GAINESVILLE — After two years running as a bridesmaid, Chestatee wrestling coach Eric Barr is hoping it is time for his War Eagles to take top billing at the 2015 Hall County Championships.
“I feel like we have very good chance to win it this year. That’s our goal. We’re going in to win it,” Barr said.
The War Eagles last won the event in 2012.
“It would be nice to get out of that second place spot,” Barr said.
The two-day, round-robin event will be held at Chestatee beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday with the first two rounds. The final four rounds will be held Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.
Chestatee, East Hall, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Johnson, North Hall, and West Hall are all participating. Usual participant Riverside Military is not in the field for 2015.
However, Barr and many of his fellow coaches feel it could be a wide-open tournament. Chestatee, North Hall, East Hall, along with Gainesville and Johnson, have each been mentioned among the favorites. And, nearly every team in the field has holes in their roster, which could make for some exciting finishes, and key matches in every round.
“I expect a tough tournament,” Gainesville coach Shane Millwood said. “I see three or four teams with a real shot to win it. I don’t know if anyone is a huge favorite like North Hall was the last couple of years.”
"If everyone has some holes then I think it probably is wide open," East Hall coach Ken Stoudenmire said.
North Hall is the two-time defending champion but coach Stuart Cunningham said injuries and roster turnover leave the Trojans in a precarious position.
“We’re not the same team we were last year,” Cunningham said. “We’re fighting some injuries and we have some new guys in spots.”
The Trojans do have five seniors in the lineup, led by returning Class AAAA 145-pound state champion Michael Carew, who is at 160 now. Senior Isaiah Hale (182) is back. He was third in the state last year at 170. Senior Darrien Ingram (195) was an 8-AAAA champ last year while senior Randy Galvan (220) was a region runner-up last year. Senior Nick Whitmire, region champ at 160 but now at 170, is trying to come back from a broken ankle.
“We have an experienced group but we also have some question areas,” Cunningham said. “Hopefully we can have a strong showing and try to defend our title.”
Chestatee returns seniors Jaime Arroyo (182) and Marvin Cunningham (138), and junior Matthew McClellon (145) who each finished third in AAAA in last season’s traditional tournament. Cunningham is moving to 145, McClellon to 152, and Arroyo will stay at 182. Senior Benigno Alarcon (195) was a state qualifier last year and also returns.
“We have a good group,” Barr said. “We’re just going to try and wrestle the best we can and see what happens. But I think this will be a good test for all the teams as we try to get ready for the Area Duals.”
Millwood, who is guiding the Red Elephants for the first time after moving over from Flowery Branch, said they will are hoping to use the event as scouting report for themselves.
“We want to see where we are and what kind of progress we’ve made and what we still need to work on,” Millwood said. “This ia great venue to do that.”
Senior Terrell Knight (170) may be looked on to lead the way for Gainesville. He is the defending Region 8-AAAAA Area champ and recently finished fourth at the always-tough Panther Invitational.
Senior Anthony Constantini (195) won the Panther Invitational. Sophomore Malique Johnson (138), senior Jerson Garcia (145), sophomore Keith Harris (220), and senior David Galaviz (285) give the Red Elephants a solid group.
“I think we could be a darkhorse if we show up,” Millwood said. “Terrell and Anthony I expect to kind of be our leaders but I think Malique could make some noise for us. Keith could be a darkhorse in his weight-class.”
West Hall coach Eric Radich brings in an inexperienced team with just one returning state placer from a year ago.
Senior Jesse Bridgewater (145) finished sixth in Class AAA last year at 138 but is coming off a knee injury and his status is uncertain. Senior Mark Maynard (182), an Area runner-up last year, and junior Robbie Campbell (120) are the most experienced wrestlers back for the Spartans.
“We’re just battling some things right now,” Radich said. “We wrestled Chestatee (earlier in the week) and had to forfeit two matches and had two starters out. Right now our goal is just to try to get better than the last time out.”
For East Hall, the Vikings come in somewhat young but they do have a solid 1-2 punch in senior Will Davidson (132) and sophomore James Stoudenmire (120). Davidson moved from 126, where he finished fifth in Class AAA last year. Stoudenmire moved up from 106, where he was an Area 7-AAA champion and a state qualifier.
Senior Kevin Thompson (195) was a state qualifier last year as was junior Dylan Finley (220). Sophomore Ryan Buffington (138) is one to watch for the Vikings.
"We have some holes in the lineup but we feel we can be competitive," Stoudenmire said. "We're going to use this as a way for us to build and get better and get ready for the Area Duals. This is a great tournament to teach the young guys what a high-pressure duals tournament is like."
