2024 Region Previews Class 6A Regions 1-4

CLASS 6A REGIONS 1-4

With the 2nd dead week officially in the rearview mirror that means the new school year is just around the corner.  Over the next few weeks we will begin to look at each of the 56 Regions in the State to see what to expect moving forward, and refresh our memories as to what everyone did last season.  

As we get ready for the 2023-2024 wrestling season, its important to note that there has been a change (again) to the State Duals series.  The GHSA has decided to go back to the way that it was 3 or 4 years ago, with the top 2 teams from each Region/Area advancing to the 16 team State Duals tournament, so no more "Sectional Quads" and no more "Elite 8."

These previews will be based upon what everyone has returning from last seasons performance.  I do not have any concreate information about upcoming Freshman, transfers in and out of programs, or move ins, so if you would like to share any of this information, please feel free to drop us an email here.

Now, on to the previews!!!

CLASS 6A REGION 1

2023 Region Dual Results

1st- Lee Co- Elite 8, lost to North Forsyth and Glynn Acad.
2nd- Tift Co- Lost 2nd round to Lassiter
3rd- Thomas Co Central- Lost 2nd round to Woodward
4th- Veterans- Lost 1st round to Creekview

2023 Traditional Results

1st- Lee Co- 3rd at State: 101 pts
2nd- Tift Co- 26th at State: 19 pts
3rd- Thomas Co Central- 24th at State: 21 pts
4th- Veterans- 9th at State: 59 pts
5th- Houston Co- 27th at State: 18 pts
6th- Northside WR- 0 pts at State

Houston Co
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 4
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Bears have over half of their lineup returning, which is a positive, but they do not return any State Qualifiers.  Caleb McGlamry and Sam Nunez are their best returners, with McGlamry finishing 2nd in the Region last year and Nunez being a previous State Qualifier.  Even with 8 returning Starters, chances of making it into the top 2 at the Region Duals look slim.

Lee Co
Returning Starters: 10
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 9
Returning State Qualifiers: 4
Returning State Placers: 3

The Generals capped off a stellar year last season bringing home some hardware from Macon by finishing 3rd at the Traditional State Tournament.  The 2024 version has quite a bit to replace in the middle of their lineup, Karol Olade and Alex Tabb both placed at State in the lower weights last year, and Weston Bryant was your State Runner-up at 215lbs.  The only other returning State Qualifier for Lee Co is Dominic Vigil, who made the blood round at 285.  They have the horses to once again do damage at the Traditional State Tournament, but we will need to see who they add to the middle weights to see how tough they will be in duals.

Northside, WR
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

If everyone returns to the squad, the Eagles will only have to replace 5 starters. However, from a talent standpoint, they are well behind the top teams in the Region. Isaiah Haynes is their only returning Sectional Qualifier, and he finished 4th in the Region last year at 175.  

Thomas Co Central
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 8
Returning State Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Placers: 0

Jumping up a couple classifications proved to be quite a challenge for the Yellow Jackets last season.  They were able to finish 3rd in the Region in both formats last year, and with 9 returning starters, they will contend with the top teams in the Region this season.  Junior Dean Rollins is their lone returning State Qualifier, and after advancing to the blood round as a freshman, he is a contender for placement this season.  Seniors Rodney Edwards and Nicholas Whigham are both former State Qualifiers that missed out on making it back to Macon last season, they will help to solidify the middle weights for the Yellow Jackets.

Tift Co
Returning Starters: 11
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 11
Returning State Qualifiers: 5
Returning State Placers: 1

After all those years slugging it out in the toughest region in 7A with Camden, Colquitt, and Lowndes, the Blue Devils dropped down a classification and had a very solid year.  In terms of quantity, Tift returns more than anyone else in the Region, and while they don't return as many State Placers as Lee Co, they do have more State Qualifiers.  Senior Damion Moate finished 4th in the State last year at 175, and he is the centerpiece of a very talented group of upper weights that includes 3 other State Qualifiers, including Danny Freeman who made the blood round at 165.  Tift Co will be stronger in duals than they will be in a Traditional format, but they should improve upon last years 26th place finish in Macon.

