MOULTRIE — Nine of the 12 members of the Mat Hawgs wrestling club have qualified for state tournaments to be held the next two weekends in Atlanta.
Qualifier champions include Brooks Henry and Kiarron Hendry.
Runners-up include Cage Owens, Hayes Sumner, Garrett May and Hudson May.
Hart Sumner took a third place and William Henry and Austin Hunnicutt took fourth-place finishes.
Caden Summerlin, Blake Tillery and Hunter Yarbrough were just one victory away from qualifying.
“The kids wrestled the best I have seen all year and that’s what you want to see at this tournament,” said coach Kevin Sumner.
“It’s tough when three of the 12 miss the state tournament. As a coach, you want all the kids to compete at state, but only the top four advance. They wrestled extremely well and achieved some personal goals they had set at the first of the year.”
Sumner said Yarborough got his first win by pin and that Summerlin is a first-year wrestler who “gets better every time he steps on the mat.”
“Blake Tillery works very hard and is a very good wrestler. He’s just in a very tough weight bracket.”
Sumner said that Hendry, Hart Sumner, Garrett May, Hudson May and Hunnicutt will travel to Whitewater High School on Saturday for their state meet.
Owens, Hayes Sumner, Brooks Henry and William Henry will go to Collins Hill High School on March 13 to compete in their state meet.
“I am very excited about these kids,” Kevin Sumner said. “I have a great group. I am very excited about their future. It’s an honor to be their coach.”
