MACON — North Hall and Jefferson set up a all-northeast Georgia final in Class 3A with big wins Friday in the semifinals at the State Duals wrestling tournament at the Macon Centreplex.
North Hall won 8 of the first 10 matches against fellow northeast Georgia power Jackson County en route to a 43-18 win over the Panthers. Jefferson held off Sonoraville 33-24 in the other semifinal, winning the final two matches after the Phoenix had pulled within 27-24.
The Trojans-Dragons matchup for the Class 3A crown will one of two powerhouse finals on the final day of the three-day event Saturday.
Two-time defending Class 5A State Duals champion Buford will get a chance to defend its title after holding off Cass 50-24 Friday in the semifinal round. The Wolves will take on No. 1 seed Woodland-Cartersville, which beat Veterans 45-15 in the other semifinal.
Also, five-time defending Class A State Duals champion Commerce moved into the finals with a 65-12 thumping of Turner County in the semifinals. The top-seeded Tigers will take on No. 2 seed Trion, which whipped Wesleyan 44-24 in the other semifinal.
All finals will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Macon Centreplex.
In Buford’s match with Cass, the Wolves led just 10-6 before winning five consecutive matches -- three by pin, one by forfeit, and one by a major fall -- to pull away for 38-6 lead. Evan Dimaggio (220-pounds), Jacob Smith (285), and Logan Ashton (113) all got quick first period pins in the barrage as they cruised the rest of the way.
For North Hall it got pins from Dalton Battle (170), Christian Contreras (113), and Jacob Pedraza (120) and Matthew Glenn (132) followed with a major fall win in its opening barrage against the Panthers.
Jefferson, meanwhile, was taken down to the wire by Sonoraville. The Phoenix pulled within 27-24 with just two matches left but the Dragons got wins from Nolan Sorrow at 152 and Avery Nelms at 160 to preserve the victory.
Lumpkin County stayed alive for a top four spot with a 46-24 win over Pike County in the consolation round in Class 3A. The Indians next will wrestle Cook in the consolation quarterfinals at 8:15 p.m.
Chestatee and Habersham Central both were knocked out of the State Duals in the consolation round of their respective classifications.
Chestatee earned its first win of the tournament taking down Eastside 45-28 in the first round Class 4A consolation bracket before falling to fellow Region 7-4A foe Blessed Trinity 44-34.
Habersham Central lost 46-15 to Brunswick in the first round Class 6A consolation bracket ending the Raiders tournament without winning a team match.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/1/754727/wrestling-chestatee-stays-alive-in-4a-consolation-bracket-lumpkin-habersham-also-under-way