The girls portion of the Georgia High School Association’s team duals wrestling championships will take center stage when champions in two divisions are crowned this weekend.
The two divisions, new this year, are a reflection of the growth in one of the state’s newest sports.
There were 650 participants when girls wrestling was introduced as a non-championship sport separate from the boys in 2019-20. That number had grown to 1,182 when it was sanctioned as a championship sport in 2022-2023 and has more than doubled since then, climbing to 2,450 this season.
There are now 328 schools that compete in girls wrestling, up from 264 two years ago.
Here are some details on the tournament and the first-round matchups in each division.
*When, where: The girls duals wrestling championships will be held Saturday at Lumpkin County High School in Dahlonega. The eight first-round matches (four in Division 1 and four in Division 2) are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
*Format: Eight teams in each of the two divisions will go head-to-head in Saturday’s first round, The semifinals and championship matches will follow. The losing teams in each round will drop to the wrestlebacks, or consolation round, and compete for third and fourth place.
*Stories to watch: Carrollton has been the dominant program since girls wrestling was sanctioned as a championship sport two years ago. The Trojans won the duals and traditional championships last season and won the duals title in 2023. Carrollton finished second in the 2023 traditional tournament. The Trojans will take on Shiloh of the first round of the Division 1 bracket, made up of larger schools … Lumpkin County twins Greta (145 pounds) and Nora Garbuzovas (140 pounds) are the state’s top-ranked girls in their weight classes. Lumpkin County finished in the top six in last year’s 16-team duals championship and placed third in the traditional tournament.
*Boys recap: Camden County won its 11th consecutive team duals championship last weekend. Rockmart won its fourth straight, and Cass and Social Circle won for the second straight year. Jefferson, the state’s all-time leader in wrestling state titles, claimed the Class 3A championship, and Creekview of Class 5A won its first duals championship (the Grizzlies won the traditional tournament in 2020).
*What’s next: The traditional wrestling region and area tournaments will be held Jan. 31-Feb. 1, to be followed by the sectionals on Feb. 7-8. The traditional wrestling state tournament, for boys and girls, will be Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Coliseum.
*First-round matchups:
Division 1
Carrollton vs. Shiloh
Gainesville vs. McEachern
Greenbrier vs. Campbell
Pope vs. Richmond Hill
Division 2
Lumpkin County vs. Hardaway
Oglethorpe County vs. Long County
Chestatee vs. Gilmer
LaFayette vs. Jordan
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