Mat Devils produce 3 champions, qualify whole roster for sectionals

Published 11:00 am Tuesday, February 7, 2023

TIFTON — Addison Braswell, Samantha Vicars and Donterrius Whitaker brought home championships over the weekend at area and region individual wrestling tournaments. Even better, 17 Tift County wrestlers traveled and all 17 will travel again to sectionals after qualifying.

The Blue Devils were 2nd at region, scoring 221 points. Lee County won the tournament at 246. Only three Lady Devils went to area, but they racked up 67 points, enough for 4th place.

Head coach Shawn Watson is eager to see what they will be able to do next year with a full roster. All three teams that finished ahead of the Lady Devils had at least six wrestlers, according to Track Wrestling’s brackets. Northside (Warner Robins), with 10 wrestlers, won at 146 points.

“If we had had everybody healthy, we might have won the thing,” said Watson.

Girls wrestling is growing rapidly in Georgia, up to multiple area competitions — Tift was at Area 2 — but still but one classification. The Lady Devils were at Jeff Davis High School while the boys vied in Region 1-6A action at Veterans High School.

Sectionals will be at Upson-Lee for the Lady Devils Feb. 10 and at north Atlanta school Johns Creek for the Devils Feb. 11 Watson said that the top six will advance to the state tournament in Macon, which will be held Feb. 16-18.

Whitaker won the 150-pound division, Vicars won at 190 pounds and Braswell at 125. All three individual champions recorded pins in the finals matches.

Watson said he had the only squad to qualify everyone who wrestled for sectionals.

Second places went to Sergio Martinez (113 pounds), Antron Johnson (120), Javon Bateman (144), Danny Freeman (165) and Damion Moate (175).

Austin King (126), Caden Bowyer (132), Daniel Soto (138), Dawson McMillan (157), Abraham Soto (215), Mori Alexander (285) and Abigale Barnes (115) all qualified in 3rd place. Barnes had a memorable run through her tournament, falling in her first match before winning three straight.

Fourth place went to Hayden Masterson (106) and Michael Dixon (190).

“Overall, I can’t complain,” Watson said. “They wrestled well.”

Tift ran into several tough opponents at region. He said he saw improvement in those matchups, such as Martinez progressing from falling by a major decision in a previous battle to a much closer points decision this time. Freeman’s opponent in the 160 finals was Aiden Chilson of Lee County, who has been a state placer.

Moate faced Latrell Schafer of Veterans in the finals, a reigning state champion with an undefeated record.

Watson said Johnson won over a Lee County wrestler who had defeated him earlier in the season. His finals opponent was also a state placer.

Dixon, along with Barnes, was one of the bigger stories of the tournament, sliding into sectionals. Dixon won a close first round, then dropped to the wrestle-back side after a loss in the semifinals. He got a pin to qualify for sectionals.

“He’s battled for it, that’s for sure,” Watson said.