VALDOSTA – The Cats earned the right to compete at the 2019 6A State Duals in Macon by winning their 3rd consecutive Region 1-6A Duals Championship at Northside Warner Robins HS on January 12th. With only 5 teams in our region, a round robin format was used, and the top 2 teams advanced to the State Duals Championships in Macon. Our scores from Region were:
- Valdosta 57, Lee Co. 18
- Valdosta 54, Coffee Co. 21
- Valdosta 58, Houston Co. 15
- Valdosta 66, Northside WR 15
The State Duals bracket consists of 16 teams (top 2 from each of the 8 different 6A regions, with the 1st round featuring 1’s vs. 2’s). Depending upon dual meet results from this year and how qualifying teams finished in last year’s State Duals, the tougher/top teams were seeded (separated) in an effort to bring balance to the bracket. Entering the tournament, we were the #2 seed behind Richmond Hill, who was the top seed because they were the defending 6A Dual champs.
Round of 16 vs. Stephenson (Region 4-6A Runner-up) / VHS 58, Stephenson 20
- 152 – Benson Georges (Stephenson) over Javari Lester (Valdosta) DQ
- 160 – Dominique Dale (Valdosta) over Omari McCree (Stephenson) Fall 1:41
- 170 – Sam McFarland (Valdosta) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 182 – Antione Scott (Valdosta) over Kenneth Reese (Stephenson) Fall 1:02
- 195 – Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta) over Micah Godwin (Stephenson) Fall 2:43
- 220 – Cahlil Silimon (Stephenson) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 285 – Demetrius Allen (Valdosta) over Giavanni Agbo (Stephenson) Fall 1:34
- 106 – Darrell Rochester (Valdosta) over Titus Sanders (Stephenson) Fall 0:53
- 113 – Kaleb Davis (Valdosta) over Makye Wilson (Stephenson) Fall 1:28
- 120 – Jordan Hampton (Valdosta) over Lawrence Lake (Stephenson) Fall 0:37
- 126 – Tyler Lamon (Valdosta) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 132 – Lance Foucha (Stephenson) over Cameron Bradley (Valdosta) Maj 13-5
- 138 – Alec Sanders (Stephenson) over Jordan Brown (Valdosta) Maj 10-2
- 145 – Au`Shaud Evans (Valdosta) over Damonie Young (Stephenson) Maj 10-0
Thoughts by Coach Robbins before the Round Of 16:
“We expected this to be a favorable match-up, but we suffered a major loss in the very first bout of the dual when we had a senior ejected from the tournament. The presiding official tried to overturn the call after reviewing the circumstances, but was told by the tournament director that he could not change the call. This was a HUGE blow, as our 152 Javari Lester is a returning state qualifier and one of our best wrestlers- not to mention the only 152 on our roster (meaning we would have to forfeit 152 or bump a lighter more inexperienced kid up into the lineup to cover this spot. On a side note, we were already doing this at the 220 lbs. Weight class, as our returning 2x state qualifier Dominique Harrell was still out from a knee injury suffered in football).”
Notable match-up here was freshman Noah Pettigrew at 195, who got a fall over an upperclassman who was a returning state medalist.
Quarterfinals vs. South Paulding (Region 5-6A Runner-up) / VHS 45, SPHS 24
- 106 – Darrell Rochester (Valdosta) over Byron (Kadry) Shaddix (South Paulding) Fall 0:19
- 113 – Jacob Seymour (South Paulding) over Kaleb Davis (Valdosta) Dec 7-1
- 120 – Jordan Hampton (Valdosta) over Dustin Byers (South Paulding) Dec 8-4
- 126 – Tyler Lamon (Valdosta) over Greyson Ellerbee (South Paulding) Fall 0:45
- 132 – Cameron Bradley (Valdosta) over Noah Van Dyck (South Paulding) Dec 9-5
- 138 – Colin Kinard (South Paulding) over John Walsh (Valdosta) Dec 7-6
- 145 – Jordan Brown (Valdosta) over Chris Acree (South Paulding) Dec 2-1
- 152 – Au`Shaud Evans (Valdosta) over Jake Barnette (South Paulding) Fall 1:54
- 160 – Dominique Dale (Valdosta) over Dylan Dale (South Paulding) Fall 0:57
- 170 – Austin Seymour (South Paulding) over Sam McFarland (Valdosta) Fall 1:10
- 182 – Ruston Robinson (South Paulding) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 195 – Daniel (Steven) Clark (South Paulding) over Antione Scott (Valdosta) Fall 0:17
- 220 – Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta) over Garrison Reily (South Paulding) Fall 1:35
- 285 – Demetrius Allen (Valdosta) over Hunter Hester (South Paulding) Fall 1:02
Thoughts by Coach Robbins:
“South Paulding is traditionally a very good wrestling program, having made it to the State Duals finals as recently as 2017, so we knew this would be a tough match-up. I was really proud of how our kids responded in the this match, particularly in the wake of the controversy of the ejection at 152 lbs.”
