MOULTRIE – Four days earlier, Matthew Dillon was the starting center on the Colquitt County football team and played every snap in a second-round state playoff game at the Hawg Pen.
On Tuesday, he won four straight matches by technical fall and claimed the first-place match by forfeit at 215 pounds in the Southern Trojan War wrestling tournament held in Douglas.
Dillon was one of three Packers who won their weight classes, including Logan Paradice, who won five straight matches at 150 pounds and remains unbeaten this season.
Colquitt also got a first-place finish from freshman Tray Gomez at 144 pounds in the event, which drew wrestlers from 18 schools.
After having a busy schedule since the season-opening Packer Scramble on Nov. 9, the Colquitt County wrestlers will be off until Saturday, Dec. 7, when they travel to Tifton to compete in the Blue Devil Duals.
The Packers were coming off a performance in the challenging Gulf Coast Clash in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, but performed well in Douglas.
Dillon opened competition on Tuesday by taking a 19-3 technical fall victory over Camden County’s Anthony Wright.
In Round 2, he pinned David Denietolis of Cleveland (Tenn.) High.
Dillon then took a 21-5 technical fall win over Ware County’s Jalen Hampton.
In the championship bracket, Dillon got a 21-6 technical fall win over Cook’s Akeem Bateman.
He claimed weight class championship when Irwin County’s Ahmad Fears forfeited in the first-place match.
As usual, Paradice dominated his opponents.
In Round 2, he won by a 17-2 tech fall over Camden County’s Roderick Zow.
In Round 3, the two-time Georgia state champion pinned Preston Longdon of Cleveland.
He won his next two matches by tech falls over Appling County’s Brackson Carter, 17-2, and Ware County’s Jaden McKelvin, 19-1.
In the first-place match, Paradice needed only 80 seconds to pin Camden County’s Chris Williams.
Gomez also won five straight matches.
He opened with a Round 1 pin of Crisp County’s Jeremiah Williamson and followed in Round 2 with a pin over Coffee’s Jeremiah Johnson.
In the quarterfinal, Gomez took a 20-2 tech fall win over Berrien’s Christian Reliford.
His closest match came in the semifinal when he took an 18-11 decision over Camden County’s Ray Moody.
In the first-place match, he won by a 19-4 technical fall over Coffee’s Brandon Burch.
Alexander Barajas had a strong performance in Douglas winning four matches at 215 pounds.
Four Packers took fourth-place finishes: Cristobal Camarena at 126; Benjamin Yingling at 126; Andy Sanchez, at 138; and Tammarian Sims at 285.
Britton Marshall at 132 and Rafael King at 190 each finished sixth.
Other schools represented at the Southern Trojan War were Brantley County, Fitzgerald, Glynn Academy, Lee County, Perry, Thomas County Central, Tift County and Vidalia.