BOYS WRESTLING
PEYTON BACKER
Peyton Backer of Rabun County was a really good wrestler, and frankly an even better football player. He’s in the Hall of Fame for both. In wrestling, he notched 74 wins against 11 losses, earn two top-five finishes at state, and two area championships. That included a runner-up finish and third-place finish. This is insane considering he missed almost half his wrestling career due to injury. He wrestled as a senior in the 285-lb bracket. Backer starred on the gridiron at Georgia Southern.
DAWSON BATES
Dawson Bates was as dominant as they come in wrestling. A three-time state champion, including at 132 pounds as a senior, was a four-time state finalist who compiled a 198-5 overall record. He won at 132 a state title as a junior, and at 106 as a freshman. He was runner-up at 113 in his sophomore campaign. His record by season: 42-0 as a senior, 56-1 as a junior, 52-1 as a sophomore, and 48-3 as a freshman. Four of his five losses were in the state tournament. He helped Jefferson to four state titles in traditionals. He went on to wrestle at Appalachian State.
JAKE BREWER
Jake Brewer is a Commerce legend after winning three state titles in three years in the program. He then went on to Truett McConnell University. His Tigers career on the mat saw him go 88-8 and finished wrestling in the 145-lb class.
GAVIN BROWN
Brown was a solid Dawson wrestler. He was the 3A State Champion as a junior in 2013-14, going 45-2 and also winning sectionals, all at the 182-lb class. He went 44-8 as a 195-lb senior in 2014-15, winning area and finishing fourth at state. His career win total surpassed 175 wins.
OWEN BROWN
Brown is a three-time state champion for the Tigers, and went undefeated in 2016-17 in a program that won eight titles (four dual, four traditional) in his time at Commerce. Brown could very well have been a four-time champion (rare feat), but was injured as a freshman. Brown was 45-2, winning area and state as a junior in 2015-16 in the 145-lb class and was 37-3 and a state and area champion as a sophomore in the 138-lb bracket. Brown finished his career with over 180 wins. Brown initially went on to Army-West Point.
ELIJAH BURNS
Elijah Burns left Commerce a 3-time State Champion, winning it in the 195-lb level as a senior. He had a 128-18 career mark, and was a 4-time Area Champion as well. Burns went on to wrestle at Appalachian State University.
ANDREW BURPEE
Burpee is arguably the top wrestler to come through Habersham Central. His 2013-14 freshman year was incredible, as he went 45-1 as a 106-lber. He won the area, sectionals and most importantly, state championship. He was the 6A state runner-up as a junior in 2015-16, going 26-1 as a 126-pounder. He placed third as a sophomore at the 113-lb class, going 59-7. His final season, he came in third wrestling in the 132 class. He finished his wrestling career with three area championships (’14, ’16, ’17) and two sectionals championships (’14, ’17). He had a record of 152-11, recording 98 pins, 11 tech falls, 7 major decisions, 82% bonus point wins record, and won 15 career tournament championships. He outscored his opponents 1,178-163, most of which were escapes he gave, and only allowed 75 offensive points.
COLE CHANCEY
Chancey, also a Hall of Famer in football, was a stud wrestler for the Tigers, earning eight team state titles (four dual & four traditional) and three consecutive individual state championships. He wrestled from the 170, 182 and 195-lb class during his stay at Commerce. As a junior, Chancey was 30-1. He was 37-3 as a sophomore. Chancey won over 175 matches in his stellar career.
DALTON FLINT
Flint is only the 32nd wrestler in state history to win an individual state title four times. Former Commerce wrestler Chance McClure was another. Flint put together a 126-11 career record. He was a four-year area and sectionals champ as well, helping Commerce to duals and traditional team state titles in all four years. Flint also starred on the football field and played tennis as well. Flint went to wrestle at Emmanuel College.
TUCKER FLINT
Flint had an outstanding career for Commerce, closing with 114 wins against just 16 losses, and won a pair of state titles as well as a pair of runner-up finishes. He wrestled in 4 different weight classes along the way.
CHASE FORRESTER
Forrester was the BLITZ Wrestler of the Year in 2017-18 after going 32-2 in the 160-lb class, earning three individual and four dual and four traditional state championships as a team. Forrester had more than 150 wins at Commerce.
JAKE FRATES
Jake Frates posted 93 wins against just 9 losses in his Commerce career. He finished up with a 20-0 perfect season as a senior that culminated in a State Championship win in the 285-lb weight class. He won a pair of state titles as a junior and senior, and was a runner-up as a sophomore. Frates was a 3-time area champion as well, and helped Commerce to a pair of team State Championships. He was a 3-time All-State wrestler and also an All-State football player. He went on to play football at Harvard.
