The new year is off to a great start as the Banks County mat Leopards kicked off 2011 with a tournament win at the Georgia-Carolina Classic, Jan. 1.
Banks County returned as the champion of the 17th annual Georgia-Carolina Classic, hosted by Hart County, after defeating area opponent Jackson County in the final round. Last year the Jackson County Panthers defeated the mat Leopards in the final, and were favored this year as the champion.
Jackson County was a fourth ranked team in the state while Banks County was ranked at sixth heading into the final match. Banks County secured the win 39-30, but a last match forfeit by the Panthers finalized the win 45-30 for the mat Leopards.
“This was the first time we have ever beaten Jackson County,” said coach Kasey Hanley. “I am proud of the guys, they wrestled hard and came out ready to go.”
The varsity grapplers, missing three starters, worked their way through the brackets, defeating Elbert County (64-14), two AAA teams, Franklin County (50-18) and Westside Augusta (50-18). Banks County also defeated the house team and won all but two matches in a 76-12 competition.
Some standout matches from the Georgia-Carolina classic included Mason Patton (112), Jordan Waters (119), Justin Fincannon (135), Francisco Hurtado (125), Hayden Dilbeck (152), Jeremy Greenway (160) and Joe Denton (189).
With the big win at the tournament under their belts, the mat Leopards attention now turns to the area tournament this weekend at Jefferson. The Area Duals begin Friday at 5 p.m. at Jefferson with the second round starting around 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, the tournament continues at 9 a.m. with the championship round in the early afternoon.
According to Hanley, this could be the first match where Banks County has had all of its starters in the lineup. Since the beginning of the season, the mat Leopards have not had all of the starters competing for various reasons, but Hanley expects to be at full strength by Friday.
It appeared that Banks County would enter into the area tournament as the number two seed behind Jefferson.
“We need to get everyone to weight and by this weekend be where we need to be,” Hanley said. “If we continue to wrestle like we have been, I think we give ourselves a good shot at going back to the state duals.”
The top two teams of 12, from this weekend’s Area Duals will continue on to the state duals Jan. 14-15 in Macon. Banks County will compete against several powerhouse teams including Jefferson, Jackson County and Dawson County. Other familiar teams include East Hall and East Jackson.
“We have beaten several guys from our area so far. We all have been working hard and several of our guys have been putting in extra work that will hopefully payoff. We should have a good shot at making it back to Macon,” said Hanley.
