The Lumpkin County Wrestling team hosted their second annual Gold City Nutcracker tournament on December 15-16. The Tribe finished with an outstanding performance that landed them a first-place finish out of several attending schools. The event had a great turnout of both fans and athletes alike.
Head Coach Sean Hage shared his thoughts on the very successful holiday spectacle.
“Lumpkin County is an incredible place. It is such a dynamic community made up of many wonderful people and families,” said Hage. “The success that Lumpkin County High School has achieved this year in all areas, both athletic and academic, has really showcased this. The Gold City Holiday Nutcracker has been an opportunity for the wrestling team to display their contribution to this success. This event attracted over 20 different high schools from all classifications. We had multiple state champions and state placers in every weight class. The competition was truly a meat grinder.”
Coach Hage was quick to direct praise to the community for helping make the event such a success.
“In order to be able to compete on this level while maintaining the level of organization and hospitality expected of a Lumpkin County event, it took help and support from our entire community. We had two or three high school administrators on hand to ensure things ran smoothly on Friday and Saturday. Principal Billy Kirk cooked 32 pork butts on Thursday to make sure we had enough food on hand for all guests,” he said. “We had parents from our youth, middle school, and high school programs volunteer both on Friday (for the girls’ competition) and Saturday (for the boys’ competition). Coach Scott DeGraff and his team of girls stepped up and stayed all day to support the boys like the boys did for the girls the night before. We had donations of money, food, and decorations from folks and businesses in the community, including the Ranger Camp. The local medical facilities, coordinated by head trainer Levi Wilson, the local sheriff’s office, and even the custodial staff, coordinated by head custodian Joe Godwin and supported by donations from BusyBee, were on hand to make sure this was successful. Community involvement is truly an understatement. Several schools have already contacted me to reserve their spot for next year’s Tournament.”
Lumpkin finished the event with a team score of 173, and their closest opponent, Archer, ended their night with a score of 124.5. The Indians seemingly dominated the scorecards.
“Since the return of our football players after their miraculous record-breaking season under Coach Webb, we have seen a lot of success. Since their return, we placed second at the Hewitt-Trussville Tournament in Alabama, first at the Knightmare before Christmas Tournament at River Ridge HS, beating Hilgrove HS, who defeated us earlier in the season, and now we have won our Nutcracker Tournament,” said Coach Hage. “It’s hard not to be overly critical and assume the competition was not very tough. However, when you read the names of the teams we competed against, that is not true. I have been with many of these kids all five years I have coached at Lumpkin County High School. I know everything about them and their families, and every one of them is dedicated to every athlete’s success on every level of our program.”
Coach Hage feels the team is close to reaching its ultimate goal.
“My goal when I arrived at Lumpkin was to create a dominant program, not just a dominant team, and I think we are very close to that goal,” he said. “The greatest joy I take away from this success is that the Lumpkin County Indians do it honorably. It’s easy to get caught up in success, and you forget to be humble. This community has a lot of honor, just like the sport of wrestling, and our kids are determined to reflect this. Win, lose, or draw, we do it with our heads high and with respect.”
The team’s success was due to first-place placements by athletes such as Kerwin Martinez, Nathan Nielsen, and Jonah Holmes. Mike Nichols followed their success as runner-up in second, and Joel Workman battled his way to a third-place finish.
The team also had several fourth-place finishes by Geo Hernandez, Jacob Matthews, Jacob Pricer, and Hayden Roy.
First-place finisher Martinez reached his 100th career victory milestone during the event.
It’s a colossal achievement achieved only by some of the most dedicated high school athletes in the sport.
“I’m happy with this accomplishment,” said Martinez. “I want to thank my coaches and everyone who has helped me in any way to become a better wrestler and human being. This achievement means years of hard work and effort that not everyone is willing to put in.”
Martinez believes his work this season is just getting started.
“This year, my goal is to be able to win Dual state and be able to win my own state title. We can do it. We just have to believe in each other and be willing to sacrifice for each other because we are a family,” he said.
Coach Hage gave his thoughts on Martinez’s great accomplishment.
“Kerwin is one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. Not just for what he displays on the mat but what he has overcome off of it. There is a lot of story behind these 100 wins,” he said. “While it is a great achievement in itself, if you knew the whole story, you would be even more impressed. Kerwin suffered a season-ending injury here last year when he was the only Lumpkin wrestler who won the Gold City Holiday Nutcracker. He was nervous as it weighed heavily on his mind as he wrestled each match. His semi-final match was against Sonoraville’s 132-pound wrestler Logan Moore, a state placer last year and the first seed in the Tournament. He was a tough opponent, and Kerwin handled the challenge in a very dominant fashion.”
The girls’ team also joined in on the very successful Tournament by the Indians.
“Our girls wrestled the best they have wrestled all season as a team. We finished with eight girls in the top two,” recalled Girls Head Coach Scott DeGraff. “The team was led by Nora Garbuzovas, Cadence Grulla, and Caroline Cunningham, who all won their pools. Cadence took care of business, battling all Tournament. Nora beat two state placers from last year, including a state finalist, and Caroline fought back after being down headed into the third period to pull out a win. We also had solid performances from Kadyn Dillon and Lily Cuny, who finished second. Very proud of our entire team. We continue to get better each and every week. Can’t wait to see where this team goes as we get closer to the postseason.”
Coach Hage was happy to have both teams back together at the Tournament.
“I was really excited to see the girls and guys team come together again as one,” added Coach Hage. “Scott DeGraff has been a great addition to our coaches here at Lumpkin, and he has done a lot to grow our girls’ program and their numbers. With the two teams being so busy and competing in so many different places, it is easy to lose the cohesive camaraderie we once enjoyed when we were always in the same place, competing in the same tournaments. Having the kids together again made it feel like we had not skipped a beat. I think our whole program needed to see that. I know I did.”
The Indians continued to impress on the Junior Varsity side of the mats as several athletes fought to impressive finishes.
First-place JV tournament finishers included Aiden Marshall, Devin Alvarez, Caleb Soles, Zeke Cochran, Xander Nielsen, and Jacob Merry.
Hunter Cook took second in the JV tournament. Cook competed in the Tournament as one of several eighth graders who wrestled JV. He battled his way to the finals, where he came face to face with a senior athlete. Cook took the mat fearlessly against an opposing foe and put up a great fight despite the odds. Though the matchup didn’t go his way, he showed courage in the face of adversity and earned himself a second-place finish.
Third-place JV finishers included Peyton O’Kelly and Coltrane Seitz. Fourth-place finishes were netted by Joseph Alvarez, Chance Lyon, Jose Nieto, and Turner Rogers.
Another stand-out athlete in the JV tournament was Korbin Mincey. Mincey was in arguably one of the highlight matches of the night. Against an opposing foe, Mincey found himself trailing 4-1 at the end of the first round. After winning the toss, Mincey took the top position over his opponent. He was able to forcibly roll him onto his back and pick up a massive pinfall victory that saw the stands, athletes, and coaches alike erupt with cheers.
“What can I say? What can you say about a Main Event? That young man always comes packing a fight,” said Hage. “I don’t care how big and tall they come. Korbin Mincey will bring ‘em down. Being one of the shorter heavyweights in the competition is tough, but that has never stopped him or his enthusiasm. And his energy is contagious."