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Wrestling

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History

DeKalb County Schools takes wrestling to the mat in a very serious manner. The schools own 26 state team-wrestling championships and an amazing 311 individual state titles since 1961.

Dequan Warner (blue), the 2006 and 2007 Class AAAA state champion.

Dequan Warner (blue), the 2006 and 2007 Class AAAA state champion.

Columbia leads the current 18-school contingent in state titles with five (1972 to 1973, 1976 to 1977, 1988). The now defunct Briarcliff and Walker High Schools hold six and five of the state titles, respectively. Chamblee (1974, 1979) and Redan (1983 to 1984) are the only other schools with more than one title.

Lakeside won the last team title in 1997. Towers (1975), Avondale (1983), Cross Keys (1961), Stone Mountain (1969) and Lithonia (1971) also captured state titles. Towers, despite only one state title to its credit, holds the county lead in Top 10 finishes in the state competition with 28. Avondale has finished in the Top 10 23 times and Columbia is third with 19. The county has 15 of the current 18 schools with at least six or more top ten finishes.

The 309 individual state titles include 57 participants that won 2 or more titles. Bucky Harrelson of Briarcliff won 4 titles (1961 to 1964) to lead the county and was later tied for that distinction when Lithonia’s Arty McGuire won four from 1973 to 1976. Bill Glass (Druid Hills, 1965 to 1967), Craig Cummings (Sequoyah, 1967 to 1969), John Kalvelage (Lakeside, 1969 to 1971), Kirk Hoffman (Clarkston, 1978 to 1980), Kevin Pride (Towers, 1979 to 1981), J.J. Mathis (Clarkston, 1987 to 1989), Charles Cloud (Columbia, 1987 to 1989) and Richard Robinson (Tucker, 1991 to 1993) all won three state individual titles.

Clarkston's Terrance Gaddy (green) pins Lafayette's Will Gilbert for Class AAA gold medal.

Clarkston’s Terrance Gaddy (green) pins Lafayette’s Will Gilbert for Class AAA gold medal.

Southwest DeKalb’s Dequan Warner won the 2006 Class AAAA 103 lb. class state title as a freshman with a 32-0 record and became a two-time state titlist by winning the 2007 class AAAA 112 state champion as a sophomore. Clarkston’s Terrance Gaddy won back-to-back state titles in the Class AAA 171-pound class in 2008 and 2009 to give DeKalb back-to-back champions twice in four years. Southwest DeKalb junior Adul Rahman-Yasin matched the back-to-back feat in 2014 by winning his second consecutive state title. He won the 145 title in 2013 to finish 42-1 on the year in 2013 and followed up with a 38-0 record in winning the 152 weight class in 2014.

Dunwoody’s Constantine Gavalas became another undefeated state champ in 2017 with a 45-0 record on the way to the Class 6A gold medal in the 195 weight class.

Six schools hold over 20 individual state titles led by Briarcliff with 40. Towers (28), Columbia (26), Avondale (25), Walker (23) and Redan (22) round out the six schools with 20 or more individual titles.

State Titles (26)

  • Briarcliff (6) – 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967
  • Walker (5) – 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971
  • Columbia (5) – 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1988
  • Chamblee (2) – 1974, 1979
  • Redan (2) – 1983, 1984
  • Avondale (1) – 1983
  • Cross Keys (1) – 1961
  • Lakeside (1) – 1997
  • Lithonia (1) – 1971
  • Stone Mountain (1) – 1969
  • Towers (1) – 1975