Veterans
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 6
Returning State Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Placers: 1

While the Warhawks don't return much in the way of State Qualifiers, the 1 that they do return is an absolute beast.  2x State Champion Latrell Schafer will look to cap off his remarkable high school career with a 3rd State Title.  Schafer is pound for pound one of the best in Georgia and he will be a lot of fun to watch on the college scene at NC State in a year or two.  Schafer is currently ranked 7th in the country at 160 lbs, and he is the 23rd ranked senior in the country on MatScouts' 2024 Big Board.  138 lbs Region Champion, Hayden Pointer also returns, and he will help to solidify the middle weights along with Region runner-up Adam Ghanem.  Ultimately,  Veterans just doesn't return enough to keep up with the top teams in the Region.

2024 Region Duals Predictions:
1st- Tift Co (State Qualifier)
2nd- Lee Co (State Qualifier)
3rd- Thomas County Central
4th- Veterans

I don't see anyone from this Region finishing top 4 at the State Duals this year.  Tift and Lee will both win a match, possibly 2 at the State Duals but a consolation semifinals exit looks to be the ceiling here, round of 12 or round of 8 more likely.

2024 Traditional Region Predictions:
1st- Lee Co
2nd- Tift Co
3rd- Thomas County Central
4th- Veterans

Lee Co has a legitimate shot at a top 5 finish, and if they add a couple of impact freshman, they have an outside chance at winning the State Title in Macon.  Tift could push their way into the Top 10, but I don't see them rising above 8th.

CLASS 6A REGION 2

2023 Region Duals Results

1st- South Effingham- State Champions
2nd- Brunswick- Lost 2nd round to North Forsyth
3rd- Glynn Academy- 4th Place State Duals
4th- Lakeside, Evans- Lost 1st round to Newnan

2023 Traditional Results

1st- South Effingham- 2nd at State: 103 pts
2nd- Brunswick- 5th at State: 86 pts
3rd- Glynn Academy- 10th at State: 55.5 pts
4th- Grovetown- 16th at State: 31 pts
5th- Effingham Co- 21st at State: 23.5 pts
6th- Lakeside, Evans- 34th at State: 14 pts
7th- Evans- 0 pts at State

Brunswick
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 5
Returning State Qualifiers: 3
Returning State Placers: 3

The Pirates were a top 5 team in the State last year in both formats, but a terrible draw kept them from qualifying for the Elite 8 last season.  Brunswick graduated several State Placers, but they do return 3, including 215 lbs State Champion Anthony Lowe.  He will be joined in the lineup by a pair of 5th place finishers in Clayton Hicks and River Creel.  The problem for Brunswick is that this Region is absolutely loaded, with 4 very strong teams and only 2 spots in the State Duals.  Over the years Brunswick has featured a lot of different wrestlers in their lineup, so while they are only returning 3 State Qualifiers from 2023, there are at least 5 wrestlers in the program that have wrestled when it matters in Macon.  The Pirates will need to get all of their experience in the lineup this year if they want to make it to the State Duals, as they aren't quite as deep as they have been in the past.  

Effingham Co
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 3
Returning State Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Placers: 0

The Rebels return most of the middle portion of their lineup led by their lone returning State Qualifier, Elijah Johnson, who made the blood round at 132.  As far as individuals go, keep an eye on Kevin Poythress who finished 2nd in the Region last year and just missed qualifying for Macon finishing 7th at Sectionals.

Evans
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Knights only entered 8 wrestlers in the Region tournament last season, with Tyler Bush being the only one to qualify for Sectionals, and he finished 4th in the Region.  Evans is really in a tough spot and they just don't have the talent to compete in the toughest Region in the classification.

Glynn Academy
Returning Starters: 11
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 10
Returning State Qualifiers: 6
Returning State Placers: 3

The Red Terrors had a phenomenal season last year and were led by a group of very young lower weights.  With 11 starters coming back to a team that finished 4th at the State Duals, Glynn is in position to contend for a title at the State Duals in 2024.  With only 2 returning starters in the five upper weights, its obvious to see where the Terrors need to shore things up, but they might be just strong enough down low to overcome their issues up top.  They are led by a pair of State runner-ups with Jefferson Cuttino at 126 and Cade Morgan at 138, but Hunter Kegley might be the best wrestler in the lineup.  Kegley finished 3rd in a stacked 120 lbs weight class.

