GAINESVILLE -- Paul White knows a thing or two about wrestling.
So when the renowned National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach, mostly of North Hall legend, opined after the Hall County Championships last week, people took notice.
“I told some people that was the most dominant performance by a wrestling team in a while,” White confirmed about his assessment of North Hall’s 8-0 destruction of the rest of the Hall County programs in the round-robin dual format.
The Trojans won each match by at least 60 points and claimed 11 of the 14 weight class top wrestler spots. Matt Glenn (138-pounds) in the 106-145 weights and Dalton Battle (170) in the 152-285 weights both took home Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.
Glenn has been stellar posting a perfect 23-0 record and Jacob Pedraza at 126 has compiled a 24-1 mark so far on the season to pace the Trojans.
“This is one of the most experienced teams I’ve seen in a while. Most of the guys have been wrestling for many years and it shows when they’re out on the mat,” White continued.
The lopsided team victory was not unexpected as North Hall is the reigning Class 3A Duals state champion. They finished third in the 2018 Traditional tournament and returned all but one of their top 14 wrestlers from that squad. Area programs will get no quarter in upcoming years either as 11 of the 13 returnees are underclassmen.
Current North Hall coach David Nichols, along with long-time assistants Matt Whitmire and Pat Holcomb, may be assembling a blossoming dynasty. Although, the Trojans do reside in the same classification as Jefferson, which has won 18 consecutive Traditional state titles and every Duals state title since its inception in 2002 spanning four different classifications, and Sonoraville, which claimed the 2018 Class 3A Traditionals, and both represent large obstacles.
The Trojans came out of the Hall County Championships with a 14-2 Duals record on the season. They own wins over 2018 Class 6A state champion Richmond Hill, Mountain View (4th in Class 7A in 2018), Locust Grove (4th in Class 5A in 2018), Rockdale County, and Tennesse powerhouse Bradley Central. Their two losses came to Woodland-Cartersville ("in my opinion, the best team in the state, any classification," Nichols said,) and Mountain View in a rematch.
Nichols said he feels they have been building to this very moment.
“We have a lot of kids that have worked hard over many years to get to this point,” Nichols said. “Our focus as a team has been on developing a lineup of 14 that does whatever it takes as far as mental toughness and heart. The kids have shown a commitment to that attitude.”
Nichols also said they realize they will have their work cut out in a stacked classification. But he also acknowledged that they are ready for the challenge.
“It’s going to be a tough (state) Duals competition but we really feel like we can compete with anyone, including Jefferson and Sonoraville,” he said. “I really feel that those are three evenly-matched teams. Right now we’re just trying to get better so we can put ourselves in a position to have a chance at another title.”
North Hall will feed its competitive juices next week with what surely has to be one of the best tri-match duals event in the state all season. The Trojans will play host to perennial state powers Gilmer (2018 Class 4A state runner-up) and Collins Hill (Class 7A) on Wednesday at the North Hall gym.
Gilmer won seven Traditional titles and eight Duals state titles from 2008 to 2016 in Classes 3A and 4A. Collins Hill is a stalwart in Class 7A after winning seven Traditional titles and five Duals state titles over a 10-year period from 2002 to 2012.
“It should be a great set of matches,” Nichols said. “Collins Hill recently finished in the top two or three at the national Southern Slam tournament in South Carolina while Gilmer will be among the favorites to win the Class 4A title. We’re really looking forward to the competition and to see how we stack up against the best-of-the-best in the state."
Below is the final finish at The Hall County Championships held on Dec. 7-8 at Gainesville:
Weight class-Top wrestler-School-record
106: Dawson Thompson, North Hall, 8-0
113: David Domingo, Chestatee, 8-0
120: Elias Domingo, Chestatee, 8-0
126: Jacob Pedraza, North Hall, 8-0
132: Damon Campbell, North Hall, 8-0
138: Matt Glenn, North Hall, 8-0 (Most Oustanding Wrestler 106-145)
145: Hayden Cook, North Hall, 8-0
152: Chris Webb, Flowery Branch, 8-0
160: Hunter Adams, North Hall, 8-0
170: Dalton Battle, North Hall, 8-0 (Most Outstanding Wrestler 152-285)
182: Logan West, North Hall, 8-0
195: Logan Hawthorne, North Hall, 8-0
220: Seth Carlton, North Hall, 8-0
285: Bowie Eisenberg, North Hall, 7-1
Team Dual Records
1. North Hall 8-0
2. East Hall 7-1
3. Chestatee 6-2
4. West Hall 5-3
5. Flowery Branch 4-4
6. Riverside 3-5
7. Johnson 2-6
8. Cherokee Bluff 1-7
9. Gainesville 0-8
