GREYHOUND GRAPPLERS
Around a month into a wrestling season, it can be tough to distinguish how far a team has progressed compared to the previous year.
But the Greyhounds got a fairly good idea this past weekend in the Yellow Jacket Duals in Hazelhurst, finishing fifth overall with losses coming to Brunswick ,the top-ranked team in AAAAAA, and Lexington, a top-10 program from South Carolina’s largest classification. It was the second time in as many seasons that JCHS wrestled at the event held at Jeff Davis High School, and the Greyhounds’ performance showed being a year wiser in experience.
“We’re excited. The goal for us to get better each week, and we did that,” Greyhounds head coach Adam Gillhouse said. “Looking back on last year, we were in the silver bracket. This year, we were in the gold bracket and beat two teams that beat us last year, Ware County and Screven.”
The tournament was a two-day affair, something that, depending on where state tournaments end up being held, could be a big benefit.
“Having been down there last year and up to Pennsylvania this summer, you can tell that the nerves that might typically come, they didn’t really have those,” Gillhouse said. “They didn’t have those and knew what to expect and how to handle and carry themselves.”
It didn’t take long for that experience to show for the Greyhounds with a 5-1 record in the pool in which they were placed. They won their first five matches overall to get them off and rolling with wins of 72-9 against Fitzgerald, 40-39 against Central of Carrollton, 72-12 over Bacon County, 69-12 against Wayne County and 43-30 over Toombs County prior to a loss to Lexington.
That early start landed JCHS in the tournament’s gold bracket. There, the Hounds rallied from a loss to Brunswick to knock off Ware County 36-34 in the consolation semifinals and Screven County 58-24 in the fifth-place match.
The win over Ware was not without drama, as Jack Carr avoided being pinned, and that prevented the Gators from getting three points and winning on a tiebreaker.
Jones County’s middle-range wrestlers once again thrived on Saturday. Chi Anderson ran through the tournament with a 9-0 record to go with Carson Lumley getting back into action to go 8-1 in the 144-pound class.
“Having him in there, it’s big. With him there and Jackson Brown at 132, we really feel good about our lineup with that group,” Gillhouse said.
Arrie Martin and Rackley both went 6-2, and Jacob Skinner also helped bolster the Greyhounds efforts in the 165-pound class, as well with Aiden Lipford picking up key wins as he continues to settle in at 120 pounds.
“He’s really doing something each week to improve,” Gillhouse said of Skinner. “With him doing what he’s been doing and with James Rackley, that really closes up the meat of our lineup.”
