JANUARY 17-18 & 25, 2025
Welcome to the 2025 GHSA Team Duals Wrestling State Championships!
The best teams from all classifications throughout our state will compete in what is sure to be an exciting highlight of the wrestling season. Thank you for your support of this tournament and for your support of high school wrestling throughout this season.
The GHSA is fortunate to have many partners and volunteers that make quality events such as this possible. These championships are hosted by seven of our high schools that include: Heard Co., Columbus, Troup Co., Ola, Lassiter, Lumpkin Co. and Buford. We are excited to be at each of these schools and appreciate the work of their outstanding sta that stands ready to help you in any way to make your experience the best it can be. Special thanks to Don Corr, who is the GHSA’s Associate Director for wrestling. This event is made possible through our corporate sponsors whose ads you will see throughout this program. I encourage you to support them whenever possible.
The Georgia High School Association believes that life lessons are learned through participation in athletics and hard work and discipline are especially true in wrestling. Our athletes have worked tirelessly and sacrificed much to reach this point. Thanks again for your support of these fine athletes and get ready for an exciting tournament.
Executive Director
Dr. Tim Scott
EXPERIENCED TALENT AND CHAMPIONSHIP PROWESS HIGHLIGHT END OF TEAM DUALS SEASON
BY SETH ELLERBEE | SELLERBEE@SCOREATL.COM
The GHSA Team Duals Wrestling season will begin to end at seven locations around the state with the boys taking to the mat Friday and Saturday and the girls competing Jan. 25 at Lumpkin County.
The boys will compete at Buford (6A), Lassiter (5A), Ola (4A), Troup County (3A), Columbus (2A) and Heard County (1A). Entering the double-elimination, bracket style tournaments, the reclassification cycle created newly-minted rivalries and rejoined former foes in the same bracket this season.
The sitting state champions are Camden County (7A, now 6A), South Effingham (6A, now 5A), Cass (5A, now 4A), Central-Carroll (4A), Lumpkin County (3A), Rockmart (2A) and Social Circle (1A). Cass and Central-Carroll (4A) are sitting champions who will now compete in the same class.
The event is a double-elimination bracket with the first two rounds of the winners and losers brackets scheduled for Friday and the final bouts of the loser’s and winner’s bracket scheduled for Saturday. If a team is going to win it outright, it will have to advance through four rounds of the winner’s bracket to secure the title.
CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER TALENT
Camden County is a high favorite in the state’s highest class (6A) this season and has won 21 total wrestling championships, which includes the past 10 team duals titles and the past 10 traditional wrestling championships.
Camden County features five wrestlers ranked atop the class in their respective weight classes, according to Grappler Gold’s Cody Parker at Georgia Grappler.
Ryder Wilder (190 pounds), Brock Weaver (157), Hunter Prosen (132), Bradley Patterson (120) and Elijah Hattaway (113) are wanting to lead Camden to another title. Mill Creek will challenge Camden’s streak and Teequavious Mills (106), Antonio Mills (126), Blue Stiffler (144) and Dominic Bambinelli (175) are ranked atop their respective weight classes.
The Class 5A individual rankings show three South Effingham wrestlers ranked atop their respective weight classes, leading the team into a title defense attempt in Class 5A. But after that, no other program has more than one wrestler ranked atop the weight classes. Brandon Bringer (157), Alarik Gibson (132) and Christopher Hardeman (106) are the top-ranked South Effingham talent.
Cass and Central-Carroll are the Class 4A favorites, as both are sitting champions and each have three wrestlers ranked at the top of their weight classes. For Cass, Rowdy Duck (138), Mason Tompkins (175) and Kriecg Roe (190). Central-Carroll is led by Chris Phillips (120), Ty Murray (132) and Colson Hoffman (144). Ola also has three top-ranked contenders in Max Meredith (126), Jveion Redmon (150) and Brian Papcun (157).
MEET ON THE MATS
Three-time defending and 15-time champion Rockmart is a favorite in Class 2A with three wrestlers ranked at the top of their weight classes. Eli Bowman (106), Malachi Macedonio (120) and Hagen Sharp (138) lead Rockmart. Sixteen-time champion Lovett features three top-ranked contenders and will challenge the sitting champions with Cael Kusky (126), Patrick Smyth (132) and Chris Mance (175).
Social Circle has won 13 overall wrestling championships and enters the Class A tournament wanting to defend last year’s Class A title. Three wrestlers will lead Social Circle and are ranked atop their respective weight classes. Laudon Ethridge (126), Curtis Duren (132) and James Sievers (138) will lead Social Circle.
The girls tournament will take place a week after the boys crown champions and last season, Carrollton secured the title before the event expanded to two eightteam championship brackets this season.
The top-ranked girls in their respective weight classes are Sandra DeSouza (Osborne, 235), Ava Catledge (Jefferson, 190), Terra Burse (Southeast Whitfield, 170), Elle Kaufmann (Lovett, 155), Greta Garbuzovas (Lumpkin, 145), Nora Garbuzovas (Lumpkin, 140), Milly Hughes (Jefferson, 135), Vera Spencer (North Oconee, 130), Artemis Eaton (North Forsyth, 125), Delialah Betances (Lee County, 120), Ollie Wieland (White County, 115), Kaitlin Coleman (McEachern, 110), Manoela Almeida (Pope, 105) and Brianna Higgins (Camden County, 100). Visit GeorgiaGrappler.com Gold Premium for more in-depth GHSA wrestling news.
Lumpkin County might be the sitting Class 3A champion, but Jefferson – which has 44 wrestling championships, and five wrestlers ranked atop their weight classes – might be the favorite. The Dragons have won 24 traditional titles and 20 traditional championships including 18 straight titles from 2002 to 2019. Barrett Clayton (120), Draike McDonald (126), Roman Belardo (132), Dallas Russell (157) and Cap Benson (175) lead the Dragons. Lumpkin is led by Nathan Nielsen (144), AJ Scott (165) and Mike Nichols (190).
