Pope Wins State Wrestling Championship

All but guaranteed a team victory entering Saturday, the final day of the Georgia Traditional Wrestling Championships at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, the Pope Greyhounds won three individual AAAA wrestling titles as well as the team competition.

Cameron Munsey, Patrick Anthony and Brooks Climmons won their respective weight classes, and Pope won its first state wrestling title with 136.5 points, far ahead of second-place Union Grove's 90.5.

After Greyhound Jake Henson lost to Lovejoy’s Giovante Ortiz at 140 pounds, Anthony squared off against Tucker High’s Carey Cloud in the 145-pound weight class.

After a scoreless first period, Cloud escaped a hold by Anthony to score the first point of the match. Anthony came right back with a takedown, but Cloud eventually escaped, tying the match 2-2 entering the third and final frame.

Anthony started out on the bottom and quickly escaped, giving him a 3-2 lead that held until the final whistle. Filled with emotion after the tight match, Anthony said: “This is the best day of my life. It feels amazing.”

Climmons soon took the mat against Union Grove’s Hunter Gamble at 160 pounds. As in Anthony’s match, the first period was scoreless, but Climmons scored eight points in the second and seven more in the third to take home a championship 15-4.

Earlier, the 112-pound Munsey started his match by attacking the legs of Ola High’s Payton Durlinger. After a takedown in the opening seconds, Munsey gained a two-point lead and never looked back. He took Durlinger down in each period gave up only a pair of escapes and a foul to earn a state championship.

After realizing his team had clinched the title, Pope head coach Jim Haskin was elated but not satisfied: “This is a young group of kids. We’ve got all of our guys but one returning, so we want to keep the ball rolling.

“The work ethic they have in the room and how much dedication they’ve had to put in the effort they did to win the state title, it’s really impressive.”