Grovetown
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 5
Returning State Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Placers: 1

The Warriors are the only other team that has a shot at battling it out with the top 3 teams in this Region, but they are still quite a bit behind them.  They are led by State Placer, Josiah Boyden, who finished 5th at 120.  In the middle of the order, Seniors Dylan Spencer and Nazareth Bates, look to get back to Macon after failing to qualify last season.  Both Spencer and Bates finished 2nd in the Region last year and qualified for Macon earlier in their career.

Lakeside, Evans
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Panthers didn't graduate a ton, but they did graduate their top two wrestlers from a season ago.  They are in for a long season as they rebuild this lineup behind their 2 returning Region placers.  Jason Dixon finished 3rd in the Region at 106, and just missed out on Macon, finishing 7th at Sectionals, and Brice Ozden finished 4th in the Region at 113.  Junior JB Epps finished 5th in the Region at 120, but he was 7th at Sectionals in 2022.

South Effingham
Returning Starters: 10
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 10
Returning State Qualifiers: 8
Returning State Placers: 4

The Mustangs return a ton of talent to a team that won a State Title last season in the duals, but fell just short of winning the Championship in Macon.  They return 4 State Placers, but none bigger (literally) than 285 lbs State Champion, Ashton Anderson.  The key to success for South Effingham this season might just be that their talent is distributed evenly throughout their lineup. In the lower weights you have returning State Placer Brandon Bringer, who got 3rd at 132.  He is joined by Jacob Stellhorn who got 3rd at 106 in 2022 and made the blood round at 126 last season.  Emilio Santana made the blood round at 120 last year.  In the middle weights you have Eli Wood and Gannon White, who both made the blood round last year at 138 and 144 respectively.  Ashton Tootle returns after finishing 4th at 165 and Damyon McFarlin is coming back after getting 5th at 175.  That is going to be a very tough team to bring down in a dual.

2024 Region Dual Predictions:
1st- South Effingham
2nd- Glynn Academy
3rd- Brunswick
4th- Grovetown

There are only a handful of teams in this classification that can match up with South Effingham and Glynn Academy.  You very well may see a Region Duals final rematch in the State Duals between these two teams.  Brunswick is going to be good as well, and they would probably qualify for State Duals in just about any other Region, but this Region is absolutely stacked.  

2024 Traditional Region Predictions:
1st- South Effingham
2nd- Glynn Academy
3rd- Brunswick
4th- Dutchtown

I'm not sure if these 3 teams can each crack the Top 10 again at the Traditional State Tournament, but South Effingham and Glynn will both finish in the top 5.   There are a couple of teams in 6A that will have a better chance at keeping these two teams out of the top 2 spots in Macon than they do in a dual, but it is still possible for them to go 1-2 here as well.

CLASS 6A REGION 3

2023 Region Dual Results

1st- Woodward Academy- 3rd Place State Duals
2nd- Rockdale Co- Lost 1st round to Blessed Trinity
3rd- Lovejoy- Lost 1st round to Pope
4th- Morrow- Lost 1st round to Lassiter

2023 Traditional Results

1st- Woodward Academy- State Champions: 124 pts
2nd- Rockdale Co- 23rd at State: 22 pts
3rd- Forest Park- 0 pts at State
4th- Morrow- 39th at State: 4 pts
5th- Jonesboro- 0 pts at State
6th- Mundy's Mill- 0 pts at State
7th- Alcovy- 0 pts at State
8th- Lovejoy- 0 pts at State

Alcovy
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 4
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Tigers only sent half of a lineup to the Traditional Region tournament last season, and most of those wrestlers return this year.  Of those returning, Michael Boyd had the best performance last season, finishing 2nd in the Region at 150.  Boyd is the only returning starter to reach the Region finals last season.

Forest Park
Returning Starters: 4
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Panthers return Sectional Qualifiers at 215 and 285 this season.  Of the 4 returning starters, Joel Saxton had the best showing for Forest Park last season finishing 3rd at heavyweight.  

Jonesboro
Returning Starters: 4
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

A majority of this Region didn't have a single State Qualifier last season, and Jonesboro is no exception to this.  Like several others, the Cardinals return less than half a lineup, and only 2 Sectional Qualifiers from last year.  Adan Martinez finished 3rd in the Region last season at 150, and he leads the way for Jonesboro as a 2x Sectional Qualifier.

