MOULTRIE – Colquitt County’s Region 1-6A runner-up wrestling team won one of its three matches at the state duals held Friday and Saturday at Buford High School.
Both of its losses were close ones.
The Packers fell to Region 5 champion Carrollton 31-28 on Friday in their first match.
After a convincing 53-28 win over North Forsyth, the Packers were eliminated on Saturday by Mill Creek 39-33.
As expected, Region 1 champion Camden County took first place with a 43-26 victory over Buford.
West Forsyth edged Brookwood 42-41 to claim third place.
The state duals championship was the 11th in a row for Camden County.
The Wildcats will go for an 11th straight traditional state wrestling title on Feb. 14-15 at the Macon Centreplex.
Colquitt County had five wrestlers who won all three of their matches at the state duals.
Two-time state champion Logan Paradice raised his season’s record to 33-0 at Buford.
Wrestling at 157 pounds against Carrollton, Paradice won by a 19-4 technical fall over Connor Stephens.
Paradice wrestled at 150 against North Forsyth and pinned Colter Vela in 45 seconds.
Back at 157, pinned Mill Creek’s Kenneth Rodriguez.
At 126, Cruz Grijalva pinned his first two opponents, Carrollton’s Jaydyn Crowder and North Forsyth’s Christopher Lee.
He also wrestled Mill Creek’s Landon Tran at 132 and won by a tech fall.
Russell Flowers also was 3-0, beginning with a 21-4 technical fall win over Carrollton’s Benjamin Walsingham at 175.
Flowers won his other two matches at 165, pinning North Forsyth’s Logan Holst in 38 seconds and taking an 8-5 decision over Mill Creek’s Camden Mitchell.
Rafael King pinned all three of his opponents: Carrollton’s Jabari Elder and North Forsyth’s Tyler Coulter, both at 190, and Mill Creek’s Landon Rhie, at 215.
Matthew Dillon took a 9-3 decision over Carrollton’s Marc Mitchell and a 12-3 major decision over Mill Creek’s Dion Hawkins, both at 285.
He also pinned North Forsyth’s Jackson Coulter in 36 seconds.
Sophomore Evan Flowers, Russell’s younger brother, won two of his three matches.
He took a 10-8 decision over Carrollton’s George Carden and an 18-2 technical fall over North Forsyth’s Silas Hall.
Evan then dropped a 9-0 major decision against Mill Creek’s Hudson Fiddler.
The Packers will compete next on Jan. 24-25 when they travel to Bay High School in Panama City, Fla., for the annual George Mulligan Memorial.
The Region 1-6A traditional tournament will be held Saturday, February 1, at Tift County.
Qualifying wrestlers will compete at a Sectional competition held February 8, at Valdosta.