The championship portion of the Georgia High School Association’s winter sports season will get underway this weekend when 96 teams compete around the state for six titles in team duals wrestling.
Here are some details on the tournament and the first-round matchups in each classification.
When, where: The dual wrestling championships will be held Friday and Saturday at six locations. Class 6A teams will compete at Buford. Other locations include Lassiter (Class 5A), Ola (Class 4A), Troup (Class 3A), Columbus (Class 2A) and Heard County (Class A). The Class A field will include teams from Division I and Division II, and private schools will compete in their class placement and not be divided into their own tournament as is done in other sports.
Format: Sixteen teams in each of the six championship brackets will go head-to-head in Friday’s first round, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals later that day. The semifinals and championship matches will be held Saturday. The losing teams in each round will drop to the wrestlebacks, or consolation round, and compete for third and fourth place.
Stories to watch: Camden County is seeking its 11th consecutive state championship in the team duals. Only Jefferson, which won 19 consecutive duals titles from 2001-19 and 18 straight traditional titles (2001-18) has longer streaks in GHSA history. Camden County also will by trying to win its 11th consecutive traditional title next month. … Camden County won’t be the only team trying to extend a championship streak. Rockmart has won three straight titles, and South Effingham and Central-Carrollton have each won two in a row. … The championships will have only six divisions this year, instead of the seven it has had the past eight years, after the GHSA’s decision to eliminate Class 7A in the most recent reclassification. That move has put defending champions Cass and Central-Carrollton in the same class this season. Cass won Class 5A last year, and Central-Carrollton won 4A. They’ll compete together in Class 4A and would meet in the semifinals if both get that far. … Other defending state champions are Lumpkin County (won 3A in 2024) and Social Circle (Class A).
What’s next: The girls duals championships will be held Jan. 24-25 at Lumpkin County High School. For the first time, there will be two divisions, each with eight teams vying for titles. The traditional wrestling championships, where wrestlers compete as individuals to compile points for their teams in the team standings, will be held Feb. 13-15 at the Macon Centreplex. Championships for both boys and girls will be held there.
First-round matchups:
Class 6A
Camden County vs. East Coweta
Etowah vs. Mill Creek
Harrison vs. North Gwinnett
Rockdale County vs. West Forsyth
Brookwood vs. Hillgrove
Archer vs. Walton
Colquitt County vs. Carrollton
North Forsyth vs. Buford
Class 5A
South Effingham vs. Habersham Central
Alexander vs. Dunwoody
Coffee vs. McIntosh
Gainesville vs. Creekview
Jackson County vs. Pope
Newnan vs. Thomas County Central
Woodward Academy vs. Seckinger
Villa Rica vs. Glynn Academy
Class 4A
Central-Carrollton vs. Lithonia
Perry vs. Pace Academy
Walnut Grove vs. Locust Grove
Cambridge vs. Cass
Woodland-Cartersville vs. Westminster
Eastside vs. Ware County
St. Pius vs. Harris County
Drew vs. Ola
Class 3A
Jefferson vs. Dougherty
Stone Mountain vs. Heritage-Catoosa
Long County vs. Harlem
Upson-Lee vs. Lumpkin County
Gilmer vs. Jenkins
Oconee County vs. Troup
Bainbridge vs. Luella
Dawson County vs. West Laurens
Class 2A
Rockmart vs. Columbia
Morgan County vs. Jordan
Coahulla Creek vs. Rutland
East Jackson vs. Cook
Lovett vs. Pierce County
Ringgold vs. Pike County
Union County vs. Sonoraville
Glenn Hills vs. Columbus
Class A
Social Circle vs. McIntosh Co. Academy
Dublin vs. Irwin County
Mount Pisgah Christian vs. Heard County
Elbert County vs. Trion
Bremen vs. Jasper County
St. Francis vs. Commerce
Brantley County vs. Gordon Lee
Berrien vs. Toombs County
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