TOP TEN (again).  As of February 21, 2009 with great pride, we can announce that Peachtree Ridge Wrestling has finished in 7th place (out of 67 AAAAA schools) in the 2009 GHSA State Championship!

    ******INDIVIDUAL STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS:******

ASLAN GIGOLAEV (152 lbs) – 4TH PLACE
Aslan, a first year varsity wrestler took the state by storm this year. His improvement throughout the season has been remarkable! Aslan’s hard work and dedication paid off earning him his first trip to state.  In the 3rd/4th place match he battled hard. With the score 4-3 and 8 seconds left in the match, “Asi” looked to every observer to have secured a winning takedown. Unfortunately, the referee saw it differently and Asi fell slightly short of the victory winning a 4th place medal. We couldn’t be more  proud of Aslan.
ALAN GIGOLAEV (160 lbs) –STATE RUNNER-UP
Alan, "The  Ridge Russian,” was the talk of the state last year after moving up from alternate to state qualifier right before the championships and knocking off some of Georgia’s best wrestlers along the way to the 5th place spot on the podium. This year Alan continued his quest to the state championships making it all the way to the state finals. Alan’s opponent was Collins Hill’s Taylor Knapp, a previous two-time state  champion and ranked 5th in the nation. Alan has never been intimidated by anyone and he fought hard, but fell to Knapp 12-4. Congrats to Alan on a great season, a great tournament, and a great high school wrestling career.
SAM KUNTZ (189 lbs) – STATE CHAMPION
Sam brings home the gold!! A three-time state qualifier and state runner-up last year, Sam was accustomed to the pressure of the biggest tournament of the year. Having lost to Walton’s Jeff Olson, a 2008 State Champion, by one point earlier in the season, Sam would not be denied the title. He wrestled a strategically smart match showing his mental toughness and physical strengths. With a combination of technique and speed, Sam defeated Olson 6-4. Congrats to Sam, our 2009 State Champion!

Friday and Saturday, February 12-13.  Our TEN region medalists competed at the Georgia East Sectional Tournament, the final state qualifier, on Seven Ridge wrestlers qualified for the 2009 GHSA State Championship Tournament: Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) Champion; Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs) 3rd place; Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs) 3rd place; Michael Chapman (145 lbs) 4th place; Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs) 6th place; Matt Chapman (171 lbs) 6th place; and Shaun Scruggs (HWT) 6th place.  Congrats to these wrestlers, their coaches and their families.

The Varsity Lions took home the 2nd place team trophy at the 7AAAAA Area Championships on Saturday, February 7. The Lions qualified 10 wrestlers for the Sectionals Tournament, the last qualifier for the State tournament. Medalists and sectional qualifiers were: Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) Champion; Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs) 2nd place; Michael Chapman (145 lbs) 2nd place; Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs) 2nd place; Matt Chapman (171 lbs) 2nd place; Jonathan Rodriguez (119 lbs) 3rd place; Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs) 3rd place; Derek Cox (112 lbs) 4th place; Nick Hoang (135 lbs) 4th place; and Shaun Scruggs (HWT) 4th place.

Undefeated wrestlers at the Friday January 30th dual at East Hall against Brookwood, East Hall and Campbell were Derek Cox (112 lbs), Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs), Nick Hoang (135 lbs), Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs), Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs), Matt Chapman (171 lbs), Sam Kuntz (215 lbs) and Shaun Scruggs (HWT)

On January 28, The Varsity Lions shut out Mill Creek 76-0 (including 8 PINS)! Victorious wrestlers were:  Erik Correll (103 lbs), Raymond Burgos (112 lbs), Jonathan Rodriguez (119 lbs), Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs) PIN, Drew Harrison (130 lbs) PIN, Nick Hoang (135 lbs) PIN, Bradley Heugh (140 lbs) PIN; Michael Chapman (145 lbs) PIN, Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs) PIN, Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs), Matt Chapman (171 lbs), Jordan McDaniel (189 lbs), Shaun Scruggs (215 lbs) PIN, and Anthony Boston (HWT) PIN.

On January 21, 2009 8 varisity wrestlers won by pin during the home dual against North Gwinnett - Derek Cox (112 lbs), Drew Harrison (130 lbs), Michael Chapman (145 lbs), Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs), Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs), Matt Chapman (171 lbs), Jordan McDaniel (189 lbs) and Sam Kuntz (215 lbs). Other victorious wrestlers were Jonathan Rodriguez (119 lbs), Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs), Tyler Gregg (140 lbs) and Shaun Scruggs (285 lbs).  The final score of this impressive PRHS win was 63-9!