Lovejoy
Returning Starters: 3
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Wildcats only entered 5 wrestlers at the Traditional Region Tournament, but they did have enough of a lineup to finish 3rd at the Region Duals.  Xavier Wilson and Timothy Sims return to lead Lovejoy as their only returning Sectional Qualifiers from 2023, they both finished 4th in the Region.

Morrow
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 3
Returning State Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Placers: 0

Outside of the top 2 teams in this Region, the Mustangs return the most heading into 2024.  Led by returning State Qualifier, Trevoris Shelley, Morrow will look to move up to 3rd in the pecking order in the Region.  Antonio Ashemeade is a 2x Sectional Qualifier that will be looking to advance to Macon for the first time this year.

Mundy's Mill
Returning Starters: 3
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

Brian Smith is the only returning Sectional Qualifier for the Tigers, and he took 4th at 144.  Mundy's Mill will need to find a lot of bodies to fill out this lineup to be competitive in the Region.

Rockdale Co
Returning Starters: 12
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 10
Returning State Qualifiers: 5
Returning State Placers: 0

The Bulldogs will return almost their entire lineup from last season, however one of their graduates was their only State Placer from a year ago.  With 12 returning starters, Rockdale shouldn't have any problems qualifying for the State Duals this season.  State Qualifier Luka Heron looks to be the top returner for the Bulldogs, and he will help to anchor the middle of the lineup after winning a Region Title at 138 in 2023.

Woodward Academy
Returning Starters: 10
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 10
Returning State Qualifiers: 8
Returning State Placers: 4

The War Eagles lead all of 6A in returning State Placers, and they are tied with S. Effingham for the most returning State Qualifiers.  However, they are not returning their Head Coach, as Chris Hardin will take the helm for the Circle W.  Woodward definitely has the fire power to repeat as State Champions, and they have enough pieces to be in contention for the State Duals title as well.  The War Eagles will be led by a pair of defending State Champions in Tanner Spalding, who dominated the field going 49-0 at 126 lbs, and Robby DeHaven who scored 3 major decisions on his way to the 165 lbs title.  Heath Augustyn placed 4th at 113 lbs and he will return to hold things down in the lightweights, and 3rd place finisher Dylan Reel will look to improve on his impressive freshman season.

2024 Region Duals Predictions:
1st- Woodward Academy
2nd- Rockdale Co
3rd- Alcovy
4th- Morrow

After the top 2 in this Region things are wide open, as only Woodward and Rockdale brought more than 10 wrestlers to the Region Tournament last season.  However, with the change in format, the top 2 qualifiers from this Region are pretty much set in stone.  Rockdale should have a full lineup, but they don't quite have enough top end talent to knock off Woodward.  They may be able to win a match or two at the State Duals, but I think the conso quarters may be their ceiling.  Woodward has the lineup to potentially win it all.  I believe they are a piece or two away from accomplishing that goal, but may end up getting the help they need in incoming wrestlers for the 2024 campaign.

2024 Traditional Region Predictions:
1st- Woodward Academy
2nd- Rockdale Co
3rd- Morrow
4th- Alcovy

Returning 2 State Champions automatically puts Woodward in position to contend for the State Title, and in 1 or 2 other potential State Finalists and they could be the favorites.  Look for Rockdale to finish a little stronger in Macon than they did last year, they could potentially finish inside the top 20 and push towards the top 15.

CLASS 6A REGION 4

2023 Region Duals Results

1st- Dunwoody- Lost 2nd round to Glynn Academy
2nd- Marist- Lost 2nd round to Newnan
3rd- St. Pius- Lost 1st round to Jackson Co
4th- North Atlanta- Lost 1st round to North Forsyth

2023 Traditional Results

1st- St. Pius- 36th at State: 10 pts
2nd- Marist- 11th at State: 53 pts
3rd- Dunwoody- 38th at State: 5 pts
4th- North Atlanta- 0 pts at State
5th- Riverwood- 0 pts at State
6th- Lakeside, Dekalb- 40th at State: 2 pts
7th- South Cobb- 0 pts at State

Dunwoody
Returning Starters: 10
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 6
Returning State Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Placers: 0

The Wildcats won the Region Duals last season and they are once again built to be successful in Duals for 2024.  Their strength is in the middle of the order with State Qualifiers returning from 150 and 157 lbs.  Adam Gromatzky won the Region at 157 last season and finished 2nd at Sectionals, but failed to reach the podium in Macon.  Dunwoody is also solid in the lower weights with Sectional qualifiers Andrew McKissick and Charlie Ruark, both of which just missed qualifying for Macon last year.  The Wildcats also have 215 lbs Region runner up Steve Crespo in the upperweights to help solidify the back half of the lineup.