Junior 120 pounder, Jordan Hampton, helped the Cats with a huge 8-4 decision over South’s defending State Champion.
Semifinals vs. Creekview (Region 6-6A Champions) / VHS 30, Creekview 27
- 170 – Sam McFarland (Valdosta) over Andrew Riley (Creekview) SV-1 2-1
- 182 – Antione Scott (Valdosta) over Jackson Gilleland (Creekview) Fall 1:08
- 195 – Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta) over Jake Locke (Creekview) Inj 0:01
- 220 – Avery Rocks (Creekview) over Zain McGlamery (Valdosta) Fall 1:13
- 285 – Eli Daugherty (Creekview) over Demetrius Allen (Valdosta) Dec 7-0
- 106 – Darrell Rochester (Valdosta) over Josh Bledsoe (Creekview) Fall 0:52
- 113 – Andrew Cory (Creekview) over Kaleb Davis (Valdosta) Dec 10-3
- 120 – Jordan Hampton (Valdosta) over Walker Wilkie (Creekview) Dec 8-5
- 126 – Tyler Lamon (Valdosta) over Mason Botts (Creekview) Dec 2-0
- 132 – Cade Sousa (Creekview) over Cameron Bradley (Valdosta) Dec 7-0
- 138 – Wyatt Bonno (Creekview) over Jordan Brown (Valdosta) Dec 9-6
- 145 – Au`Shaud Evans (Valdosta) over Willie Thang Sui Lian (Creekview) Dec 7-2
- 152 – Jared Wilmarth (Creekview) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 160 – Wyatt Higgins (Creekview) over Dominique Dale (Valdosta) Dec 11-7
Thoughts by Coach Robbins:
“Creekview is another team that is great year in and year out. We actually lost a close dual to them in the 3rd/4th place match last year at State Duals after both of us had lost in the semifinals. Needless to say it was a roller coaster of a match.”
State Finals vs. Alexander (Region 5-6A Champions) / VHS 34, Alexander 28
- 182 – Antione Scott (Valdosta) over Jaret Houston (Alexander) Fall 0:50
- 195 – Noah Pettigrew (Valdosta) over Reid Rogers (Alexander) TF 21-6
- 220 – Zach Loner (Alexander) over Zain McGlamery (Valdosta) Fall 1:00
- 285 – Demetrius Allen (Valdosta) over Jesse Martin (Alexander) Dec 3-0
- 106 – Andrew Voiles (Alexander) over Darrell Rochester (Valdosta) Dec 5-1
- 113 – David Jackson-Dodd (Alexander) over Kaleb Davis (Valdosta) Fall 4:25
- 120 – Jordan Hampton (Valdosta) over Grant Foster (Alexander) TF 15-0
- 126 – Tyler Lamon (Valdosta) over Tsion Brown (Alexander) Dec 6-1
- 132 – Nathaniel Green (Alexander) over Cameron Bradley (Valdosta) Maj 10-2
- 138 – Kavare Johnson (Alexander) over Jordan Brown (Valdosta) Dec 3-0
- 145 – Au`Shaud Evans (Valdosta) over Jacob Sickler (Alexander) Fall 0:47
- 152 – Dawson Matthews (Alexander) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 160 – Dominique Dale (Valdosta) over Carrington Johnson (Alexander) Dec 8-4
- 170 – Sam McFarland (Valdosta) over Gabriel Santiago (Alexander) Dec 3-1
Thoughts by Coach Robbins:
“Alexander finished as State Duals Runner-ups in 2018, and were State Duals Champions in 2017. Although we were seeded slightly higher, I think most folks considered them the favorite to win this match. Like the semi’s vs. Creekview, this was another wild one, not only because both teams were pretty evenly matched, but because it’s nearly impossible to keep your athletes from getting caught up in the moment in matches of this magnitude. When nerves and adrenaline get involved crazy stuff can happen, and it usually isn’t good.