As of January 17, 2009 The Lions drew a tough first round match at their first ever State Duals Tournament against #2 seed Union Grove Friday morning which resulted in a loss.  Wrestlers who won their individual matches against Union Grove opponents were:  Michael Chapman (145), Aslan Gigolaev (152), Matt Chapman (171) and Sam Kuntz (189).  This dual featured one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the tournament when Josh Bloodworth very narrowly lost  a 3-1 nail-biter to his longtime buddy Ryan Devita of Union Grove, proving that this excting matchup can still go either way in the future.  Saturday morning, The Lions roared back to defeat Johnson/Savannah by a score of 70-6, but then  lost a close second round consols match to Centennial (24-37).    Everyone wrestled with a lot of heart and enjoyed the honorable experience of their first trip to the big dance.   Undefeated wrestlers at the State Tournament were Sam Kuntz (189/215), Matt Chapman (171/189) and Mike Chapman (145).  2-1 Wrestlers at State were: Raymond Burgos (103), Alan Gigolaev (160/171), Aslan Gigolaev (152), and Josh Bloodworth (125).   While we we did not place at State, the milestone achieved is not insignficant.  As a 6th year program, we made it to STATE!

January 10, 2009 The Varsity Lions became the 2009 7AAAAA Region Runner-ups and advanced to compete at the GHSA State Dual Wrestling Championships!  While this has been a key program goal since PRHS opened six years ago, this the first time in school history that the team has reached this great milestone. We salute our dedicated wrestlers and outstanding coaches for this remarkable accomplishment – undoubtedly one of many more to come. Click here for The Gwinnett Daily Post’s complete results and highlights of the Area Duals.  Six wrestlers went undefeated at the event.  They were: Derek Cox (112 lbs), Michael Chapman (145 lbs), Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs), Matt Chapman (171 lbs), Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) and Shaun Scruggs (215 lbs). Wrestlers who lost only one match for the day were Jonathan Rodriguez (119 lbs) and Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs).

Jan. 3, 2009 PRHS had its best Gwinnett County Championship Tournament ever with a 2nd place team finish and 9 medalists including FOUR COUNTY CHAMPS!  Michael Chapman (145 lbs), Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs), Matt Chapman (171 lbs) and Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) all won county titles. Other top placers were Josh Bloodworth (125 lbs) 3rd place; Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs) 3rd place; Jonathan Rodriguez (119 lbs) 4th place; Shaun Scruggs (215 lbs) 4th place; and Drew Harrison (130 lbs) 6th place. *Special Note: Michael and Matt are the first set of brothers to win the Gwinnett County Championship in the same year since 1999 and are one of only 6 pairs to ever do so. Here is a link to The Gwinnett Daily Post's coverage of the tournament:

Dec. 30, 2008 3 wrestlers took medals home medals from the very challenging Zac Jarzynka Invitational Tournament in Oviedo Florida. Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) 1st place; Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs) 3rd place; and Shaun Scruggs (215 lbs) 4th place.

Dec. 20, 2008 - Three Lions snagged coveted podium spots at the 2008 McCallie Wrestling Tournament in Chattanooga TN.  Every year, this tournament  gets more competitive and yet Peachtree Ridge continues to finish strong.  Matt Chapman was this year's 171lb Tournament Champion, taking 1st place over #1 seeded Michael Douglas of Weslyan.  Both Alan Gigolaev (160) and Sam Kuntz (189) captured the 3rd place 2008 McCallie medals.  The team finished in 11th  place out of the tough 26-team  field and above other strong Georgia wrestling programs such as Alexander, Harrison (the 1st place 2007 McCallie Tournament Team) and  McEachern.  The team finish was established by our three placers combined with solid performances by winning-record (3-2) achievers Josh Bloodworth (130), Michael Chapman (145), and Aslan Gigolaev (152) (all three had mere one-point second losses!) plus competitive '2-2' performances of Tyler Gregg (140), and Shaun Scruggs (215).
 
At the Sawnee Mountain Duals Dec. 12-13, 2008 Undefeated Lions wrestlers  were Matt Chapman (171 lbs) 6-0 and Shaun Scruggs (285 lbs) 5-0. Other notable performances came from Aslan Gigolaev (152 lbs), Alan Gigolaev (160 lbs), Sam Kuntz (189 lbs) who went 6-1, and Michael Chapman (145 lbs) and Josh Bloodworth (130 lbs) who went 5-2.  The team finish overall was 6th of 19 highly competitive teams.

December 10, 2008; Undefeated wrestlers (2-0) against North Forsyth and Chattahoochee on Wednesday Dec.  10th  were: Eric Correll (103), Jonathon Rodriguez (119), Michael Chapman (145), Aslan Gigolaev (152), Alan Gigolaev (160), Matt Chapman (171),  Sam Kuntz (189), and Shaun Scruggs (215).

As of December 8, 2008; The Lions hosted their first home dual of the season against St. Puis and Berkmar on Wednesday Dec. 3rd. Undefeated wrestlers were Drew Harrison (130), Tyler Gregg (140), Bradley Heugh (145), Michael Chapman (152), Aslan Gigolaev (160), Matt Chapman (171), Alan Gigolaev (171), Jordan McDaniel (189) and Sam Kuntz (215).