MACON — When 170-pound junior Buford wrestler Tristan Bozoian suddenly found himself staring unexpectantly at the Macon Coliseum ceiling Saturday, he knew he, and his team, were in serious trouble.
As the referee twice looked poised to slap the mat for Jacob Frye and a Woodland-Cartersville pin to break a 19-19 tie with the Wolves, Bozoian both times managed to keep the match alive by the slimmest of turns sideways.
Moments later, Bozoian turned the tables on Frye with a beautiful reversal with just 12 seconds left in the match to pull out a 10-8 win and help propel the Wolves to a 34-30 win over the Wildcats to capture the Class AAAAA Team Duals state title.
The Wolves were one of three northeast Georgia teams to win titles Saturday. Jefferson won its 16th straight Duals title, this time in Class AAAA outdueling four-time defending champion Gilmer 35-28. Commerce won its fourth consecutive Class A title with a 74-3 demolition of Wesleyan.
Buford coach Tom Beuglas credited Bozoian’s effort as the catalyst to the Wolves’ strong finish, winning the next two matches at 182 and 195 to clinch the title. Bozoian led 8-5 late, then gave up three points when he was on his back, only to rally in the waning seconds after nearly getting called for the pin twice.
“Just a tremendous effort,” Beuglas said. “That was the key match because (Bozoian) was a hair from getting pinned and then we’re down and probably end up on the other end. That fired up the guys.”
Bozoian said one thing kept coming to mind as he was fighting to keep the Wolves title hopes alive.
“The only thing I could think of was to get off my back for the team or we’re going to lose,” he said. “I could hear everyone yelling and I just kept fighting. Somehow I was able to flip him for the reversal. I’m not really sure how I did it but I did.”
Cooper Roberts followed Bozoian with a pin at 182 in just 1:13 and then 2016 state runner-up Jack Ness clinched it at 195 with a forfeit win when Woodland’s Kaemon Echols was forced to retire with an injury for a 34-18 lead with two matches left.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Beuglas, who is in his first season at Buford after leading Archer to four straight Duals titles. “I’m proud of the guys. They have worked really hard so far this season.”
It was the first Duals title since 2014 (Class AAAA) for Buford, who also got pins from sophomore Logan Ashton at 106 and Trent Ferguson at 152.
For Jefferson, the title was nothing new. However, the Class AAAA finals pitted the two most successful programs in state history in a title showdown for the first time.
Gilmer jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead after the first two matches but the Dragons won the next five matches to run out to a 23-7 lead, including pins by Jared Blackburn at 120 and Cole Potts at 138. They clinched the win with a pin by Caleb Little at 182 for a 35-11 lead.
Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond said they needed every point before heading into the upper-weights at 195.
“Gilmer has three guys that are near-unbeatable in those last three weight classes,” he said. “We knew we needed an 18-point cushion before 195 and our guys were very aggressive in trying to get us some bonus points. They did a great job.
“We knew it was going to a battle between two great teams. I’m glad that one’s over.”
Commerce made quick work of Wesleyan opening with four straight pins, a major decision, and two more pins in the first seven matches for a 40-0 lead. The match was over in less than an hour.
It was the fourth straight Class A title for the Tigers.
“We came out and did what we had talked about doing,” Tigers coach Kendall Love said. “The seniors did a great job. We had a target on our back before the tournament began and I’m proud of how the guys responded with so much pressure on them.”
In Class AAA, Lumpkin County rode into the Duals finals for the first time but had the unenviable task of taking on Bremen, which had beaten three state finalists -- Archer, Gilmer, and Commerce -- during the season.
The Indians put up a gallant fight against the Blue Devils but eventually fell 36-21 as Bremen won four of the last six matches after Lumpkin County pulled within 16-12 on a Cole Hopkins pin at 145. The Indians also got a pin by Zach Matthews at 220 and lost three decisions by three points or less in a match that was much closer than the final score.
It was the best Duals finish ever for the Indians.
“They were a tough matchup for us but I thought we fought hard,” Lumpkin County coach Brian Matthews said. “We feel good about where we are right now as a program but it hurts right now because we were close and just couldn’t quite get it done.”
Jackson County finished fourth in Class AAA after falling 31-29 to Sonoraville in the consolation finals.
NOTES: In other Duals finals action, Archer's run of four straight titles came to an end Saturday with a 50-15 loss to Camden County in Class AAAAAAA. It was the third straight title for the Wildcats, who won Class AAAAA titles in 2015 and 2016...Alexander won its first-ever Duals title with a thrilling 37-28 victory over South Paulding in a dual that went down to the final match when the Cougars got a pin at 285 leading 31-28....Social Circle beat Toombs County 35-24 for its third straight Class AA title.
