MACON — Top seeds North Hall and Jefferson both rolled to convincing victories Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A State Duals at the Macon Centreplex.
Commerce in Class A and Buford in Class 5A also took easy quarterfinals wins in their respective classifications to advance.
North Hall, the top seed in Class 3A, whipped Islands 67-3 behind eight pins and a major fall. Jefferson, the No. 2 seed, trounced Central-Macon 78-6 getting 11 pins and two forfeits. Jackson County advanced with a 47-30 win over Coahulla Creek behind five pins and two technical falls.
The Dragons next will take on Sonoraville, a 52-15 winner over Lumpkin County, in the semifinals while the Trojans will take on Jackson County.
Buford, the defending Class 5A Duals state champion, continued its early strong run in Class 5A, rolling past Harris County 56-15 in the quarterfinals. The Wolves earlier had advanced out of the first round with a 64-18 drubbing of Statesboro. They will take on Cass in the semifinals.
The Tigers, the No. 1 seed and five-time defending state champion in Class A, hammered Mt. Zion-Carroll 72-6 in the quarterfinals. They will meet Turner County, a 41-30 winner over Mt. Pisgah, in the semifinals.
The Class A semifinals will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday while the Class 3A and 5A semifinals will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday at The Centreplex.
In Class 3A, Lumpkin County took a 39-31 win over Pierce County in the first round. The Indians won 8 of the first 10 matches. But they could not get past Sonoraville, the defending Class 3A Traditional state champion. The Indians fell into the consolation bracket and will take on Pike County at 3:45 p.m. Friday.
In Class 4A, Chestatee fell to North Oconee 54-18 in the opening round. That knocked the War Eagles into the wrestlebacks and a 9 a.m. meeting with Eastside on Friday to stay alive in the tournament.
In Class 6A, Habersham Central fell to Pope 51-15 in the opening round. The Raiders will be off Friday when they take on Brunswick into the wrestlebacks and an 11:15 a.m.
