MACON — Jefferson kept alive its jaw-dropping run of titles, while Commerce continued its own streak on Saturday at the state duals wrestling championships in Macon.
The Dragons defeated Region 8-AAA rival Jackson County 61-11 in the Class AAA title match to make it 15 straight crowns -- one for every season that the state duals have existed.
Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond said he was glad to see a new crop of wrestlers get their time in the spotlight.
"We had three freshmen in the lineup and they got to experience this for the first time," Thurmond said. "The seniors also didn't want to finish wrong and see the streak end. I thought the whole group did a great job the entire tournament."
Thurmond said Mitchell McGhee's 120-pound match in the finals epitomized the weekend for his Dragons.
"He sprained an ankle and had to use all but 38 seconds of his injury time. Then, he hurt it again and used the rest of it. If he hurt it again the match would have been over because you only get two stoppages," Thurmond said. "But he gritted it out and was able to actually get a pin. A tremendous effort."
Meanwhile, Commerce took out Mt. Zion 54-15 in the Class A finale to extend the Tigers championship run to three in a row.
Tigers coach Kendall Love said they are beginning to make a name for themselves, and not just in Class A.
"I feel that we're putting Commerce on the state map," Love said. "We wrestled well as a team the whole tournament. The best part was that we were also able to get a lot of younger kids into the lineup in the early rounds to give them some experience at this level. I can't say enough about their effort."
The title performances proved the zenith of an impressive day for area programs at the state duals, as Buford also finished as Class AAAA runner-up, battling Gilmer in the championship bout but falling 45-21.
In the first action Saturday, North Hall finished third in Class AAAA after knocking off Marist and West Laurens in a pair 38-34 victories in the consolation semifinals and finals. The Trojans came into the Duals as the eighth seed.
Lumpkin County, however, fell 32-29 to Ringgold in the Class AAA third-place match on Saturday.
In Class A, Commerce whipped Trion 60-9 in the semifinals while Mt. Zion held off Treutlen 45-34 in the other semifinal.
In Class AAA, Jefferson, the defending champion and No. 1 seed, knocked off Lumpkin 53-15 in one semifinal and Jackson County, the No. 2 seed, beat Ringgold 45-22 in the other semifinal. Jefferson beat Jackson County earlier in the season in a dual match but neither had their full complement of starters.
In Class AAAA, third seed Buford avenged two losses to No. 2 seed Marist in last year's Duals knocking off the War Eagles 41-24 in the semifinals this year. The Wolves will go for their second state title in three years -- they won the 2014 Class AAA title -- but will have to find a way to take down six-time defending champion Gilmer, which beat Locust Grove 50-27 in the other semifinal.
In the morning action, Commerce opened defense of its Class A state title with a solid 60-10 win over Turner County in the quarterfinal round.
In Class AAA, Jefferson and Lumpkin County advanced to the semifinals with big wins. The Dragons roughed up McNair 72-8 in their quarterfinal match while Lumpkin County, the No. 5 seed, took down No. 4 seed Toombs County 48-19. Jackson County advanced to the semifinals with a 41-24 victory over Rockmart, 41-24.
In Class AAAA, North Hall took Gilmer down to the wire in one quarterfinal but eventually fell to the Bobcats, 40-30, to fall into the consolation bracket. Buford advanced to the semifinals holding off West Laurens, 42-31.
North Hall turned around and knocked off Carrollton 48-28 in the consolation bracket and then won a 37-36 nail-biter over Heritage, Catoosa. The eighth-seeded Trojans will take on Marist in the consolation bracket on Saturday.