GREG HILLIARD
Hilliard finished his Lumpkin career with a state runner-up finish, his third such finish. He had 150-plus wins for Lumpkin, including a state championship, and wrestled in the 113, 132, and 145 class.
HOKE HOGAN
Hoke Hogan, wrestling at the 190-lb bracket, went 49-0 as a senior, winning the 1A State Championship for Commerce individually. As a junior at 215 lb, Hogan was the State RU. He was 26-0 during his sophomore season, winning state that year at 195 lb. Combined, Hogan had north of 100 wins, and went on to wrestle at West Virginia University.
RYAN HURD
The 2018-19 BLITZ Wrestler of the Year, Hurd (160 lb) went 93-7 in a brief but powerful career at Jefferson. He was the State Champion, and finished 3rd as a junior.
SAM IRWIN
Sam Irwin got overlooked slightly due to the dominance of teammate Nolan Wheeler, but the numbers don’t lie. Irwin was every bit as dominant. He even had more wins (156) in a whole year less. He won state in both his junior and senior seasons, and twice was a 3-time area champion. As a senior, he was 76-2 after going 53-2 as a junior.
TYLER MARINELLI
Tyler Marinelli was an All-American wrestler at Jefferson, grappling at 138 lbs as a senior. He had 56 career pins, a 121-5 overall record, and won three state championships and four area titles. He won state at 138 pounds as a junior and senior, finishing undefeated as a senior, and captured the state title at 126 pounds as a sophomore. He was runner up at Sophomore Nationals at 126 pounds. Marinelli was ranked 27th nationally at 138 pounds by Wrestling USA Magazine as a junior while with the Dragons. He went on to compete at Gardner-Webb.
ZACH MATTHEWS
Matthews, a back-to-back BLITZ Wrestler of the Year, won a pair of state titles for the Indians in the 220-lb class. He was also a multi- Region Champ. In his 2016-17 senior season, he was as good as ever at 34-1. The season before as a junior, he went 41-2, also won area and state, and became the defacto top wrestler in Lumpkin history. Matthews had north of 150 wins.
CHANCE MCCLURE
McClure faced personal adversity and overcame it in a big way. Also a standout football player, you could tell there was something special about Chance McClure. Not only was his team constantly state champions, but McClure pulled off the rare feat of being a four-time state champion. He went 47-0 as a junior, winning the BLITZ Wrestler of the Year award, and followed that up with a 39-0 senior campaign, with another Wrestler of the Year award. He finished his illustrious career with a 191-2 overall record, winning a state title at 189 lbs and three straight 220-lb titles! He wrestled at the University of Virginia, and came back to Commerce to take over the program he put on the map.
CHRIS MCCRACKIN
McCrackin was one of the top wrestlers to compete at Banks County. He was the BLITZ Wrestler of the Year in his junior season in 2014-15 after winning a state tile in the 126-lb weight class and going 62-1 that year. He was a three-time state champion and four-time region champion, helping Banks County to a state championship in 2013-14. McCrackin wrestled at Washington & Lee University.
CALEB MORRIS
Caleb Morris had a stellar beginning to his career, winning a pair of state titles in two weight classes (125 & 130). His final overall record was 212-6 as a Warriors wrestler. Morris was twice a BLITZ Wrestler of the Year.
NATHAN NIELSEN
Nathan Nielsen racked up north of 175 wins in his incredible career for Lumpkin, and was a 3-time State Champion from 2023-25, winning in the 138-, 144-, and 150-lb brackets. He was 60-4 as a senior and 56-6 as a junior.
LEVI SEABOLT
Levi Seabolt was a solid wrestler for Lumpkin County, claiming a pair of top-5 finishes at state. He had a 125-59 record, and was top-5 in the area 3 times. He wrestled at the 170-lb class as senior.
DEVIN SULLENS
Devin Sullens went 158-39 overall at White County, winning a State Championship as a senior at 220 lbs. He was a 3-time state finalist and 3-time region champion, and went on to play football at Reinhardt University.
TERRENCE WALKER
Walker is a 195-lb wrestler who finished runner-up in 2019 to close out his career. He 3 times placed in the top five, and had a 135-14 career mark.
MILES WATTS
Miles Watts had an outstanding run at Rabun County. The grappler who wound up in the 165-lb bracket had a State Championship as a sophomore, was a State Runner-Up as a junior, and all 4 years placed in the top-5 at state. He collected 3 Area Championships as well, and had a career record of 90-12.
NOLAN WHEELER
Lumpkin County’s Nolan Wheeler leaves as arguably the best to ever grapple for the Indians. He had a 142-28 win-loss mark, and was a 3-time state champion. He earned BLITZ Wrestler of the Year honors after a senior year in which he went 61-4 at the 160-lb class. He was a 3-time area champion as well, and signed to continue wrestling at Newberry College.
BLITZ 