The sport of wrestling engages a national audience and the high level of competition growing in Georgia has not gone unnoticed. Several NAIA and Division II Peach State schools have added wrestling as the sport grows. There is still not a Division 1 wrestling program in our backyard, but on Dec. 15 there will be Division 1 wrestling hitting the mats at Mountain View High School as Big Ten’s Purdue and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga of the Southern Conference compete.
The Chattanooga Mocs are mindful of Georgia’s wrestling talent. Sprayberry product Alex Hudson is a senior on this year’s Mocs roster. Hudson was a three-time state champion (2007, 2008, 2009) with a 187-6 varsity record with the Yellow Jackets. He won the state championship at 112 pounds as a sophomore, 125 pounds as a junior and 145 pounds as a senior. The athletically-gifted Hudson still holds the cross-country record at Sprayberry and was a four-year member of the team. In college, Hudson continues improving and he claimed the SoCon title at 149 pounds last season and posted a 6-0 record in conference action.
Parkview’s Kamaal Abdush-Shakur and Pope’s Tyler Haskin are seniors committed to the Mocs next season. In addition to Abdush-Shakur and Haskin is a long list of seniors that collected scholarships and attention from our neighboring states. Buford’s Chip Ness is committed to North Carolina and Collins Hill’s Ryan Millhof has pledged to Oklahoma. Woodward Academy’s Chandler Pyke (N.C. State), Milton’s Ryan Preisch (Lehigh), Jefferson’s Tyler Marinelli (Gardner-Webb), Collins Hill’s Sean Russell (Edinboro), Apalachee’s Matthew Moore (North Carolina), Commerce’s Chance McClure (Virginia) and Pope’s Jake Henson (Virginia) all plan on representing Georgia at the collegiate level.
Before these athletes arrive at their college campuses, this season’s slate of duals and tournaments will continue testing and preparing them for future success. This past weekend, Toombs County made a statement in the Jeff Davis Yellow Jacket Duals by topping Class AAAAA No. 2 Ware County 42-33 in the finals to take first place. The Gators responded to the loss by dominating Glynn Academy and Brantley (Fla.) by a combined score of 155-0 on Tuesday. Parkview was tested in area play on Tuesday and Grayson defeated the Panthers 39-38. The Rams have been a surprise this season and hold a 12-2 record. This year looks as deep as any across our six classifications.
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