MOULTRIE – As the Region 1 runner-up, the Colquitt County wrestling team has drawn Region 2 champion Carrollton in the first round of the Class 6A state duals tournament.
The tournament opens Friday and will continue Saturday at Buford High School.
When asked about his team’s first-round opponent, Packers coach Benjy Scarbor said, “You’re in the top 16. They are all tough here.
“It’s going to be a fight. But we’ve got some fighters.”
The Packers will take a 12-1 record in dual matches into the state tournament.
In last week’s region tournament, the Packers defeated 2024 region runner-up Richmond Hill in the first round.
They then were soundly defeated by longtime Georgia high school wrestling power and state championship favorite Camden County 73-5 in the second round.
The Packers only points came from undefeated senior Logan Paradice who won by a tech fall at 157 pounds.
Colquitt took the No. 2 spot with a 38-36 win over Tift County.
If the Packers can get by Carrollton, they are expected to face a strong Buford team in the second round.
“And Buford has got two Logan Paradises,” Scarbor said.
The first two rounds will be held on Friday.
Also in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, Camden County will face East Coweta; Etowah will meet Mill Creek; Harrison will go against North Gwinnett; Rockdale County will face West Forsyth; Brookwood will square off with Hillgrove; Archer will meet Walton; and Buford will face North Forsyth.
The Packers will be led by Paradice, the two-time state individual champion, who will take a 30-0 record to the state tournament.
In addition to his tech fall win over Camden at the region duals, he also won by a pin over Richmond Hill and received a forfeit against Tift County.
The Packers also got a strong region dual performance from senior Russell Flowers, who won by a tech fall over Richmond Hill at 165 pounds and got a pin against Tift County at 175.
Cruz Grijalva at 126; Evan Flowers at 150; Rafael King at 190; and Matt Dillon at 215 also won twice at region.