A STEP FROM STATE: 22 local wrestlers head off to sectionals

Glynn County will be sending a staggering 22 wrestlers off to the GHSA Traditional Class 6A Section B this weekend in Sugar Hill following a strong showing at the Region 2-6A Tournament.

Competing at Effingham High School in Springfield this past weekend, Brunswick High finished second as a team with 185 points to edge out third-place Glynn Academy with 182 points. South Effingham won the traditional region championship with 246.5 points.

Individually, the top 4 finishers in each weight class advance on to sectionals, and the Terrors had 12 wrestlers move on with the Pirates sending an additional 10 wrestlers — including three region champions — to the next round at Lanier High School.

At 157, Brunswick’s Blake Ethridge won a 2-1 decision over Grovetown’s Dylan Spencer in the first-place match. Sebastian Hutchinson came out on top at 175 in a 2-1 decision over South Effingham’s DaMyon McFarlin.

Rounding out the Pirates’ region champions was Anthony Lowe, who defeated crosstown rival Lucas Ketcham from Glynn Academy by pin-fall in the first-place match of the 215-pound weight class to maintain his undefeated record at 43-0 on the season.

The Terrors also produced a region champion in Jefferson Cuttino, who beat South Effingham’s Jacob Stellhorn in a 2-0 decision at 126.

Glynn Academy had four second-place finishers in Ketcham, Hunter Kegley, Aidan Waters and Cade Morgan. Kegley was edged out by Effingham County’s Conner Nevin in a 4-3 decision in the 120-pound first-place match, Waters fell 11-0 in a major decision to South Effingham’s Brandon Bringer at 132, and at 138, Morgan was pinned by Derek Counsel of Lakeside Evans.

Brunswick’s second-place finishers were Clayton Hicks, who lost a 3-2 decision at 113 to South Effingham’s Stephen Tootle, Comari Cone, who fell in a 3-1 decision to South Effingham’s Gannon White at 144, and Charlie Middlebrooks, who dropped a 10-4 decision at 190 against William Christmas of South Effingham.

Both the Pirates and Terrors saw four wrestlers each claim third place: Thomas Clay (132), Bruce Davis (150), Titus Washington (165) and River Creel (285) for Brunswick and Liam Bee (106), Jack Lombardo (113), Caleb Cross (144) and John Sams (175) representing Glynn Academy.

The Terrors’ Jakob Brooks (157), Daniel Smiley (165) and Quay Evans (285) also qualified for sectionals with four-place finishes at the region tournament.

The top 4 finishers in each weight class at sectionals with advance to the GHSA Class 6A Traditional Wrestling State Tournament at the Macon Centerplex on Feb. 16-18.