Darlington's varsity wrestling team finished strong in the GHSA Traditional State Championships on Feb. 11 in Macon, Ga.
Sophomores Dalton Blankenship (113) and Colton Woods (126) both won their second consecutive state championships in the final moments of their matches.
Blankenship was losing to Karlos Nadal of Mt. Pisgah after two periods in his finals match before coming back and posting a 7-4 win.
“Two years in a row Dalton has kickstarted our bid to win state titles with electrifying matches,” said Kelly McDurmon, varsity wrestling coach. “In both matches he has come from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He claims to simply be spotting them a lead just to make the matches interesting.”
Woods battled to nearly a stalemate with defending champion Kole Burchett of Commerce when an escape in the second period ended up being the deciding factor.
“Colton has an uncanny ability to time his opponents in order to take advantage of their aggressiveness,” McDurmon continued. “Colton reads body language in such a unique fashion that he feeds off of his opponent’s momentum. He has a goal of winning four state titles and he is halfway to his goal.”
Junior Davis Peek (132) and sophomore Rhett McDurmon (145) both kept their championship matches close but were unable to pick up the win.
