Woodland’s John Gill won the 215-pound championship to lead the Wildcats, who also had five individuals to finish as state runner-up. Adrian Zapata (126), Noah Cates (138), Dylan Couey (144), Nathan Cates (157), and Owen Jones (190) all placed second. Cayden Bagely (106) finished third. Paul Lanier (175) and Will Thomas (285) had fourth-place finishes, and Skylar Pizzutiello (165) earned a fifth-place spot on the podium.

Cass finished as state runner-up a year after winning the title in 2025. The Colonels had three state champions and four state runners-up. Rowdy Duck (138), Luka Jensen (144), and David Jewell (157) each won state titles. Hayden Trimm (120), Ethan Harrington (165), Mason Tompkins (175), and Codey Dean (215) all earned runner-up spots. Brandon Lalbehari (106) placed fifth for the Colonels.

Cartersville’s Jair Flores won the 113-pound weight class as the Canes’ only state placer.

The Traditional Tournament title was the fifth for Woodland, adding to titles in 2003, 2019, 2020, and 2021.  The Wildcats also own six Duals Tournament championships.