MatDawgs Run Wild at Michael Rhodes Memorial
Courtest of TCHS
The Toombs County High School wrestling team turned the Michael Rhodes Memorial into their personal highlight reel Saturday, cruising to the team title with 168 points and an eye-popping 5 individual varsity champions.
Lukas Young (120lbs.), Samson Dobbs (144lbs.), Tyson Brantley (165lbs.), and Lucas Coley (175lbs.) all went unbeaten and left the gym with gold medals around their necks, while Jordan Brannen (157lbs.) battled to second and Sebastian Crow (157lbs.) brought home bronze.
On the JV mat, 190-pounder Robert (RJ) Conway added another first-place finish for the Bulldogs.
Young opened the day with a 16-1 tech fall and never looked back, pinning twice in under three minutes combined before closing with a forfeit win. Dobbs needed only 3 matches to claim his crown, finishing with a 17-2 tech in the finals. Brantley was a 1-man wrecking crew—4 matches, 4 pins, zero mercy shown. Coley’s championship run lasted just 5:19 of total mat time, ending with a 1:09 fall over Strong Rock’s Brody Robertson.
“It’s a great start for our team,” Head Coach Todd Allen said. “We’ve talked since practice began about being the best we can be each day and the results will take care of themselves. That proved right today.”
Assistant coach Trey Cranford added, “When Tyson Brantley pins somebody in 18 seconds and Lucas Coley follows it with a 2:31 quarterfinals pin, that’s contagious. The whole room felt it.”
The depth was just as scary. Thomas Peterson (215lbs.) stormed to third with a pair of falls, Jose Guerrero (285lbs.) fought to fifth, and Brilyn Williams (190lbs.) took sixth while dropping 4 pins of his own. Every MatDawg who stepped on the mat scored team points.
Final team scores (top 5): 1. Toombs County – 168, 2. North Oconee – 146, 3. Monroe Area – 126, 4. Carrollton – 120, and 5. Strong Rock Christian – 118.5.
The MatDawgs Varsity return to action this Saturday at the Battle at the Bay at Brantley County High School. Coach Todd Allen’s squad sent a crystal-clear message to Class A and everyone else in Georgia: the Mat-Dawgs are hunting State Titles, and they just served notice in the loudest way possible.
Vol.122 No.22 YourNewspaper – Toombs,Montgomery& WheelerCounty,Georgia
