By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

25 high school wrestling teams met last Friday and Saturday for the largest South Metro Invitational in history.

The tournament, held at Eagle's Landing High School, featured 282 wrestlers, including many state champions and placers. The four teams from Fayette County did well, with three of the teams finishing in the top 10.

Starr's Mill won the tournament with 295 points. They were followed by Woodward Academy, which finished with 235 points. Seven Starr's Mill wrestlers made it to the finals and many of their younger and inexperienced wrestlers scored points, helping their team to victory. Gary James finished first in the 103 weight class, while Kevin Trickey (112) placed fifth and Scott Hartpence (125) placed sixth.

Jason Kiefer finished second to McIntosh's Eddie Smith at 130. Freshman Scott Molleson also scored team points at 130. Ariston Bowers took first place at 140, Christopher Coleman placed first at 145 and Drew Cofty placed first at 152. Matt Fuhrman placed second at 160, Stephen Behringer placed second at 189 and Tony Tofanelli finished in fifth place at 215.

Coach Mickey Statham feels that his team is still getting into wrestling shape. Many of his wrestlers played football for the high school and have not been practicing as long as the others. The Panthers will host their own tournament this weekend, featuring teams like Berkmar, Alexander and Newton. The Starr's Mill Invitational will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Fayette County finished fifth , with 150.5 total points. The Tigers had five wrestlers make the finals of the tournament. Jarrod Bailey took first place at 135, Brad West finished second to Bowers at 140, Justin Lane placed sixth at 145 and Nick Salters and Phillip McFarlin each placed fourth at 160 and 171 respectively.

“We could have wrestled better, but I'm not disappointed,” said Coach Jim Bailey. “We still have starters out and it is still early in the season.” The Tigers will participate in the Brookwood tournament this weekend, with wrestling beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday and at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The McIntosh Chiefs, last year's South Metro Champions, finished in seventh place this year with 137.5 total points. Freshman Ricky Smith (112) and his brother Eddie (130) each placed first. Carlos Dinkins took third at 119, Jerry Fochtmann took fifth at 125 and Michael Lee finished third at 160. Coach Hutsell believes that his team is inexperienced and tournaments like this one will only help them as wrestlers.

McIntosh will head to the McCallie Invitational this weekend in Chattanooga, TN. The tournament will put the Chiefs up against some tough competition, which will only prepare them more for the McIntosh Christmas Classic, which will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday at McIntosh. The tournament will feature 38 teams and some of the biggest names in wrestling in the state will be there. The wrestling will begin at 9 a.m. on both days.

Sandy Creek attended the South Metro Invitational and placed 19th. They scored a total of 60 team points. John Hilton wrestled well for the team, placing sixth at 103. Many of Hilton's matches went to overtime and were very close. Joey Singleton took fifth place at 119, losing to some very tough competition, while Larry Wright placed fourth at 140. The 140 weight class included four state placers from last year's state meet.

“It's been slow going, so far,” Coach Damian Belvedere said. “The team is together now and now we have to make sure everybody is on the same page.” The team hopes to get Jonathan Callahan back this week from an injury. The Patriots will participate in the Caveman Duals at Northgate High School this Saturday.

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