Javon Bateman takes control of a Chestatee wrestler during the state semifinals .
Practice began in October . “ I knew we had a chance to be very good again ,” said Martin . The Blue Devils wrestled early tournaments at Colquitt County , Cook and Valdosta , winning them all easily . Now , he knew they might not just be very good , but very special .
Thanksgiving arrived and left . Tift put more miles on the buses , traveling tournaments further away from home . This was by design . “ I like to try and find the most difficult teams I can ,” he said ,” “ to test our kids and see where we stack up .”
Up in the mountains at Ellijay , 28 of the 29 Blue Devils participating scored third place or better , with many winning first place . Martin said he began receiving emails from other coaches wondering just how good this Tift team was . Before they could get too confident , the flu bug joined the roster , racking up an impressive record in short order . Tift considered staying home , not going to Jackson County , but the coaches decided to push ahead .
“ The Jackson County tournament ended up being one of the best tournaments we went to all year ,” said Martin , more than impressed with quality of wrestlers and teams involved . But even against these teams and flu-riddled , the Blue Devils captured third and were only six points out of first place , behind Social Circle and North Hall .
Still , Martin worried about how third place would effect them . He needn ’ t . “ The captains of our team did an incredible job stepping up and being leaders for our team when they needed it most . They rallied the team and the kids came back focused and determined to work harder than ever .” Tift won its conference , winning 13 of 21 weight classes . The title was its ninth in 10 years . They even set a new mark . In three of the finals , he said , it was Tift County versus Tift County .
The state tournament was set for Jan . 15 in Tifton . Martin said the 2022 event was the first ever held south of Atlanta . He believes that one of the reasons for having it locally was the rest of the state beginning to take notice of the Blue Devils .
“ We have done well at this tournament , never finishing lower than 4th ,” he said ,” but this is an
MAY 2022 | TiftonScene 13