Southwest DeKalb sophomore Amir Ferguson was No. 1 in the Class 4A 285 weight division to give the Panthers three consecutive years with at least one gold medal. Ferguson had finished third a year ago.

Southwest DeKalb sophomore Amir Ferguson was No. 1 in the Class 4A 285 weight division to give the Panthers three consecutive years with at least one gold medal. Ferguson had finished third a year ago.

Southwest DeKalb sophomore Amir Ferguson capped a 47-2 season as the top DeKalb finisher at the GHSA Traditional State Wrestling Tournament in Macon this past weekend.

Ferguson came away with a gold medal in the Class 4A 285 weight class with four consecutive wins. Ferguson finished off the title with an 8-4 decision over North Oconee’s Joe Ruberte in the championship match.

The Panther sophomore scored 23 points for his team as he opened with a major decision (11-2) over Malachi Thomas (Eastside) followed by a quarterfinal 5-2 decision over Jayden Thomasson (Central-Carroll) and reached the championship round with an 8-3 decision over Bradley Gallup (Hiram).

Ferguson finished third a year ago as a freshman and his win this year gives Southwest DeKalb three consecutive years of putting a wrestler on the top of the podium and a total of five gold medals during the same period. Ferguson also won his weight class at the William Venable DeKalb County Wrestling Championships, Area 5-4A championships and the Class 4A Sectional A title.

Southwest DeKalb also was the top team finisher for DeKalb taking 19th out of 48 teams competing in Class 4A.

The Panthers’ finish was aided by freshman Kamari Rivers-Childs (32-4) who finished fourth at 113 as he fell in the bronze medal match to Brodie Drake (Madison Co.). He had reached the semifinals of the Championship bracket with wins over Khani Johnson of Locust Grove in a technical fall (19-4) and a pin fall win in the quarterfinals over Gavin Walker (Cass) before getting pinned by Jayden Mateo (Stockbridge).

In other Class 4A action, Tucker freshman Maverick Armour (25-8) delivered 11 points for the Tigers with a sixth place finish in the 215 division. Armour battled back through the consolation bracket after dropped a tough 10-8 decision to Nolan Bloom (North Oconee). Armour won his next two matches by pin fall over Deven Nopple (Walnut Grove) and Jackson Prehar (Flowery Branch) and then a major decision of 11-3 over rival Josias Dore of Lithonia.

Tucker finished 31st with 13.5 points and Lithonia tied for 39 (4 points).

Stone Mountain's Dontavious Perry (blue) and Lakeside's Joe Austin both placed at the state wrestling championships. The pair wrestling in the finals of the DeKalb County Championships with Austin winning. Perry claimed a silver medal at 106 and Austin finished fifth in the Class 5A 106 division. (Photo by Mark Brock)

Stone Mountain’s Dontavious Perry (blue) and Lakeside’s Joe Austin both placed at the state wrestling championships. The pair wrestling in the finals of the DeKalb County Championships with Austin winning. Perry claimed a silver medal at 106 and Austin finished fifth in the Class 5A 106 division. (Photo by Mark Brock)

CLASS 3A
Stone Mountain finished at No. 20 in the Class 3A team standings behind a strong silver medal finish by senior Dontavious Perry (43-5).

Perry swept through his first three matches with two pin falls and a major decision. He pinned Alex DeLeon (Bainbridge), won by major decision (19-8) over Emerson Hill (Troup) and pin fall against Wyatt Womack (Heritage-Catoosa). He fell 9-3 in the title match to Owen Etris (Chestatee).

Stephenson finished 23 in the Class 3A team standings without a wrestler placing in the top six. Romando Craddock scored seven points in the 215 division to lead the Jaguars as he fell in the third round of the consolation bracket.

CLASS 5A
Three DeKalb wrestlers placed in Class 5A led by Dunwoody’s David Remigailo as the Wildcats tied for 23rd in the team standings in Class 5A.

Remigailo (47-12) opened by winning his first two matches by pin fall to reach the semifinal round. He defeated Jakobi Allen (Brunswick) and Brody Duffy (Roswell) before falling by pin fall to Daylan Maxwell (Jackson Co.) in the semifinal match. He moved into the bronze medal match with a pin fall (2:12) over Kaino Lau (Glynn Academy) before dropping a major decision (14-4) to Duffy who had beaten in the quarterfinal round.

Lakeside’s Joe Austin (106) wrestled his way to a fifth place finish after winning his first match by pin fall over Asa Curtis (East Paulding) before dropping a 16-9 decision to Raylan Ashton (Chattahoochee). He won his next two matches in the consolation bracket by pin fall (1:25) against Jack Cory (Creekview) and a technical fall (21-6) over Dylan Lynn (Dunwoody). After losing in the consolation semifinals to Christopher Hardeman (South Effingham) he bounced back with a pin fall over Kyler Kegley (Glynn Academy) to claim the fifth place match.

Arabia Mountain’s Joshua Modenou (33-4) finished fifth in the 285 weight class to score 15 points for the Rams. Modenou opened with pin of Hudson Huey (Newnan) before a quarterfinal pin fall loss to Jose Urdaneta Silva (Seckinger). He won his next two matches in the consolation bracket by defeating Harrison Sutton (Milton by fall (1:56) and then taking a 16-11 decision over Crosby Alderman (Brunswick). He was pinned by Javontea Bowen (Habersham Central) in the consolation semis and rebounded for a pin (3:59) of David Robinson (Apalachee) in the fifth place match.

CLASS 2A
Columbia was the top team for DeKalb in the Class 2A standings finishing 30th with six points. Thawbaan As-Siddiq led the way with a sixth-place finish.

Redan finished in a tie for 31st with four points.

Tucker's Zuri-McCalpine-Ingram (left) and Arabia Mountain's Aniya McIver (right) both finished fifth at the Girls' State Championships.

Tucker’s Zuri-McCalpine-Ingram (left) and Arabia Mountain’s Aniya McIver (right) both finished fifth at the Girls’ State Championships.

GIRLS STATE TOURNAMENT
Arabia Mountain (51) and Tucker (tie for 56th) led the DeKalb girls’ contingent in the GHSA Girls’ Wrestling Championships with each team placing a wrestler in fifth place.

Lithonia (71st), Stephenson (82nd) and Stone Mountain (90th) also put points up in a field of 125 competing schools represented.

Arabia Mountain’s Aniya McIver (33-4) defeated Gabby Waddell (Pepperell) by pin fall (0:22) to claim fifth place in a quick fashion. McIver opened the tournament cruising into the semifinals with pin fall wins over Mattie Mendoza (Lumpkin Co.) and Bianca Barbarossi (West Forsyth) before falling to Madison Cooley (Carrollton) in the semifinals. She then dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Mendoza, who she had defeated earlier, to drop to the fifth place match.

Tucker’s Zuri McCalpine-Ingram (52-9) claimed her fifth place spot with a tight 9-8 decision over Alyssa Roberts (River Ridge). Ingram had opened the tournament with a first round 9-8 decision over Adison Steadman (Heritage-Catoosa) before falling 9-2 to Bailey Moore (Carrollton) in the quarterfinals.

She bounced back with two consecutive pin fall wins over Nishimwe Alice (Stone Mountain) and Rosie Laura (Morrow). Abelinda Tercero (Gilmer County) denied Ingram a spot in the bronze medal match with a pin fall win.

See complete list of DCSD State Wrestling finishes:

DCSD STATE WRESLING RESULTS