WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Today, we preview the traditional wrestling state championships with a breakdown of Class 4A-6A. Also, access the schedules and scores for every region basketball tournament in the state HERE. Results are also available on the scoreboard at AJC.com, the scoreboard on ScoreATL.com and the Score Atlanta High School Scoring APP. To get the APP, search ga hs scores in the Apple or Android stores.

In This Issue

Trivia

Boys Basketball Poll

Girls Basketball Poll

Wrestling Preview

Top Stories

Trivia

Question:

How many Gwinnett wrestlers qualified for state out of the 6A-East Sectionals?

Today's answer can be found in the newsletter!

Tuesday's Answer:

Jefferson has won 14 straight Traditional Wrestling state titles.

BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Class AAAAAA

1. Wheeler

2. Pebblebrook

3. Tift County

4. Norcross

5. Shiloh

6. Tucker

7. Pope

8. Hillgrove

9. Langston Hughes

10. Alpharetta

Class AAAAA

1. Miller Grove

2. McIntosh

3. Allatoona

4. Gainesville

5. M.L. King

6. Brunswick

7. Carver-Columbus

8. Warner Robins

9. LaGrange

10. Stockbridge

Class AAAA

1. Jonesboro

2. Johnson-Gainesville

3. St. Pius

4. Lithonia

5. Carrollton

6. Burke County

7. Americus-Sumter

8. Albany

9. Liberty County

10. Columbia

Class AAA

1. Laney

2. Jenkins

3. Cedar Grove

4. Morgan County

5. Johnson-Savannah

6. South Atlanta

7. Blessed Trinity

8. Butler

9. Rutland

10. East Hall

Class AA

1. Pace Academy

2. Seminole County

3. Holy Innocents'

4. Vidalia

5. Crawford County

6. Greater Atlanta Christian

7. Harlem

8. Model

9. Thomasville

10. Greene County

Class A

1. St. Francis

2. Greenforest Christian

3. Athens Christian

4. Wilkinson County

5. Whitefield Academy

6. Hancock Central

7. Calhoun County

8. Treutlen

9. Greenville

10. Turner County

GIRLS BASKETBALL RANKINGS

Class AAAAAA

1. Osborne

2. Parkview

3. Mountain View

4. North Forsyth

5. South Forsyth

6. Woodstock

7. Archer

8. West Forsyth

9. Langston Hughes

10. Norcross

Class AAAAA

1. Brunswick

2. Mays

3. Effingham County

4. Sequoyah

5. Stephenson

6. Grovetown

7. Southwest DeKalb

8. Forest Park

9. Greenbrier

10. Woodland-Henry

Class AAAA

1. Jonesboro

2. Buford

3. Veterans

4. St. Pius

5. Americus-Sumter

6. Mary Persons

7. Bainbridge

8. Marist

9. Griffin

10. Northwest Whitfield

Class AAA

1. Dawson County

2. South Atlanta

3. Kendrick

4. Decatur

5. Laney

6. Beach

7. Jefferson

8. Washington County

9. Westminster

10. Morgan County

Class AA

1. Holy Innocents'

2. Pelham

3. Wesleyan

4. Model

5. Vidalia

6. Thomasville

7. Putnam County

8. Manchester

9. Darlington

10. Union County

Class A

1. St. Francis

2. Southwest Atlanta Christian

3. Taylor County

4. Tattnall Square

5. Savannah Country Day

6. Claxton

7. Turner County

8. Calvary Day

9. Stratford Academy

10. Atkinson County

Score is looking for writing interns!

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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 4A-6A

By Craig Sager II

Archer, Gilmer aim for 3rd straight sweep of titles

Two-time defending Class AAAAAA champion Archer has once again loaded the field and sent a wrestler to state in all 14 weight classes from its nationally-ranked roster.

"Obviously our goal was to get all 14 in," said Archer head coach Tom Beuglas in an interview with the Gwinnett Daily Post, " The guys are wrestling good and everybody's healthy so I feel pretty good about it."

Archer's Grant Aycox (138), Thomas Bullard (160), Daniel Bullard (170) captured individual state titles last year and placed first in the Class AAAAAA West Sectionals this weekend. Chris Diaz (132) and Quinn Miller (220) were Archer's other two first-place finishers at sectionals and return to Macon after runner-up finishes a year ago.

