GAINESVILLE Winning wrestling state championships has become the norm at North Hall High School.
But facing six-time state champion Gilmer made it more difficult than coach David Nichols and his team would have liked. As a matter of fact, the Bobcats led North Hall 27-19 late in the state title dual match at Cherokee Bluff on Saturday.
Freshman Connor Free, perhaps, was the hero, getting an unexpected pin over Gilmer’s Kellen Watts, which was dubbed as a toss-up match. He pinned Watts midway through the second period, setting up Jacob Pedraza to seal the win one match later, and the rest is history.
FLOWERY BRANCH While North Hall wrestling fans were laying claim that they may be the county’s most productive sports program in history, Trojans wrestling coach David Nichols was letting out a huge sigh of relief after his squad overcame a late deficit to defeat Gilmer 37-27 for the Class 3A Duals championship Saturday at the Cherokee Bluff gym.
It was the third title in four years for North Hall and perhaps its toughest as well.
“Gilmer is so tough and the coaches over there do such a great job. We knew coming in it was going to be a battle and it was,” Nichols said.