Archer High Dominant at State Wrestling Meet

Archer High School has run away from the rest of the field in the Georgia High School Association Traditional Wrestling Championships in Macon.

With seven wrestlers advancing to Saturday's championship rounds, the Tigers have double the number of team points as the nearest competitors and will win their second state wrestling title of the season. The wrestlers advanced with wins in the semifinals Friday night, Feb. 15.

Archer, which won the state duals tournament last month, have 203 team points, far ahead of Camden County and Collins Hill, who were tied for second with 90.5 points each.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Buford advanced three wrestlers to the championship round and was in fourth place in Class AAA entering the final day.

In all, 15 Gwinnett County wrestlers advanced to Saturday’s championship matches

Saturday’s matches will include consolation semifinals (9:30 a.m.) and finals  (11 a.m.) and the championship finals (3 p.m.).

Results will be updated on the GHSA website.

Georgia High School Association

Traditional Wrestling Championships

At Macon

Class AAAAAA

113 pounds — Sean Russell of Collins Hill beat Chris Bartek of Camden County by a technical fall (22-5) to advance to face Cherokee’s Blake Walker.

120 — Collins Hill’s Ryan Milhoff advanced to the final with a pin of Valdosta’s Reggie Dennis. He will face Leonard Payton of Etowah in the final.

126 — Grant Aycox of Archer beat North Gwinnett’s Hunter Franklin 5-2 to reach the final against Milton’s Phillip Anderson.

132 — Chris Diaz of Archer will face Walton’s Jacob Murphy in the final after beating Meadowcreek’s Rene Deluna in the semifinal.

138 — Daniel Bullard of Archer advanced to the final with a 6-4 win over Rudy Guillen of Norcross. He will face Camden’s Jason Altau for the title.

145 — Thomas Bullard of Archer pinned Collins Hill’s Michael Roquet to reach the final, and will face Valdosta’s Clarence Williams Saturday.

152 — Archer’s Zach Wright advanced to the final to meet Matt Moody of Lowndes. Wright beat Harrison’s Flacco by default in the semifinal.

160 — Khalil Abdush-Shakur of Parkview reached the final with a 10-3 decision over North Forsyth’s Matt Carroll. He will face Josh McMahan of Chattahoochee in the final.

195 — Ernest Alexander of Archer won a 5-2 decision over North Gwinnett’s Brett Byerly to reach the final against Etowah’s Maverick Rechsteiner.

285 — M.J. Couzan of Archer scored his third straight fall (over Woodstock’s Wes Pella) to reach the final against Michael Scullin of South Forsyth.

Class AAA

113 pounds — Buford’s Jack Barber reached the final with a 6-4 decision over Woodward Academy’s Max Pastor, and will face Oconee’s Marshall Brown for the title.

126 — Brayden Hartley of Buford will wrestle Banks County’s Mason Patton for the state title. Hartley beat Rockmart’s Nick Forsyth 13-2 in the semifinal.

182 — Chip Ness of Buford beat Elbert County’s K’Taro Cade 18-2 in the semifinal, and will face Dawson County’s Gavin Brown in the final.

Class AA

132 pounds — Carter Clineball of Greater Atlanta Christian reached the final with an 11-2 win over Chatooga’s Hayden Burdick. Clineball will face Bremen’s Brock Cooper in the final.

170 — Wesleyan’s Rhett Delk will face Monticello’s Oscar Sandoval in the weight class final. Delk beat Josh Sampson of Spencer in Friday’s semifinals.