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When Brooks Climmons joined the Calvary Day School faculty as a mathematics teacher last summer, he did the math on one of his other responsibilities.
He needed to add to the wrestling team.
So the new head coach checked out the Cavaliers’ powerful football squad.
“I hung out at football practices, met some of the football kids,” Climmons recalled last month. “Then I met some of the cross country kids. I said, ‘Hey, are you tough enough?’ They’re like, ‘I’m a tough kid.’ ‘All right, come and try wrestling.’ ”
The squad grew from less than 10 wrestlers to about 20. Climmons said that if the wrestling team could emulate just some of the football program’s success, it would be fine.
The Cavaliers have done more than that, capturing their first region title and a berth in the GHSA Class 3A duals state championship on Jan. 19-20. They square off with Harlem in the first round, with the victor facing the winner of Columbus and Hart County later on Jan. 19. The two losers battle in an elimination match the same day, with the entire 3A tournament at Lumpkin County in Dahlonega.
Seniors Chipper Creager (heavyweight, 285 pounds), Connor Kirby (120) and Brogan Flannigan (175) returned to the squad and bring talent, experience and leadership.
“They’re taking the role of being seniors and also competing at a high level,” Climmons said. “Everybody as a whole is holding each other to a higher standard.”
Other key wrestlers include freshmen Maddox Vasquez (132), Brexton Bell (157), Davis “Grey” Richardson (190) and Junior Creager (215); and junior Kaidan Holloway (126).
The Cavaliers beat Savannah Christian 60-24 in the Region 3-3A quarterfinals, Johnson 66-18 in the semifinals and Long County 44-35 in the final on Jan. 13.
“Calvary is putting it together,” said longtime Benedictine head coach Joe Tvrdy. “They’ve put some time and effort into the program, and that’s what it takes, coaching and facilities.”
Benedictine won its fifth consecutive region duals crown, capturing Region 3-4A on Jan. 13. The Cadets knocked off host Wayne County High School in the semifinals 65-9 and Burke County 69-9 in the finals.
Benedictine advanced to the state duals tournament Jan. 19-20 at Chestatee High in Gainesville. First up is West Laurens, with the winner taking on the winner of Bainbridge and Lovett. The two losers pair off in the elimination bracket the same day.
“We’ve got the roster,” Tvrdy said earlier this season of his team’s depth across the 14 weight divisions. “If we have a good day at the state duals tournament, there’s a chance we could have a really nice little run.”
Other Coastal Empire high schools qualifying for the state tournaments on Jan. 19-20 at multiple sites are defending Class 6A state duals champion South Effingham, Richmond Hill in Class 7A and Bryan County in Class A.
The Mustangs of Guyton open the 6A competition at North Forsyth in Cumming against Rockdale County, with the winner facing the winner of Newnan and Pope, while the two losers fall to the elimination bracket and a possible third- or fourth-place finish.
For a Prep Sports Report feature story on South Effingham published Dec. 29, click on South Effingham Wrestlers: Unassuming, Undefeated, and Unstoppable : Prep Sports Report
Richmond Hill, which in 2018 won both the Class 6A state duals and traditional championship tournaments, now is in Class 7A and battles North Gwinnett in the first round at Buford High. The winner faces the winner of West Forsyth and East Coweta, with the two losers dropping to the elimination bracket.
The Bryan County program’s four years of existence hit another milestone with second place at the Area 3-A tournament and advancement to the Class A state duals against host Heard County in Franklin. The victor meets the winner of Commerce and St. Francis, with the two others falling to the lower bracket.
Here’s a look around Coastal Empire wrestling, with girls team duals scheduled for Jan. 26-27, and all teams still competing and trying to advance to the traditional wrestling region/area, sectional and state championships in February.
Richmond Hill Wildcats
When opposing teams face the Wildcats in regular-season competitions, they should keep the context in mind. Coach Bill Evans isn’t necessarily trying to pump up the squad’s win-loss record.
Evans will run split squads in different meets, doing “some funny things with our lineup,” he said earlier this season.
“The record, it doesn’t matter to me,” Evans said. “I’ve got 75 kids on the team. I’m trying to develop them all, and it’s difficult if you’re only running 14 at a time.”
Evans was an assistant coach with the Wildcats starting in 2012 before taking the helm in 2019. He has a feel for preparing a team to peak in the state tournaments after losing seniors to graduation each year.
“I don’t really have a lineup that’s perfectly set up because there are a bunch of dudes that are fighting for spots still,” Evans said earlier this season, “which is good for the room, good for everything.”
Among the key wrestlers are Caden Whittaker (150-157), Cody Willoughby (138-144), DJ Menzie (165-175), Trey Bowkett (175-190), Ty Boldin (120-126), Brenden Fair (120) and Carter Anderson (106).
“All the way up and down the lineup, we’ve got guys that are going to contribute and put together a good dual team for sure,” Evans said. “A couple of them will surprise some people, which is a good thing. When guys haven’t been to state or anything and then they pop out of nowhere, it’ll be pleasant for me.”
Bryan County Redskins
It’s common for wrestling teams to have to wait for athletes in fall sports such as football to join the winter sport. When Bryan County’s region-champion football team had its best season ever and went on a playoff run, Zach Ledbetter didn’t mind.
