Wrestlers bring home region championships

All three Columbia County wrestling teams were well-represented Saturday at the Region 3-AAAA Traditionals at Lakeside High School.

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One wrestler each from Lakeside, Greenbrier and Evans took home a region championship. No one did it faster than Evans' Trey Golston.

Golston's technique and sheer strength gave him the region title in the 285-pound weight class. The junior needed only 33 seconds in the championship match to pin Lakeside's Jacob Smith and improve to 20-1 on the season.

"I was expecting a pin in the first round, but not that fast," he said. "I knew I had more experience. I was just counting on my technique to pull me through."

Golston will lead a crew of five Evans wrestlers who earned Top 4 finishes at the region traditionals. Wrestlers who placed in the top four will advance to state competition beginning today.

Greenbrier is sending a record number of Wolfpack wrestlers to the state traditionals with 11 wrestlers taking fourth place or better Saturday.

Greenbrier's top man, senior Rick Stahman, claimed a region title Saturday with a 6-1 defeat of Effingham County's Whil Darberley in the 215-pound weight class.

Stahman (43-5) won his second consecutive region championship and now has his eyes set on the state competition.

"I've got to do it at state," he said. "I was one match short of getting a medal last year. This year I'm getting on that podium."

Lakeside, who put more wrestlers in the region finals than any other Columbia County team, saw Kyle Tau claim a region championship in the 189-pound weight class.

Tau (36-9) held on for a 3-2 victory over Effingham County's Desmond Wash-ington. Columbia County's three wrestling region champions will head to the state tournament as the top seeds.

"That No. 1 seed puts you at the top of one of the brackets. That really gives you an advantage," Tau said.

State competition, which begins today and runs through Saturday, will take place at the Macon Centerplex in Macon.