Lakeside, Dekalb
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 1
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The good news for the Vikings is that they return over half of their starting lineup from last season, and none of them are seniors.  The bad news is that only one of them made it out of the Region last year, heavyweight Makhi Williams-Lee, and he finished 3rd in the Region.

Marist
Returning Starters: 10
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 9
Returning State Qualifiers: 3
Returning State Placers: 3

Last year Marist finished 2nd in the Region in both formats behind 2 different Champions, Dunwoody won the Duals, and St. Pius won the Traditional Tournament.  This year the War Eagles return more talent than anyone else in the Region.  Forrest Briesacher was ranked 1st at 106 for most of the season last year, and eventually finished 3rd in the State behind a couple of seniors that dropped late in the year.  2x State Placer John Termini finished 4th at 126 last season and looks to finish his career on top of the podium.  In the upperweights Xavier Byams finished 4th in the State at 190 after wrestling most of the season up at 215.  With 6 other Sectional Qualifiers scattered throughout the lineup, Marist will be tough in Duals, and will also have the firepower to score well in Macon.

North Atlanta
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectionals Qualifiers: 5
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

Similar to Lakeside, North Atlanta returns over half of their lineup, but they do not return any State Qualifiers.  Unlike Lakeside, the Warriors do have a handful of returning Sectional Qualifiers.  Marco Bernabe and Will Lazarus both finished 2nd in the Region in 2023, but failed to advance on to Macon.  

Riverwood
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 4
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Raiders did not have a State Qualifier last year, but they return enough starters to have a solid dual team in 2024.  They are built very similarly to North Atlanta with Riverwoods strength being in the middle weights as opposed to North Atlanta's strong lightweights.  Their leader has to be Nathan Johnson, the senior won the Region title at 150 lbs last year, but just missed out on a trip to Macon when he finished 8th at Sectionals.  

South Cobb
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Qualifiers: 0
Returning State Placers: 0

The Eagles also return over half of their lineup, but with only 2 returning Sectional Qualifiers, it will be tough for them to compete in this Region.  Rashad Gardner won the Region last year at 175lbs to qualify for sectionals for the 2nd time in his career, but he failed to make it to Macon.  Marcus Laurent won the Region at 285 last year, but he also failed to make it out of a loaded Sectional bracket.  

St. Pius
Returning Starters: 9
Returning Sectional Qualifiers: 9
Returning State Qualifiers: 2
Returning State Placers: 1

The Golden Lions were able to win the team title at the Traditional Region tournament in 2023, and they return enough to repeat in a very competitive Region.  Their undisputed leader is 2x State Placer Gene Smith, who finished 5th at 132 last season.  Supporting Smith is a pair of returning Region Champions, Ben Tomasello won it at 113 and Luca Tolusso won it at 138, neither of them qualified for Macon.  However, Vincent Casal advanced to the blood round in Macon after finishing 2nd in the Region at 175.

2024 Region Duals Predictions:
1st- Marist
2nd- St. Pius
3rd- Dunwoody
4th- North Atlanta

The top 3 are so close together that one or two surprises one way or another could very well tip the balance for anyone of those teams to finish on top.  With the new format this year, the battle for 2nd in this Region is going to be intense.  Whichever 2 teams make it through from this Region will face an uphill battle at the State Duals.  Marist has the best chance at breaking into the top 8 because they have three top end  studs that could pose match up problems for other teams, but I don't see anyone from this Region cracking the top 6.  

2024 Traditional Region Predictions:
1st- Marist
2nd- Dunwoody
3rd- St. Pius
4th- North Atlanta

I think each of the top 3 teams will improve on their State finish from last season.  Marist could make a run at the top 8 in the Traditional Tournament.  Both St Pius and Dunwoody should push into the top 25 this season.