Wrestling Post: 'We Got Soul' video

Watch more video of Take Back 2020 - Wrestling Experiences on flowrestling.org

NCAA Wrestling - Get Ready!

GAC Wrestlers Place 3rd at State Duals 2012

After drawing Jefferson (state champs) once again this year in Macon the Spartans battled back winning 5 in a row to place 3rd. We rolled over Monticello (49-16), Spencer (48-21), Toombs County (59-15), Calhoun (46-36) and Elbert County (34-25).

Takedown King?

Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State gets a takedown in the first second against his Oklahoma opponent. This dude is sick. Reigning 2011 NCAA champ.


Watch more video of Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State on flowrestling.org

Penn State's Molinaro

This guy is as tough as they come. Love his Hi-C. Very powerful.


Watch more video of Penn State vs Lehigh on flowrestling.org

Stevo

Because I'm leaving early today to be part of the Dallas Mission Team we won't be having our normally scheduled devotional together either today or tomorrow. I wanted to post a video anyways just for fun. This was inspired by my 3rd period Pre-Algebra class. No, not the wrestling itself, just the idea. I shared another wrestling highlight video with them earlier and they wanted more. Well, here's more.

Introducing...Stevo - the wrestling phenom!

Ultimate Wrestling Highlight Video

I was so impressed the first time I saw this video. Great footage from some of the best wrestlers in our history: Gable, Sanderson, Schultz, Monday, Smith, Baumgartner, Brands, Cross, and the list goes on even including NCAA highlights and looks to be some HS as well. Well done. Good soundtrack to the video as well. If you are at all a fan of the sport, and even if you aren't, you're gonna get some goose bumps when you watch this. It just stirs something inside of me. I hope you enjoy.


Watch more video of Ben Askren on flowrestling.org

Militia Duals 2011

The Spartan Wrestlers brought home another trophy this past weekend for winning the Black Division of the GNWA Militia Duals Tournament at the Gwinnett Convention Center. The team went 7-0 during the weekend. Below are the team scores as well as the participants in the tournament.

Rd 1: GACS 45-27 Paulding Co. HS (POOL ROUND)
Rd 2: GACS 48-27 Chattahoochee HS (POOL ROUND)
Rd 3: GACS 72-3 Freedom HS (NC) (POOL ROUND)
Rd 4: GACS 66-13 Westfield-Washington HS (IN) (POOL ROUND)
Rd 5: GACS 42-36 East Paulding HS (QUARTER FINALS)
Rd 6: GACS 44-26 Paulding Co. HS (SEMI-FINALS)
Rd 7: GACS 33-31 Chattahoochee HS (FINALS)

Participants: Kyle Politz, Carter Clinebell, George Winfrey, Caleb Bumpers, Trent Scates, Parker Embry, Brandon Jhin, Aiden Jarrett, Joey Schrader, Brandon Holzgrefe, Ethan Tolbert, Zach Feuerbach, Dalton Duriez, Mitchell Shea, and Brayden Long.

We Are...Penn State

Congrats to the 2010-2011 Nittany Lion Wrestlers as they brought home the 2011 NCAA Div 1 Championship last weekend. Growing up in Western PA the only teams I heard about were local teams like Clarion, Edinboro and Pitt. Wrestling for Penn State was not an honor back then. The teams that competed for national championships were teams like Iowa, Oklahoma State and Minnesota. The last team to win a national championship in wrestling besides the big three was Arizona State back in 1988. They had 2 national champs this year BTW. I'll get to that later. Anyways, Penn State is back like it's never been before. What a season and what a run at the title. This year the Nittany Lions won their first Big 10 title as well by 1 point over rival Iowa. PSU has only been in the Big 10 for about 20 years but winning that first one was tough. Considering teams like Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State are in the same conference.

One of my favorite moments of the finals was the comment Quentin Wright, the champ from PSU at 184 lbs, made after he won his title, "Jesus loves you, I want you to always remember that. There's a God and He loves you." That's pretty awesome. The two champs from Arizona State, Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins, also took time to give God glory. Thanks for representing fellas.


