Pickens Falls Short in Region Tournament

The Pickens Dragons fell to the Heritage High School Generals 56-15 in wrestle backs; teams that have lost must “wrestle back” to place in the tournament. The loss ended the Dragons quest for second place in the tournament, and the invitation to the state tournament that came with it.The Dragons began the tournament breathing fire as they burned the Southeast Whitfield Raiders in the first round 40-24.

The next round featured an epic battle decided in the end by “criteria,” because of a tied team score (33-33). The pirate parade continued for the Dragons as they faced the Buccaneers of Allatoona High School.

The Buccaneers drew first blood with a minor win (less than eight match points) at the 135 weight class worth three team points. Nathan Weaver fell to a technical pin (more than 15 match point lead) at 140. He fought a nasty cradle (where the opponent has his arms locked around the the wrestler’s knee and head) to avoid the pin, which gave up five team points as opposed to six team points.

The Dragons scored a pin at 145 by John Reynold to break the shutout. Their first lead came during the next match, 152, when Jeff Howitt scored minor win to make the score 9-8. The Buccaneers then proceeded to go on a four match win streak, during which one woman exclaimed,

“These kids are mean!”

Heavyweight Tre Von Hampton gnashed the Dragons teeth with a pin making the score 27-15. The teams battled back and forth going into the last match, 130l, with Allatoona holding a three point 33-30 lead. Robert Wofford won the match 4-0, securing a minor win and forcing a 33-33 tie. The Dragons were awarded the win based on the “criteria” of unsportsmanlike penalties against Allatoona. It was their last win of the tournament.

The win advanced the Dragons into a third round match up against the number one seed Lafayette Ramblers and were dispensed 39-16. The loss was followed by the Heritage Generals shooting down the Dragons in the 56-15 debacle.