Rounding off a fantastic wrestling season, 11 of our best ACP wrestlers are heading off to the AIA State Tournament to defend ACP’s legacy in the region.  These 11 wrestlers performed remarkably during their season, with many, if not all, wrestlers placing in the top three for the AIA Division 4 Section 3 results. Below are the 11 talented wrestlers, with their placements during last week’s sectional qualifying tournament.

Congratulations to the following high school wrestlers who placed at this weekend’s sectional tournament and have qualified for the AIA State Wrestling Tournament!

• Jad Mazboudi (Sectional Tournament Champion)
• Kellen Gibson (Sectional Tournament Champion)
• Jonathan McDonald (3rd place @ Sectionals)
• Colyn O’Brien (3rd place @ Sectionals)
• Logan Sandlin (3rd place @ Sectionals)
• Joseph Maddox (3rd place @ Sectionals)
• Nate Huffman (3rd place @ Sectionals
• Carter Patten (4th place @ Sectionals)
• Owen Sullins (4th place @ Sectionals)
• Curtis Wilkerson (4th place @ Sectionals)
• Sebastian Rochin (4th place @ Sectionals)

Our fantastic wrestling sectional tournament champions, Jad Mazboudi and Kellen Gibson, kicked off ACP’s record breaking season by competing in the State Tournament Semi-Finals on 2/7. Jad Mazboudi won his semi-final match on Thursday night, and will be competing for the State Championship on Friday night at 7:30! Kellen Gibson lost a close game in his semi-final competition, with a 4-2 decision – although he didn’t win the semi-final game, he’s not out of the running yet; on Friday, Kellen will be wrestling to determine if he’ll land in 3rd or 5th place. Congratulations to our extraordinary wrestlers on their perseverance at state!

When consulting Logan Sandlin on the state of the team, here’s what he had to say on the projected results at state:

Q: Do you think the team has trained adequately for the trials and tribulations awaiting at state?

A: The team has absolutely worked tirelessly to stay ready for the intense competition we’ll see at state. If we’re not winning the matches, we’re sure getting close.

Q: The team has come a long way since the start of the season. What can you attribute most to the success of wrestlers like Jad Mazboudi on the mat?

A: Oddly enough, the team spirit provides more than anybody could have imagined. Working off of each other and learning from the moves and skill sets of other teammates adds a lot to our own regimes and workouts that otherwise would have been unavailable if we had been practicing by ourselves. Acting as a team also helps with willpower, so we can diet better and hold ourselves together.

The wrestling team, as of the publication of this article, is still continuing their successes at state. Good luck to our 11 talented wrestlers, and congratulations to Jad Mazboudi on his talents during the semi-final games.