On Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, the North Forsyth Wrestling team brought seven qualifiers to the state tournament. The tournament was held in Macon, Georgia at the Macon Coliseum. The state tournament was set up in a different way than normal due to Covid-19 restrictions. Instead of having all seven classifications wrestle at once, they were split up into four different sessions with placement matches occurring the following day.

Sophomores Michael Gryder, Collin Miller and Cody Scroggins all qualified for the state tournament and finished in the top 12. Senior Victor Reyes placed fifth in the state at 195 pounds. Junior Cale Bissell placed fourth in state at 160 pounds. Juniors Tristan Graham and Bentley Wheeler both made it to the state finals. Graham finished second at 182 pounds and Wheeler is classification 7A state champion at 152, thus capping off a perfect 36-0 season. 

With the combination of individual results, the Raiders placed fourth in the state (as a team) behind Camden County (first), West Forsyth (second) and Lambert (third). 

All of the hard work and dedication these wrestlers put in have paid off. Assistant Coach Josh Montesinos said, “This year’s qualification process left a couple of really good wrestlers at home, but I was confident those who qualified could win matches.” 

Because of Covid-19 changes, only the top three wrestlers in the region qualified for the state tournament. Victor Reyes wrestled a total of six matches to place fifth in the state. Reyes lost in the first round to his opponent from Archer, but fought his way to fifth place to beat the same opponent he lost to in the first round. 

Cale Bissell wrestled a total of seven matches during the state tournament with a record of 5-2 making it all the way to the third and fourth place match for 160. Bissell fought hard to place at state, fighting his way through conso quarterfinals and conso semi-finals matches. 

Tristan Graham wrestled a total of four matches during the state tournament, losing in the finals to his opponent from Forsyth Central with a score of 2-7. Although Graham did not win the state title this year, he -along with his teams and coaches- have high hopes that he will win the state title next year. Graham said, “Wrestling has made me a harder worker and taught me how to dedicate certain aspects of my life to something I truly care about.” Graham began wrestling his freshman year but said he has “managed to make large strides on the amount of time I’ve been wrestling.” After all of the hard work Graham has put into wrestling, he believes that “Hard work paying off is one of the greatest feelings ever. Knowing I was going to the state finals after working hard all season couldn’t have felt better.”

Bentley Wheeler wrestled a total of four matches during the state tournament to win the state title. After beating his opponent from Roswell by a score of 3-1, Wheeler celebrated with the fans in the crowd as well as with his coaches, Josh Montesinos, Travis Jarrard and Blake Palmer. This year was Wheeler’s 10th year wrestling. “(My favorite part about the) wrestling is the community and seeing all your hard work pay off,” said Wheeler. After his hard work paid off, leading him to win state, Wheeler said, “When I won state, it felt like I had been waiting for that moment my whole life. Nothing was better than it. It feels great to know my hard work paid off and to know I’m going in the right direction.”