Mat Canes Dominate Class AA in East Metro Invitational

The ’Canes traveled to Covington last Friday and Saturday to grapple with 22 other teams of all classifications in the East Metro Invitational Tournament.

Even though they finished in sixth place, they also finished as the highest placing team in the AA classification. It was the first individual tournament of the year in which every match is worth points as teams move through the brackets, or weight classes.

Head Wrestling Coach Andy Rewis said, “Everyone in the lineup won at least one match. It was a huge win for us and everybody on the team contributed.”

Oscar Sandoval at 170 pounds finished in second place in his weight class, and Brandon Barger finished third in the 182 weight class. Sandoval and Barger had their undefeated strings end, but their losses were to class AAA or AAAA competitors, as were Patrick Clement’s and Timmy Postlethwait’s, who both finished in fifth place in the 145 and 220 pound classes.

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Clarke Central, who was the state runner-up in the recent state duals in the AAAA classification took first place.

Coach Rewis added, “Our guys wrestled hard and probably won some matches they weren’t supposed to. We faced a lot of upper classifications that we won’t have to face in the state individual tournament. It was sixth place, but with the teams there, I felt like it was the best we have wrestled all year.”

Earlier last week the team traveled to Bishop and defeated North Oconee 48-15, Lanier 51-15 and Elbert County 55-16.

The team was scheduled to wrestle Lamar and Baldwin this past Tuesday, too late to report the results in this edition.

This Saturday, Jan. 28, they are scheduled to travel to Social Circle for the fabled Redskin Rumble Tournament with action getting underway at approximately 9 a.m.

Next Tuesday, January 31, they are scheduled to travel to Conyers with matches with Heritage and Stockbridge.