Written by Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer, published 4/1/2007
One reached the pinnacle of success for the first time this season. The other has been there before. Each athlete was a wrestler that competitors and coaches alike had the utmost respect for and neither ever ended a match without having his hand raised.
For those reasons, Darlington's Korey Pitts and Pepperell's BJ Stewart are the 2007 Rome News-Tribune Co-Wrestlers of the Year. Both ended seasons undefeated, with Pitts earning a record of 39-0 in his junior year and Stewart recording a final tally of 46-0 as a senior.
At 6-foot-3, Stewart became the first wrestler in Pepperell's history to win back-to-back state championships when he took the Class AA 215-pound title last season and this season.
"BJ is one fo those guys that have come an awful long way since he started wrestling," Dragons' coach Jeff Shiflett said. "He's a kid that our young wrestlers should always look up to and look at what he's accomplished and know that they have the same opportunity."
Stewart took the challenge of defending his title head-on and faced one of his toughest foes in the semifinals of the state tournament against Dublin's Tony Smith. "I think that was the best match I wrestled all year. It was a hard-fought win," Stewart said.
The Dragon came out ahead two-points due to a late match takedown. "That was probably one of the best matches that I've been a part of," Shiflett said.
In addition to winning the area 4-AA title, Stewart took first in the Adairsville, La Grange and Bowdon tournaments.
Wrestling at 112 this season, Pitts has just as many accomplishments with still a year to go.
"This is the first time in a while that I'll have a state champion returning to the team," Darlington coach Kelly McDurmon said. "The kids respect him as a leader anyway, but the fact that he's got that title now adds a little more legitimacy to his status as team captain."
McDurmon also noted Pitts' energy and focus on the mat as his main weapons. "One thing about Korey is he's very dynamic," McDurmon said, adding that Pitts would do somersaults during matches to get out of a hold. "He does whatever it takes to be successful."
Korey Pitts
