Samantha Vicars gave up much size while filling in in a higher weight class , but competed anyway . Team effort such as hers went a long way in earning Tift a second state title , said head coach Zac Martin .
extremely difficult tournament to win .” Tift ’ s program is a rising powerhouse and sits now with the more established programs as places like West Laurens , Jefferson , Gilmer and Chestatee . “ No guarantees of us placing at all ,” Martin said .
Tift was the No . 2 seed as the tournament began , earning them a first round bye . They faced Gilmer ’ s Clear Creek in the second round , coasting 70-14 , setting them up for Chestatee in the semifinals . The Blue Devils won that dual by 30 points . In the other semi , No . 4 Jefferson upset No . 1 Woodland .
Jefferson Middle won the championship in 2021 . The Dragons are one of the state ’ s proudest traditions , something not lost on Tift coaches and fans .
After the semifinals , assistant Billy King was asked to describe Jefferson .
“ They ’ re awesome ,” he said . Jefferson , however , is not alone in being extremely talented . King added , “ But we ’ re awesome , too .”
Devils wrestlers began the Jefferson series with three consecutive pins , an 18-0 lead . Jefferson evened the count at 18-all , but Tift went up 30-18 .
Bryan Melton opens the state finals with a win over Jefferson Middle , sending his teammates into a frenzy .
That was ended up being enough buffer to win , though Jefferson pulled as close as 30-27 before the locals were able to extend the lead again .
They won the title in the face of adversity . COVID limited the number of available wrestlers , causing much shifting in weight classes . Both heavyweights were sidelined and despite giving up weight , the Blue Devils kept going .
14 TiftonScene | MAY 2022