MACON, Ga. — Jefferson finished off an emotional weekend at the State traditional tournament, pulling away from four other northeast Georgia programs from Area 6-3A to capture the Class 3A state title on Friday.
The Dragons, out of Area 8-3A, compiled 209 points to beat North Hall (144), defending 3A champion Lumpkin County (113), White County (90.5), and Dawson County (87).
The Dragons completed the title run after senior Dominic Haines was severely injured on Thursday night with a broken neck. Haines was life-flighted to Arthur Blank Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he underwent surgery most of the night.
The latest update from Jefferson coach Kyle Baird was that surgery on his neck was successful and that Haines was awake and asking to see his teammates on Saturday morning.
Also, at the State Traditional tournament, Buford finished second to powerhouse Camden County in Class 6A. Camden amassed 270 points to the Wolves’ 209. It was the 11th consecutive title for the Wildcats.
North Hall had seven individual wrestlers make the podium on the final day, with Kade Hawthorne and Jack Procter capturing the state title in their respective weight classes and Parker Carlton finishing runner-up.
West Hall, which finished 19th in Class 3A, had a pair of wrestlers finish in the top four. Junior Nasser Aliou (175-pounds) finished third and sophomore Amari Fagan (132) finished fourth for the Spartans.
