Wrestling in the Olympics: Do You Think It's Gone for Good?

The IOC's decision to remove one of its oldest sports sent shock waves throughout the wrestling world. Patch wants to know what you think.

The recent decision by the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the 2020 Summer Games stunned and disappointed wrestling coaches across metro Atlanta. The IOC’s decision really hit home with Patrick Ryan during the recent Georgia  wrestling championship tournament in Macon. Ryan, Lithonia High School’s wrestling coach, said his all-time best wrestler told him, “I don’t even want to wrestle anymore.” “Here is my all-time greatest wrestler, telling me he wants to quit,” Ryan said, “and I had to convince him to keep going.” In a secret vote, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board decided to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics. The committee agreed to pare down the 26 sports it features to 25 so that a new …

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Allatoona Wrestlers Finish in Top 5 at State

The competition was held Saturday in Macon.

Two Allatoona High wrestlers had strong finishes at Saturday's Class AAAAA state wrestling championship in Macon. As a team, Allatoona was the 18th-best team of the day. Individually, two Bucs finished in the top five. Ethan Benedict finished fifth in the 113-pound weight class and Will Kemp was earned fifth place in the 152-pound division. Elsewhere in North Cobb, Kennesaw Mountain High's wrestling team finished in the top 10 and had one individual champion in Class AAAAAA. Justan Rivera took top honors in the 182-pound weight class, his second consecutive individual state title. He was the 170-pound state champion in 2012. This year, fellow Mustang Rene Gutierrez placed fourth in that weight class. While Harrison High was the 28th-best …

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Whiz Kids

Whiz Kid: Jarrod Floyd

Jarrod Floyd, age 17, is the only wrestler to advance to regional competition from North Paulding High School.

Nominated by Acworth Patch Reader, Lori Lohr Name: Jarrod Floyd Age: 17 School: North Paulding High School Church: County Line United Methodist Accomplishment: Jarrod Floyd is not only new to wrestling, he is new to Type 1 Diabetes.  Though he has less experience in the ring than many, Jarrod was the only North Paulding High School wrestler to advance to the regional meet. Key to Awesomeness: Hard work, following directions, being committed to doing his best and not letting a medical condition interfere with his goals. *** Each week, Acworth Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens …

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Photo Gallery: Final Matches at the 2011 US Army Cobb County Invitational Wrestling Meet

The final day of wrestling action in Cobb's premier wrestling event

Pope High School took team award honors at the 2011 US Army Cobb County Invitational wrestling meet on Saturday. Here are the final team standings:    1. Pope 209.5    2. Kell 153    3. Harrison 144    4. Marietta 125.5    5. Kennesaw Mountain 117    6. Walton 114    7. Hillgrove 112    8. Wheeler 112    9. Allatoona 111.0   10. Sprayberry 111   11. McEachern 105.5   12. Lassiter 93.5   13. North Cobb 34   14. Osborne 30   15. Pebblebrook 26   16. Campbell 25   17. South Cobb 14 Here are each of the individual winners and 2011 Cobb County champions. They are separated by weight class.

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Allatoona Wrestling Disappointed at Harrison

In a dual meet that went down to the final match, the Buccaneers fell short by one point.

Allatoona High School’s wrestling team faced off against the Harrison Hoyas Wednesday in a dual meet that would come down to the last wrestler. On what was Senior Night for Harrison, the Bucs made a significant comeback, only to fall short in the last match. The meet started off promising for Allatoona as John Christakis beat Patrick Curry 9-3, giving his team three points. After Christakis’ match, the Bucs couldn’t seem to catch a break. They lost their next four matches, three of them by pin, and trailed the Hoyas 21-3. “There were a couple of spots where we shouldn’t have given up pins,” said Allatoona head coach Joe Lanier. “They made mistakes, got put on their backs and got pinned. We gave up points where we shouldn’t have given up …

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Harrison Wrestlers Pinned With Defeats

Hobbled by injuries, most Hoyas don't make it to the second day of their tournament in Ohio.

BRECKSVILLE, OH—Harrison High School's wrestling team came into one of the most prestigious wrestling tournaments in America battered and bruised. The Hoyas will be leaving a little earlier than they would have liked but also will be bringing home valuable experience to Cobb County. The Hoyas lost most of their matches at the 50th Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament on Wednesday, earning only 23 points for a 37th-place standing among 45 teams. "Harrison has great tradition, but we're rebuilding the program a bit," Assistant Coach Josh Porter said. "Coming to this event is part of the plan. "We've got some wrestlers who are capable of doing well in our area. They can gain some experience here against some top-notch young men." The …

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