The Ware County Gator Wrestling program put together a strong and resilient showing at the GHSA AAAA Sectional A, held Friday and Saturday, as both the boys and girls competed against some of the deepest brackets in the state. By the end of the weekend, the Gators secured 12 total qualifiers for the GHSA AAAA State Wrestling Championships.
Boys Sectional Highlights
Ware County saw wrestlers place in nearly every weight class, piling up valuable team points and earning multiple podium finishes.
Aaron Bennett (150) delivered one of the weekend’s top performances, battling through the consolation bracket to claim 3rd place, highlighted by key wins in the final rounds.
Gunter Fore (165) also finished 3rd, showing dominance with multiple falls and bouncing back after a semifinal loss.
Jaden McKelvin (144) and Jordan Maxwell (113) each earned 5th-place finishes, with Maxwell closing his tournament with an emphatic technical fall.
Collin Deal (175) added another 5th-place finish, grinding through the backside to secure his spot at state.
Noah Paul (120), Rodrigo Reyes (126), Da’Marion Zanders (132), and Jalen Hampton (215) all placed 6th, each navigating long consolation runs against ranked competition.
Evan Thomas (138) and Antonio Birch (285) battled through adversity and injuries to finish 8th, while gaining critical postseason experience.
Cristian Martinez (106) fought through five matches to finish 10th, contributing team points with a key consolation victory.
Taishawn Muchison (157) and Leland Nettles (190) gained valuable postseason mat time and added to the team score despite falling short of podium finishes.
The Gators’ depth and perseverance were on full display, as several wrestlers rebounded from early setbacks to fight their way back into placement matches.
Girls Sectional Recap
On the girls side, Kira Brown turned in an outstanding performance at 190 pounds, finishing as the Sectional Runner-Up.
Brown advanced to the championship bout after a strong run through the bracket and dropped a tightly contested 5-4 decision in the finals to Gabriel Daniels of Camden County. Her second-place finish secured Ware County another state qualifier and capped a dominant postseason showing.
On to the State Championships
With Sectionals complete, 12 Ware County wrestlers now advance to the GHSA AAAA State Wrestling Championships, scheduled for Thursday, February 12 through Saturday, February 14, 2026, at the Clayton County Convocation Center.
Fans can follow the tournament live and track brackets and results on trackwrestling.com as the Gators look to finish the season strong on the state’s biggest stage.