MOULTRIE – The Colquitt County wrestling team, with four seniors either sick or injured, still managed a fourth-place finish in the 17-team Wildcat Invitational held Saturday in Valdosta.
The Packers were originally scheduled to compete in the Knockout Christmas Classic in Kissimmee, Fla., but coach Benjy Scarbor thought it best for his team to wrestle closer to home.
“I was looking forward to the challenge of the Knockout, but it was better for the team to go to Valdosta,” Scarbor said.
The Packers hope to be back to full strength when they play host to the Packer Classic Duals on Saturday, January 4.
Colquitt’s girls and junior varsity teams will compete in the Packer Classic Scramble on January 3.
The Colquitt County girls and junior varsity teams also competed in the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday as scheduled.
For the varsity Packers, sophomore Evan Flowers won all three of his matches and turned in a first-place finish at 150 pounds.
After a bye in the first round, Flowers won by fall over Ware County’s Jaden McKelvin.
In the semifinal, he won again by fall, pinning Valwood School’s Jack Litten.
In the first-place match, Flowers won by a major decision over Perry’s Jarmarion Rosser.
Flowers is now 18-6 this season.
Cristobal Camarena was the runner-up at 132 pounds.
After a first-round bye, the Colquitt County junior won by a tech fall over McIntosh County Academy’s Tyshawn Holland.
In the semifinal, he pinned Jayvion Chavis of Tift County in the first period.
In the first place match, Camarena dropped a major decision to Columbus High School’s undefeated Cedric Montgomery.
Also wrestling at 132, the Packers’ Cruz Grijalva went 5-1 and finished third.
Grijalva was 4-1 heading into the third-place match, where he took an 11-5 decision over Ware County’s Rodrigo Reyes.
Britton Marshall went 4-1 and took a third-place finish at 138.
He was 3-1 heading into the third-place match, where he pinned Ware County’s Evan Thomas.
A junior, Marshall is now 26-8 this season.
Benjamin Yingling, at 120; and Tray Gomez, at 144; and Ramsey Dennis, at 175, took fourth-place finishes.
Also wrestling for the Packers were Ariel Quintero-Zunun, Cheveiyo Barber, Da’Cameron Hadley and Brantley Braswell.
The Colquitt County varsity girls, also short-handed, finished third in their 10-team field.
The Lady Packers were led by Lesly Tercero who won all three of her matches to win the 170-pound weight class.
London Coleman, at 100 pounds, and Aileen Martinez, at 135, took second-place finishes.
Candelaria Tercero, at 135, and Marley Armstrong, at 155, each finished fourth.
Colquitt County was represented by 14 wrestlers in the junior varsity competition, including Sy Jones who won all three of his matches at 165 pounds, for a first-place finish.
Quin Mitchell finished second at 132.
Ty’Mhyr Moore, at 285, and Brownyn Harrell, at 106, took third-place finishes.
Kage Johnson was fourth at 120 pounds.
Also wrestling for the JV Packers were Vincente Gonzalez, Brandon Harrell, Seth Dorsey, Ryder Wilson, Julian Dukette, Jayden Sharp, Antonio Sutton, Paul Milligan and Tammarian Sims.