Mat ’Canes Have Two Forfeits; Go Two-And-Out At State Tournament

After earning a trip to the AA State Tournament, the ‘Canes lost their first match to East Laurens 44-33. It was ironic in that they lost by 11 points and gave up 12 points via forfeit.

Victor Bautista was out sick which left the 120 pound weight class open and the 106 weight class has been open all season. Jordan Weaver, Patrick Clement, Brian Harper, Matthew Chupp, Oscar Sandoval and Brandon Barger were all winners in the match.

The second round, which eliminated the ‘Canes, was a 49-16 loss to Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC), who finished number three in the state. In spite of this loss, Barger, Sandoval and Clement all three were winners versus GAC.

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In spite of this team loss some individual records are still very impressive. Sandoval is undefeated with a record of 43-0, Barger is undefeated with a record of 37-0, and Clement is 48-1. Justin Bradley is coming on strong with a record of 39-11.

These types of records bode well for the ‘Canes later in the season when the region, sectional and state individual tournaments take place.

Head Wrestling Coach Andy Rewis said, “In spite of the way things turned out in the state duals, we wrestled pretty well. I told the kids the second half of the season was going to be tougher than the first half, and it’s shaping up to be just that. What we’ll do through the end of January is get our guys ready for individual competition.”

The team traveled to Bishop to take on N. Oconee, Elbert and Lanier yesterday, too late to report the results in this edition.

This Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21, they will travel to Covington to participate in the East Metro Invitational.

Next Tuesday, January 24, which will be Senior Night, the team will host Lamar and Baldwin.