For the third straight year, the Jones County High wrestling team lost its first two matches for an early exit at the AAAA state duals.

The Greyhounds lost, 65-12, to Woodward Academy, Friday, and, 38-22, to Cherokee, Saturday, at the Macon Centreplex.

Coach Daniel Lewis was hoping that a team that featured some experience in such an atmosphere and was coming off of a second-place finish a week earlier in the area 4-AAAA duals to defending state duals champion Stockbridge would earn the program’s first win at the event in recent memory.

But Lewis pretty much knew Thursday night that the ’Hounds would be fighting an uphill battle to earn a victory, not so much because of talent, but more because of bad luck.

The coach lost two starters, Leroy Reliford and Brett Bernard, to injuries suffered during the area duals.

Then, Thursday night at weigh-ins, he learned that neither of a pair of wrestlers who he was hoping could compete in the 140-lb. weight class made weight.

The weight issue, Lewis said, stemmed mostly from the fact that the ’Hounds lost a practice Wednesday night due to the icy conditions.

Then in the midst of the Greyhounds’ first-round loss to the War Eagles, Lewis had three more wrestlers, Jahmal Adams, Doug Stephens, and Trace Scott, suffer shoulder injuries.

Adams was pinned, Stephens had to forfeit, and Scott was pinned.

The ’Hounds led at just one point in the dual against Woodward, as the War Eagles won 11 of the 13 matches.

After Travis Haines was pinned, at 189 lbs., Carlisle Davis earned a pin, at 215 lbs..

Clyde Haynes then won by forfeit, at 285 lbs., giving Jones County a brief advantage before 10 straight losses.

Only three of those defeats were not decided by pin or forfeit.

Lee McLendon, at 112 lbs., lost a tight contest, 5-2. Tyler Kilian, at 135 lbs., lost a technical fall, 19-1, and Michael Sibley lost to a returning state placer, at 145 lbs., 9-2.

Colby Mills, at 119 lbs., started strong going up 5-0 in the first period, but he found himself down 7-5 in the second period and was eventually pinned.

The ’Hounds then had a much more competitive showing the next morning against Cherokee.

Both of the teams that the ’Hounds lost to, incidentally, lost to eventual champ Ringgold at some point in the tournament.

The War Eagles, who were the champions of area 2-AAAA, lost to Ringgold in the quarterfinals.

The Warriors, who were the runners-up in region 5-AAAA, lost to Ringgold in the first round, setting up the loser’s bracket match-up between Cherokee and Jones County.

Ringgold would beat Eastside, 38-35, in the championship match.

The ’Hounds got back into their regular-season schedule this week.

They were set to travel to Milledgeville to face Baldwin, Tuesday, before traveling to the Irish Invitational in Dublin, Saturday. They welcome Houston County to the Jones County High gymnasium, next Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The next big date circled on the calendar for the team is the area 4-AAAA traditional tournament, Feb. 15-16, in Atlanta.

“We are disappointed to go two and out again, but we look forward to an opportunity to perform at the individual competition,” Lewis said.

“We need to focus on getting healthy and peaking at the right time - mentally and physically.”