“The entire atmosphere and winning culture helps,” said the Redskins’ wrestling coach. “It helps all aspects, school-wide. We’ve done well in the past couple of years wrestling, in general. But I think continuing to show dominance across the state in other sports is helping, too.”
Ledbetter has piloted the program since it began four seasons ago, and now has boys varsity, middle school and, as of this year, a girls program.
By the numbers, the wrestling program went from zero five years ago to about 55 boys and girls in 2022-23 to 42 boys, 12 girls and more than 20 in middle school, the coach said.
“We’ve been blessed to send a kid to the state championships every year since the program started,” Ledbetter said. “We’re getting larger and larger in the right direction.”
Among the key boys wrestlers are sophomore William Patrick (138); juniors Riley Shuman (113-120) and Jayden Lee (120-126); and seniors Byron Lewis (285), Carlos Arias (215) and Raul Parrish (190).
The Redskins gained about nine wrestlers when football season ended, including Parrish, Lewis and Lee. Parrish is a wrestling team captain who came back from injury in 2023 and is signing to wrestle at Andrew College in Cuthbert.
The Bryan County girls program features junior Alyssa Burnsed (170) and senior India Mainer (215), the latter in her second season after qualifying for traditional sectionals last year.
Burnsed has been on the wrestling team all three years she’s been at the school. She collected a few wins over boys, and now is doing very well against girls wrestlers.
“For her to have gone through two full seasons of wrestling with the boys and continuing to fight and work toward this, she’s been a pioneer in trying to lead the other girls,” Ledbetter said. “She’s a kid who I think deserves credit for what she’s gone through and done. She’s worked hard.”
Benedictine Cadets
The Benedictine wrestling team got an infusion of talent, such as Kameron Cody and Sam Gross, when the football season ended, making the Cadets even stronger in Class 4A.
But Joe Tvrdy, with more than 20 years of experience in charge of the wrestling program, understands that expectations can change, for better or worse, over the course of a long season.
“It’s such a grind,” he said earlier this season. “I came in expecting to have a good handful of individual wrestlers that could place at the individual (traditional) state tournament. With the way the weight classes are shaking out, we might have a good duals team as well.”
Benedictine got a boost with the return of junior Connor Desautels (132), who followed an outstanding freshman campaign with a sophomore year sidetracked by injury.
Other standouts include seniors Kazimier Meriwether (15), Xander Argentinis (157) and Patrick Lyng (175); and junior Zachary Krauss (144), who started the sport in ninth grade and didn’t make varsity, only to become one of the team’s best wrestlers.
Windsor Forest Knights
Among the area programs looking to build is Windsor Forest, where first-year wrestling coach Marc Smith is “basically learning as I go” and credits community coach Doug Sharp for being “instrumental in helping me out with this.”
Among the key wrestlers for the Knights are senior Francisco Mozingo and juniors Markee Eason, Romel Menos and Zahmir Watkins.
Savannah Country Day
The Hornets program is rebuilding, with Michael Romano taking the reins when Michael Buhlmann accepted the same post at Savannah Christian.
The team lacks numbers and experience, and is without Garrett Lorfano, a state qualifier as a junior last year. Lorfano is a standout baseball player signed with Flagler College and is focusing on baseball, Romano said earlier this season.
“We’re about eight kids deep,” he said. “We got some middle school kids through our club. We’ve got a couple of first-year kids, a couple of second-year kids. They’re learning. They’re getting better. It’s a long road.”
Among the wrestlers navigating that road are junior Ramon Barboa (157), senior Lincoln Kraeuter (165) and his younger brother sophomore Charlie Kraeuter (132).
Ray Ray Jackson (285) came over from football and, the coach said, “He’s quick, he’s shifty. He’s picked up wrestling pretty well. With his athleticism, as far as our team goes, he might have the best shot to make a splash.”
Romano said in the time leading up to the regional dual meet that the Hornets are short-handed without the ability to fill 14 weight classes.
“I’m kind of looking more for individual stuff and growth there,” the coach said. “If we can win the weight classes we’re supposed to, and the new guys get better, I think that’ll be kind of our goal there.”
Savannah Christian
The Raiders are led by senior captain Aiden Strickland, who has wrestled in multiple weight classes this season.
“Wrestling has been a lot of fun,” Strickland said in an email to Prep Sports Report earlier this season. “This is my final year competing, so it’s been really great to have a positive experience.”
New coach Michael Buhlmann also sees positives as the SCPS develops a program of nearly all novice wrestlers, with Strickland being the main exception.
“Each guy on the team has bought into this first year as a learning experience,” Buhlmann said in the email. “Every time they step on the mat, they wrestle with intensity and a never-give-up attitude. I could not be happier or prouder of what the guys are doing. They have proved to themselves that they can succeed on and off the mat.”
Buhlmann noted that Strickland has held his own against all competition, including some of the state’s best. Freshman Ivyn Richardson (multiple weights) is new to the sport and has progressed very quickly, while freshman light heavyweight RJ Daniels has severe weight disadvantages taking on true heavyweights (285-plus) and been another big contributor.
Daniels, who came over from the football team, said wrestling has gone better than he expected.
“Since I’ve started wrestling, mentally and physically, I’ve been only positive,” he said in the email. “I am very excited to see what the future looks like for us.”
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