Eyeing the top prize for the second-straight season, Etowah High School senior Jeremiah
Lutz had to settle for a runner-up finish on Saturday.
Despite rolling into the Class AAAAA 145-pound final with a pair of pins and a major decision, Lutz suffered his first defeat of the season, 7-5 to unbeaten Lowndes County sophomore Matt Moody, Saturday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in the Duluth.
The runner-up showing ended the Brewton Parker-bound Lutz’s senior campaign with a 57-1 mark. He placed at state all four years of his Eagles’ career.
But while Lutz was the only county wrestler to reach the finals, he was one of six from Cherokee to place.
(LEFT: Etowah senior Jeremiah Lutz works over Wheeler’s Aaron McGilvery for a second-period pin the Class AAAAA 145-pound quarterfinals Friday at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth. Lutz went on to a 10-2 victory in the semifinals, before settling for second-place in a 7-5 finals’ loss on Saturday. Photo by Brandon Michea | Ledger-News)
Joining the Etowah standout on the podium, teammate Maveric Rechsteiner (195 pounds) and Cherokee sophomore Blake Walker (103) each came away with third-place finishes, while Creekview’s Joe Hulen (138) and Michael Edwards (132) placed fourth and sixth, respectively, and Cherokee junior 220-pounder Levi Satterfield took sixth.
Etowah turned in the county’s top team showing, placing 10th in Class AAAAA with 55 points. Cherokee (31 points) was 17th in 5A, and Woodstock (3) was 41st. With its two placers, Creekview (34) took 18th in AAAA.
Coming off his second-straight region title, Rechsteiner earned a pin in his opening match on Thursday, disposing of Central Gwinnett’s Ken Barry in 1:22. The Eagles’ 195-pounder, however, suffered a 9-6 loss to eventual state runner-up Michael Johnson, of Camden County, in the quarterfinals to fall into the consolation rounds. Shaking off the defeat, Rechsteiner went back to work, pinning Harrison’s Dylan Porter and receiving a forfeit from Caleb Beasley, of Coffee, before pinning Lassiter’s Mo Nyang and North Gwinnett’s Jalen Brooks to finish third.
Walker, who placed fourth as a freshman, took a slightly different path, pinning his first opponent in 1:01 on Thursday and rolling over Hillgrove’s Cameron Westerman, 16-0, Friday morning. That placed the Warriors’ standout in the semifinals, where he took a 4-3 setback from Archer’s Sam Bullard. Walker (44-2) then went on to blank Camden’s Chris Bartek, 7-0, in the consoltation semifinals, and edged Milton’s J.R. Salemi, 5-2, for third.
Like Walker, Satterfield reached the semifinals unscathed, edging Lowndes’ LaRenick Rollins, 6-5, before getting past Duluth’s Sam Hurst, 3-2, in sudden death, triple overtime. The Warriors’ junior, however, lost of eventual champion Travis Register, of Colquitt County, in the semis, and dropped both of his matches in the wrestlebacks to place sixth.
(LEFT:Cherokee junior Levi Satterfield (red) works free for an escape against Duluth’s Sam Hurst during the Class AAAAA 220-pound quarterfinals Friday in Duluth. Satterfield defeated Hurst, 3-2, in sudden death, triple overtime and went on to finish sixth. Photo by Brandon Michea | Ledger-News)
Pacing Creekview’s efforts, Hulen rebounded from an opening-round, 3-2 loss to Clarke Central’s Kadeem Combs, to win four-straight matches in the consolation bracket with victories over Woodland-Bartow’s Lee Cash, 13-5; Pope’s Davis Burson, 9-1; Woodland-Henry’s Eli Carson, 7-0; and Marist’s Matt Andres, 4-3. Hulen, however, lost his finale, 3-2, to Paulding’s Aaron Huff in the consolation final to settle for fourth.
Edwards, meanwhile, won his first two bouts – 3-2 and 2-1 (overtime) – to reach the semifinals, where he was topped by Lambert’s Michael Nelems, 2-1, then dropped both matches in the wrestlebacks for sixth.
Placing all nine of its wrestlers that advanced beyond the state sectionals, including four champions, Collins Hill won the Class AAAAA title with 184 points. Camden was second with 159.5, followed by Archer (109), Lowndes (84.5) and North Gwinnett (79.5). Rounding out the 5A top-10 were North Forsyth (76), Kennesaw Mountain (65.5), Brookwood (59.5), Peachtree Ridge (58) and Etowah.
Pope (115) won the AAAA crown, edging out Alexander (96.5), while Lambert (75.5) was third, Loganville (72) finished fourth and Whitewater (60.5) placed fifth.
Other team title champions were Heritage-Coosa (AAA), Jefferson (AA) and Breman (A).
