The Trion Bulldogs competed in the Class A traditional wrestling state tournament over the weekend and finished in ninth place.

Wrestling began Thursday morning and concluded Saturday evening with the championship bouts. All five classifications convened on the Arena at Gwinnett for the event. Class A competed in 16-man brackets and all other classifications competed in 32-man brackets due to the inclement weather that passed through the north Georgia area the prior weekend. The sectional tournaments were canceled. However, class A was not affected by the revised tournament schedule.

Trion had 10 wrestlers advance to the state level and four brought home individual medals. Those earning medals in their respective weight categories were Elvino Felipe (125) who finished runner-up. Austin McDonald (135) finished sixth, Austin McGraw (171) finished sixth and Nick Coker (215) took fifth.

In the team standings, Bremen captured their second consecutive traditional state title with 255.5 team points. The Blue Devils had 12 wrestlers place in the event. Gordon Lee with 191.5 points finished runner-up and Commerce finished third with 180 points. Trion’s 51 team points was enough for ninth in the team standings.

“We overcame adversity this year and finished strong as a team,” said Trion wrestling Coach Eric Brock.

Bulldog senior Elvino Felipe finished out his senior season with an impressive 47-5 season record and went 3-1 and finished second at state.

“He is one of the hardest working athletes around and has excellent work ethic,” Coach Brock said.

Felipe finished second at area and second at state behind Bremen’s Ryne Eriquezzo. Eriquezzo edged out Felipe 13-7 in the finals of state. Felipe is no stranger to the main event. He won the Class AA state championship at 119 pounds in 2008 for Chattooga before transferring to Trion. 

After finishing fourth at the area tournament, Austin McDonald (135) advanced to state where he went 2-2 and took sixth place. McDonald rounded out his junior season with a 32-7 record. Three-time state placer, Austin McGraw (171) finished sixth in his weight class. McGraw went 37-12 on the season. With a 3-2 record at state, Nick Coker (215) came in fifth place. The junior went 21-7 on the season.

Other Bulldogs competing in the state tournament that were eliminated in the first round were Preston Barfield (112), Jesus Reynoso (119), Seth Clark (140), Dylan Deering (145), Kingston Lanier (189) and Trevor Flannigan (285).