Out of the East Sectionals, Gwinnett County was once again dominant with five schools crowning champions. Collins Hill's Codi Russell (126), Mountain View's Adam Flatt (132), Norcross' Rudy Guillen (145), Duluth's Rodney Jones (170) and Mill Creek's Bobby Klemm (285) each placed first at the East Sectionals. Overall, 35 Gwinnett

Photo by Rob Saye

wrestlers finished in the top eight of the East Sectionals and will make the trip to Macon. Russell's first-place finish at 126 will highlight a weight class at the state tournament that includes Valdosta's Reggie Dennis, who defeated Archer's Alex Standridge 5-4 in the West Sectional finals. Flatt's top finish at 132 could set up a star-studded showdown with Archer's Diaz at state. Flatt finished as a state runner-up last year at 120 pounds and Diaz finished runner-up at 126 pounds.

Flatt and Diaz fell to Collins Hill standouts Sean Russell (now at Edinboro) and Ryan Millhof (Oklahoma), respectively in the finals.

Archer's Elliott Lee won state at 195 pounds last year, but sophomore Isaiah Pryor took over the weight class and Lee moved up to 285 to replace last year's state champion M.J. Couzan. Lee used a 3-2 decision over Berkmar's Jose Acosta to finish third in the West Sectionals last weekend at 285 pounds.

Pope's Jake Adcock (152 pounds) will seek perfection and his first Class AAAAAA state title after winning 138 pounds in Class AAAAA last year. Adcock was the only Cobb County wrestler to win his weight class at sectionals last weekend and improved to 49-0 on the season with a pin of South Forsyth's Felipe Hayes in the finals. Adcock will meet a field that includes Lowndes' Davis Ison, who finished first at 152 pounds in the West Sectionals. Ison finished fourth at state at 145 pounds last season. Ison grabbed the 152 title at sectionals by defeating Archer's Sam Bullard 11-8. Bullard saw a second place finish at state last year at 138 pounds.

FRONT-RUNNERS AND FAVORITES...

Since the inception of crowning dual state champions in 2002, we have seen 48 of the 67 dual state champions go on to complete the season sweep and take home the traditional state title the following month. Archer, Camden County and Gilmer are aiming for sweeps this weekend in the state's highest three classification and like Archer, Camden County and Gilmer will also have wrestlers in all 14 weight classes this weekend.

Camden County was overshadowed by Archer in Class AAAAAA last season and fell 249-183.5 in last year's traditional state tournament, but reclassification bumped the Wildcats down to Class AAAAA this year and their prowess over their competition has been evident throughout the year. Camden County dominated the Class AAAAA East Sectionals, reaching the finals in every weight class. Nine Camden County wrestlers were crowned champions, while the other five classes finished second.

Two-time defending Class AAAA champion Gilmer crowned six champions and three runner-up finishers at the West Sectionals last weekend despite a shuffled lineup from a year ago. The Bobcats' team depth was on full display as two of Gilmer's runner-up finishers at sectionals were state champions a year ago. Gilmer's Alberto Perez, Marcelino Lopez and Daniel Bautista swept the lightest three weight classes at state last year but Lopez and Perez were beat in the sectional finals this year in new weight classes. Perez took the 106 pound state title last year and was topped by Northwest Whitfield standout Blake Hayes at 126 pounds in last weekend's sectional finals. Lopez was last year's 113 state champion, but was edged by Heritage-Catoosa's Charles Thurman for first place in the 120-pound finals.

Trevor Preece, however, keeps the Bobcats stacked towards the lighter classes and after taking over the 113-pound class, finished first at sectionals, while teammates Lucas Patterson (132), Will Gudger (145), Jamie Lopez (152), Matthew Waddell (170) and Levi Seabolt (285) also won their respective weight classes. Last year's Class AAA traditional state champion Buford jumped to Class AAAA this year and returns to Macon after seeing three champions, one runner-up, one top 3 and two top 5 finishes at sectionals. Cass will send four wrestlers to state after placing second in state last year behind Gilmer.