We were tied at 28-28 entering the last 2 bouts (160 & 170). Senior Dominique Dale went out a won 8-4 at 160 to give us the edge 31-28. We were really hoping for bonus points at 160, but that’s a credit to their kid at that weight for keeping the score as close as he did. Up 3 entering the last match at 170, both teams knew that Alexander had the advantage in terms of the matchup, as they had a senior returning state qualifier there. Even if we could hold them to a decision (give up 3 team points by losing a narrow margin) to keep it 31-31, both teams knew that Alexander would win on criteria (list of details defined in the National Federation handbook to determine a winner of a tied dual meet), which meant that Sam had to win the match at 170. I know the weight of the world was on both kids, but somehow we found ourselves within striking distance late in the match. Sam got a reversal with one second left on the clock in the 3rd period to win 3-1 and secure the state title for us.”
“This is the first team wrestling state championship in VHS history, and I’m honored to be a part of it. There were a lot of great coaches and great wrestlers that came before us, but this group found a way to get it done. (We have had 11 individuals win state titles over the history of our program- we had a special banner presentation at our Wildcat Invitational this Christmas to honor these champions- but this is the first team to win it all.
I’ve been telling these guys all year that the only people that could stop them is themselves, and we have preached to them to stay focused on 2 things- always COMPETE and always keep your COMPOSURE. I’m so proud of them- that finals match was as tough an environment to do those 2 things, and they found a way to win. What makes it even more significant is they found a way to win without our best lineup in the face of adversity. The great thing about winning the Duals title as opposed to the Traditional title is that it is truly a team effort. You can see from the box scores, our hammers hammered everyone just like they should. Duals titles are won by the other wrestlers in the lineup who go out and fight their tails off to stay off their backs and not give up bonus points.
The support we’ve had from our administration and our system has been unbelievable. Dr. Cason (superintendent), Coach Mitchell (Athletic Director), and Mr. Moody (VHS asst principal), were there for our championship match, and immediately came down to congratulate the team. Our principal Dr. Richardson, our HFC Coach Rodemaker, our basketball coaches…all have gone out of their way to help wrestling. It’s not like that everywhere. The hype about Valdosta High & Titletown is for real- these people know what athletics can do for our student-athletes.”
*Individual Results & Overall Results as of 1/20/19
| WRESTLER | WT CLASS | STATE DUALS | OVERALL RECORD |
| Darrell Rochester (9) | 106 | 3-1 | 46-5 |
| Kaleb Davis (9) | 113 | 1-3 | 28-17 |
| Jordan Hampton (11) | 120 | 4-0 | 20-3 |
| Tyler Lamon (9) | 126 | 4-0 | 32-6 |
| Cameron Bradley (9) | 132 | 1-3 | 19-19 |
| Jordan Brown (11) | 138 | 1-3 | 17-24 |
| Aushaud Evans (12) | 145 | 4-0 | 30-7 |
| Javari Lester (12) | 152 | 0-1 | 11-6 |
| Dominique Dale (12) | 160 | 3-1 | 41-7 |
| Sam McFarland (11) | 170 | 3-1 | 16-8 |
| Antione Scott (11) | 182 | 3-0 | 19-5 |
| Noah Pettigrew (9) | 195 | 4-0 | 25-2 |
| Zain McGlamery (10) | 220 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| Demetrius Allen | HWT | 3-1 | 27-6 |