Penn State Head Coach Cael Sanderson excited about Wright's cradle + pin against Iowa's Grant Gambrell in the semi-finals for 184 lbs.

Uncommon Champions

These two guys {Jayson Ness (Minnesota) and Brent Metcalf (Iowa)} are very different but they share two things - both were national champs and their faith in God.

Spartans Wrestling - 3rd at State Duals

From The New Southern Grappler:

Class AA – Banks and GAC Upset Favorites to Battle in Conso Finals

LYONS, Georgia – The Jefferson/Sonoraville issue had been settled a week ago, and the result was a forgone conclusion, with the Dragons winning again 37-18. The real entertainment in 2A, however, was watching Banks County and Greater Atlanta Christian. Both were dark horse teams who had spent the season on the fringes of the rankings. Both were teams trying to earn the respect of their peers and the notice of the media. And both knew that to win that respect, you’ve got to beat good teams in big matches. While the Leopards dropped their opening match to Dublin, they refused to pack it in and go home. They battled back to upset #3 Toombs in the 2nd round consos, then they knocked off Spencer in the conso semis. GAC followed a similar track, upsetting favored Morgan County in the 2nd round consos and Lovett in the conso semis. In the final match, GAC prevailed 34-19, but each had made their mark and earned their measure of respect.

From myself to our wrestling parents, school community + administration:

Congratulations to the 2010-2011 Varsity Wrestling Team as they finished in 3rd Place at the 2011 State Duals Championships this past weekend in Toombs County, GA. The Spartans started the tournament on Friday night matched up with powerhouse and 2011 Traditional State Champs Jefferson.
After losing 55-9 the Spartans had a long day ahead of them on Saturday. The Spartans won 5 dual meets in a row on Saturday to bring home the 3rd place trophy. Up first was East Laurens. The Spartans defeated them 64-8.
Up next was Morgan County which came down to the final match with Zach Feuerbach (160) and Morgan’s Rector. They had just met in the semi-finals of the State Tournament last week and beating a talented opponent two times in a row is pretty tough. Feuerbach came home with a pin though and put the Spartans on top 38-33.
Our third dual of the day came from Cook County. The Spartans wrestled well and won 41-26.
In the Consolation Semi-finals, the Spartans were matched up with Area rival Lovett. The Spartans had never, in their 17 year history, beaten Lovett. This time the Spartans came home with a big win 40-24. One of the surprises came from Parker Fair (215) who scored an escape in the final overtime to beat the 189 State Champ from Lovett who had bumped up to wrestle Fair.
In the Consolation Finals to determine 3rd/4th place the Spartans had to wrestle a solid team in Banks County. Once again, your Spartans, after trailing early and winning several close matches brought home the 3rd place trophy by winning 40-19.
The Spartans ended their season 21-8, with a 10th Place finish at the Traditional State Tournament and 3rd Place finish at State Duals Tournament. By far, the best season in Spartan Wrestling history.
Having stand-out performances were Will Hemby (140), Caleb Bumpers (119), Parker Fair (215) and Jared Hemmings (171) who were all 5-1 for the weekend while Zach Feuerbach (160) went 6-0.

From the Gwinnett Daily Post:

GAC places third at state duals
Feb. 27 Gwinnett Daily Post
LYONS — After losing in the first round of the Class AA state duals, Greater Atlanta Christian battled back to finish third. The Spartans defeated Banks County 40-19 in the consolation finals at Toombs County on Saturday.

“We were one match away from losing to Morgan County and would have been top 12,” GAC coach Jeff Harsh said. “After we beat them, we thought we had a good shot.”

It was the first time GAC has qualified for the state duals in the 10-year history of the tournament. The Spartans made it a memorable tourney with a third-place trophy. After losing to state power Jefferson 55-9, who won the title for the 10th time, GAC reeled off five straight wins.

The Spartans defeated East Laurens 64-8, Morgan County 38-33, Cook County 41-26 and Lovett 40-24 to reach the consolation finals.

