BUFORD — Despite already owning a state duals title, the Buford wrestling team did something Saturday no other Wolves team had been able to accomplish: they brought home their first-ever area duals crown.
Buford held off North Hall 35-24 in the 8-AAAA finals to claim a crown and clinch a spot in the state duals tournament next week in Macon. It was only part of a big weekend for area wrestling programs, as Jefferson also claimed the 8-AAA duals and Lumpkin the 7-AAA duals.
Buford coach Jason Burton said it was a solid day for his group.
“We did a lot of scouting and there was a lot of strategy going on with lineup positioning and I was proud of how our guys came out ready to go,” Burton said. “We felt confident all week that we could win it. It feels good to come away with the first Area Duals title for the school.”
North Hall muscled its way into the State Duals beating Chestatee, 48-24, in the second place match. The two teams had not met during the regular bracket and Chestatee won the third place match over Monroe Area, 52-24, to force a wrestle-off for second.
Buford rolled through the competition on the way to the title. The Wolves opened with a 67-12 romp over Johnson and then held off Chestatee 46-24 with four pins and a major fall win. However, they also won three decision matches by just two points or less.
North Hall advanced to the finals with a pair of 66-18 thumpings of North Oconee in the first round and then Monroe Area in the semifinals. The Trojans, however, fell to Buford in the finals setting up their second place showdown with Chestatee.
The War Eagles earned the third spot beating Stephens County 58-24 to open the tournament before falling to Buford in the semifinals. Chestatee advanced to the third place match with a 48-33 win over White County in the wrestleback bracket.
White County fell 39-36 to Monroe in the opening round but rebounded with a 48-27 win over North Oconee. The Warriors fell to Chestatee in a chance to reach the third place match.
There was plenty of competition taking place elsewhere around northeast Georgia for a bid to Macon...
7-AAA: Lumpkin County fought past Franklin County to claim the 7-AAA crown. The Indians topped a bracket that included Banks County in third place and Dawson County in fourth.
8-AAA: Jefferson kept its drive for 16 straight state duals championships going strong with an 8-AAA championship on Saturday. The Dragons pushed past cross-town rival Jackson County, which ended up in second place to also secure a bid to Macon. Jefferson knocked off Oconee County in the semifinals, while Jackson County took out Morgan County in the semifinals; Morgan County finished third.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/1/361406/wrestling-buford-takes-first-ever-8-aaaa-duals-crown-north-hall-2nd-as-both-advance-to-state