MOULTRIE – Two-time state champion Logan Paradice will lead the Colquitt County wrestling team as it opens the 2024-2025 season on Saturday in the Packer Scramble on the William Bryant Court.
Teams from Valdosta, Bainbridge, Cairo and Lowndes will help usher in the new campaign with varsity, junior varsity and girls matches beginning at 11 a.m.
All wrestlers are expected to compete in three matches.
The Packers will not wrestle at home again until Saturday, Jan. 4, when they play host to the Packer Classic Duals.
Colquitt sent nine wrestlers to the state championships last season and six – Paradice, Cristobal Camarena, Randy Smith, Russell Flowers, Rafael King and Matt Dillon – return to the mats this year.
Paradice will attempt to become Colquitt County’s first three-time state champion this season.
He won state championships at 132 pounds as a freshman in 2022 and last year as a junior at 150.
Only he, his brother Austin (in 2021 and 2022) and Travis Register (in 2012 and 2013) have won two titles for Colquitt County.
Logan had to sit out part of last season after attending school out of state as a sophomore, but after he returned he went undefeated in claiming the state championship.
At state meet, he won by fall over his first opponent and then took out the other two via major decisions.
He has lost just two matches as a Packer, both of which came early in his freshman season.
And the All-American who also competes for Georgia’s Storm Wrestling has tuned up for his final high school season by turning a third-place finish at the prestigious Super 32 last month in Greensboro, N.C.
Logan will sign on Wednesday, Nov. 13, to wrestle collegiately at the University of Northern Iowa.
Colquitt County’s 2024-2025 roster includes 26 freshmen: Kevin Acosta, Alexander Barajas, Cheveiyo Barber, Hanley Batista Padron, London Coleman, Javian Daniels, Thomas A. Davis, Jordan Garcia, Vincente Gonzalez, Brandon Harrell, John Leon-Hernandez, Sy Jones, Aileen Martinez, Paul Mulligan, Allison Quiroz, Alan Rivera, Juna Rivera, Pedro Rivera, Tray Sergio Gomez, Tamarrian Sims, Jayden Sharp, Tyler Tatum, Mikey Thornton, Ryder Wilson, Brinston Williams and Ariel Quinteroa Zunun.
The 11 sophomores are Michael Braswell, Connor Causey, Seth Dorsey, Julian Dukette, Evan Flowers, Fred Key, Simon Gutierrez, Cade Purvis, Esau Tabarez, Ben Yingling and Lillian Brown.
The Packers have six juniors: Camarena, Britton Marshall, Quintarious Mitchell, Logan Rivenbark, Jennifer Tercero-Bernabe and Lesly Tercero.
The seniors are Dillon, Flowers, Rafael King, Paradice, Smith, Diego Barrios, Hector Gonzalez, DaCamron Hadley, Christopher King, De’Montrae Reeves, Andy Sanchez and Tracy Stocker.
As usual, coach Benjy Scarbor has put together a challenging schedule for his team that includes a trip to Mobile, Ala., for the Gulf Coast Clash; to Ola High School of the Raja Bryan Memorial; to the Certified Finishes Keen Invitational at Jefferson High; the Knockout Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla.; and the George Mulligan Memorial at Bay High School in Panama City, Fla.
The Region 1-6A duals will be held on Jan. 11, at Camden County and the state duals will be on Jan. 18 at Buford.
The traditional region tournament will be held on Feb. 1, at Tift County.
Sectionals will be Feb. 8, at Valdosta and the state tournament Feb. 13-15 in Macon.
Scarbor’s staff includes Wilder Elliott, Kevin Sumner, Brett Little and Rose Harrell.
Little heads up the middle school team that already has competed four times and will compete in the Tifton Duals on Saturday, Nov. 9.