Grapplers Heading South For Vidalia Tourney

“It’s a tournament we get to see some different styles and some different teams that we don’t normally see,” said coach Kendall Love.
Commerce will have some familiar local opponents as well, including Jefferson and East Jackson.

The mat Tigers head into the tournament with a topped-off tank after a productive week.
Last Tuesday Commerce hosted Morgan County and Franklin County.

“We beat them both pretty bad,” Love said.

Commerce beat the Bulldog wrestlers 59-18. The mat Tigers were not as generous with the Franklin County Lions, proving to be top cat on the mat at 72-6.
Up next for Commerce was West Hall on Friday. The AAA school also fell to the Commerce grapplers 59-11.

Those matches were warm-ups for the 14-team tournament at Social Circle on Saturday. The Redskin Rumble featured several higher ranked schools including AAAAA Newton, AAA schools Oconee and Jackson County. Commerce stole first place with over 50 points. Newton took second place followed by Oconee, Social Circle and Jackson County in fifth.

Commerce took 13 wrestlers to the match, with 11 placing inside the top four. Taking first place for the mat Tigers were Doug Maloch, Jon Cash, Phillip Edwards and Andrew Minish.

Casey Drinkard won second place and third-place finishes came from Thomas Sears and Terrence Martin.
Rounding out the Commerce top finishers were fourth-place wins from Addison Davis, Trea Edwards, Nick Arostegui and Josh Streetman.