Woodland wrestling wins second state title of the year
The Woodland wrestling team completed the 2018-19 Class 5A sweep Saturday by capturing the GHSA state traditional tournament championship. Woodland, who won the GHSA state team duals championship earlier in the season, entered this week’s Class 5A traditional finals with nine wrestlers and each of them came through with top four finishes in their respective weight classes. The win is a fifth overall state title for the Woodland wrestling program. Three in the duals competition and now two traditional titles.
The Wildcats finished the four-day event at Macon Centreplex with 208.5 points and that was plenty to clear second place Buford who had 14 state finals qualifiers but managed only 186.5 points.
Woodland secured the team championship when senior and Northern Iowa signee Kyle Gollhofer captured his fourth individual title — winning the 120 pound division. He wrapped up his final high school season with a perfect record.
Wildcats’ sophomores Caden McCrary and Jaxon Smith won state championships. The win for McCrary (132-pounds) marks his second state title in two seasons. Saturday, it took sudden death before he completed a 3-1 win. Smith won the 145-pound division with a major decision in the finals.
Two Wildcats finished as individual state runners-up. Colton Bishop (113-pounds) lost to his Buford opponent (Stanford signee Logan Ashton) in the championship match. Bishop, who replaced injured senior Gavin Nix, started the season in the JV ranks. Meanwhile, Wildcats’ 126-pounder Caleb Henson suffered his only loss of the season in his title bout.
Four more Woodland competitors wrestled for third place.
Cole Cochran (138-pounds), Bryce Shedd (182), and Demarcus Williams (195) all won their respective consolation brackets to place third. Junior Rosati lost his third place bout in the 106-pound division.
PHOTOS (L-R starting at top): Kyle Gollhofer, Jaxson Smith, Caden McCrary, Noah Hoffmeier, Paige Nelson, Bryce Kresho, Kendall Arnold ---- photos of Gollhofer, Smith, McCrary, Hoffmeier, and Nelson by Randy Parker, The Daily Tribune News
COLONELS’ HOFFMEIER WINS STATE TITLE
Cass High School sophomore Noah Hoffmeier won the 182-pound weight class of Class 5A Saturday with a narrow 5-2 minor decision over Jamal Boyd of Cedar Shoals. Hoffmeier recorded a pair of pins and a major decision on his way to the finals. In addition to the Colonels’ sophomore, other state placers for Cass included: Bryce Kresho, Ben Mills, and Kendall Arnold. Kresho was third at 113. Arnold placed third in the 152-pound division. Mills was a sixth place finisher at 126 pounds. As a team, Cass earned 87 points to place sixth.
CANES’ NELSON IS RUNNER-UP IN GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
Cartersville’s Paige Nelson reached the 166-pound finals of the inaugural GHSA state girls tournament before falling to Heaven Byrd of Hiram.
Elora Waterman also placed for the Cartersville girls. She finished fifth in the 95-pound division.
EARICK, WILLIAMS PLACE FOR HURRICANES The Cartersville boys wrestling team had a pair of competitors earn state places in Class AAAA as the team finished 15th with 44 points. Freshman Tyler Earick placed fourth in the 106-pound division. Jabril Williams was sixth in the 160-pound bracket.
TIGERS’ BANDA, JACKSON PLACE THIRD
Senior Nic Jackson at 170-pounds and sophomore Angel Banda at 113-pounds both finished third in the Class AAA traditional state tournament. As a team, the Tigers finished 12th overall in Class AAA with 42 points.
