Through fall 2022 to spring 2023, Putnam County High School rising seniors Lily Frisch, Tristan Lower, Jonquail Coates, and Wyatt Stanley made it to the state tournament for wrestling and now are completely focused on making it even further this year.
Putnam County sent six wrestlers to compete in the traditional (individual) portion of the state tournament. Those half-dozen wrestlers navigated the post-season gauntlet of regionals (top-4 advance) and sectionals (top-6) to reach the final 12.
Those wrestlers included Stanley (113 lbs.), Coates (132), Armon Webster (138), Mark Winslette (157), Lower (190) and Frisch (115). As the day closed, Stanley walked away with a 4th-place finish, while Lower earned 5th-place honors.
Putnam wrestling finished its fourth-year campaign with two region titles (duals and traditional) and a 17th-place overall finish among 51 schools. The team looks to build on its success this upcoming season as it returns 10 starters and adds 10 eighth graders to the roster.
PCHS wrestlers are already conditioning and practicing for events; however, unfortunately, they can only get their practice at away events due to a lack of facilities since their practice facility is transitioning to new ownership.
Despite the setback, wrestling coach Joseph Hutsell does not let his team go into Fall 2023 unprepared. For example, Madison County High School held an all-day Champs Camp on June 13, and PCHS had six members of its wrestling team make it to the event. Madison had three mats with three different instructors so wrestlers could get the most out of the event, learning multiple skills from multiple wrestling leaders.
Last Thursday, Walnut Grove Wrestling Camp in Loganville focused on developing good technique before engaging in end-of-day sparring.
Additionally, middle school wrestlers were included in the camp, giving them the experience of competing in a more mature wrestling environment.
Several PCHS wrestlers also were expected to attend the two-day South Metro Camp at Ola High School in McDonough early this week for lessons in technique sparring and live wrestling.
The wrestling program promises to continue the sport’s growth at Putnam County High School this season, with hopes and expectations for even greater gains on the mat and on the scoresheets.