Staff reports
TIFTON — Led by senior Justin Hasty, Class AAAAA No. 10 ranked Tift County wrestling team tied with Etowah for second at the Raider Rumble event in Alpharetta on Saturday.
The Blue Devils and Eagles tied with 113 points, which was nine points behind event winner West Forsyth. Only one point separated the top four teams going into the finals.
Lowndes High finished 11th.
Hasty, a 189 lb. senior, went 7-0 with six pins in the event, and won the weight class with a pin over a West Forsyth wrestler.
Tift also had three second place finishers.
Nathan McCall took runner-up honors in the 103 lb. weight class behind a wrestler from Redan, and Devin Smith also placed second, falling to a wrestler from West Forsyth in the 152 lb. weight class.
Trey Hicks also was second at 171 lbs. after losing to a South Forsyth wrestler.
At 160 lbs., Zimmie Mack took third place with a pin over a Redan wrestler. McCall, Smith, Hicks and Mack all finished 6-1 in the tournament.
Nick Campbell, Zabreon Mack, Jarrod Heath, John Davis, Justin Barber and Buck Benson all finished eighth to earn points for the Devils. Ash Little also wrestled at 130 lbs.
On Friday, wrestlers faced each other in a 4-man round robin for seeding purposes, and Saturday was a single elimination tournament.
Tift will return to the mat Wednesday in a dual meet with Crisp and Westover. Tift will then see action this weekend at the Eric Hill Memorial at Loganville High School. Several top programs will be in attendance including Class AAAA No. 2 Fort Dorchester (S.C.), Class AAA No. 1 Eastside, Class AAAA No. 2 Rockdale County and Class AAA No. 4 Jackson County.