State runner-up Zach Feuerbach’s win at 160 pounds in the final match against Morgan County secured the win. The victory over Lovett was the first in school history over the Lions.

Feuerbach was undefeated at 6-0. Jared Hemmings, a state runner-up last week, was 5-1 along with Will Hemby and Caleb Bumpers.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Harsh said. “It wasn’t just one or two kids that did it for us. We are a much better dual team than traditional. It was a whole team effort.”

The third-place trophy caps an impressive year for the Spartans, who finished with a 21-8 record. GAC placed eighth at the Gwinnett County tournament, its highest finish ever. It also placed 10th at last week’s traditional state tournament after finishing 25th a year ago.

With all the success, GAC could be better next season. It only graduates one senior in Hemmings.

“We really exceeded our expectations this year,” Harsh said.

Spartans Rule the Day

DULUTH DUALS TOURNAMENT 2010

Not in Our House

GACS defeats 5A Centennial

A Fighting Chance

No Excuses is one the most inspirational
real-life stories you will ever read. 

Kyle Maynard WAS one of my real life heros already and I had never even met him in person. Yesterday I finally got to meet him and hear him speak to my team. He is the REAL deal! What an inspiration! If you haven't heard of Kyle here is a snippet of who he is from Wikipedia: 

Kyle Maynard was born in Suwanee, Georgia, US. Maynard competed in the 2004 Georgia High School Wrestling Championships. Maynard had a record of 35 wins, 16 losses as a high school wrestler. He graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee with a 3.7 grade point average.

He is the recipient of an ESPN Espy Award for Best Athlete With A Disability in 2004. His radio and television interviews have been featured on talk shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live. He has modeled for clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.

Maynard works as a speaker for the Washington Speaker's Bureau, specializing in motivational speeches. He is also the author of the memoir No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life (Regnery Publishing, 2005; ISBN 0-89526-011-5).

He attended the University of Georgia, but was forced to put his undergraduate education on hold due to the high demands of his motivational speaking career.

Maynard has trained in mixed martial arts (MMA). A documentary film, A Fighting Chance, focuses on his MMA efforts. His amateur debut fight was at Auburn Fight Night at the Auburn Covered Arena in Auburn, Alabama on April 25, 2009. He lost his first mixed martial arts fight to Bryan Fry on a unanimous 30–27 judges' decision.

Kyle Maynard is also the owner of No Excuses Crossfit gym located in Suwanee, GA. http://www.noexcusescrossfit.com/

Kyle Maynard @ UGA Wrestling Club

With a combination of perseverance and faith he has overcome odds that most of us can not even imagine. Coach Ramos (his HS wrestling coach and now my mentor at GAC) shared that a lot of times Kyle would be asked whether being born the way he is was a blessing or curse. Kyle's response, without hesitation, was "a blessing." A blessing because he has impacted so many lives with his faith and story. 


Kyle shared that he had a documentary coming out on ESPN this fall called A Fighting Chance but you can see it now. It's about Kyle and his adventure as he is training to become an MMA fighter. I sat down last night and watched the first ten minutes....I can't wait to see more. Check it out, it might just CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

You know you're a Wrestling addict when...

Compliments of Wade Schalles and the Nov 15, 2006 issue of Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine:

I picked 8 of the 25 to share because they're the best.

...if you have a dream that you are 10 over right before weigh-ins, you wake up from the dream and check your weight.

...you can't help but snicker when someone tells you they missed lunch and are feeling light headed.

...you insist of being totally stripped down to the nude before stepping on any scale...like at your doctor's office in front of the nurse...or even the big scale at the carnival in front of the "Guess-Your-Weight" guy.

...you spot cauliflower ears in public places.

...when you refuse to buy that perfect house in that perfect neighborhood because the wrestling team stinks and "how is junior gonna be a state champ here."

...you remembered being a wrestler and prevent your daughter from thereby dating a wrestler, suggesting the tuba player in the band instead.

...if on Saturdays during the wrestling season you never see the sun.

...you have contests with your friends after the season is over to see who can gain the most weight within a week.