Pope Wrestling Dynasty Rolls On

The Greyhounds won another state title and produced five individual champions in the traditional finals Saturday.

For the third year in a row, the Pope High School wrestling team has won a state traditional team championship. In crushing the Class A-AAAAA competition in Macon this weekend, the Greyhounds also had five individual wrestlers earn state championships at the end of a three-year run that Pope coach Jim Haskin told The Marietta Daily Journal was "unprecedented." Combined with state duals titles in the last two seasons, Pope's status as the top high school wrestling program in Georgia is hardly in doubt. The five individual champions from Pope include: One other East Cobb-area wrestler claimed a state title, as Jacob Murphy of Walton High School won the Class AAAAAA competition in the 132-pound weight class. Here's more information from the …

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Pope Cruises to County Title

The Greyhounds won their sixth consecutive Cobb Invitational wrestling crown Saturday.

Jake Henson was named the most outstanding wrestler and was one of six teammates to win his weight class as Pope High School claimed another Cobb Invitational title over the weekend. More from The Marietta Daily Journal on Pope and Henson, who won his third county championship. The Greyhounds, who cruised past second-place Hillgrove after building an early commanding lead, will honor their seniors on Wednesday in a home meet against Cambridge. It's the first preparation for the upcoming traditional wrestling format, culminating with the state championships in mid-February.  

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Cobb Wrestling, Wheeler Hall of Fame

A glimpse of this weekend's high school sports involving East Cobb schools.

After conquering the state in Class AAAAA duals wrestling competition, Pope High School will attempt to keep its claim as the Cobb County champion this weekend. The Greyhounds have won the last five Cobb County Invitational meets, and are favored again in an all-class competition featuring 18 of the county's 21 high schools. Wrestlers from Walton, Wheeler, Kell, Sprayberry and Lassiter also are entered. The first matches get underway Friday at Sprayberry; The Marietta Daily Journal has a full preview. The championship matches take place on Sunday afternoon. The 2012 Class of the Wheeler High School Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted during Saturday's home varsity basketball doubleheader against Cherokee. The inductees are Danielle …

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Pope Wrestling Repeats as State Champs

The Greyhounds cruised to their second consecutive GHSA title in duals competition.

The wrestling season isn't over yet for the Pope High School Greyhounds. There's still the Cobb County Championships coming up next week, as well as the state traditional wrestling meet. But Pope's dominance is beyond question after Saturday's 50-14 rout over Woodland of Bartow in the Class AAAAA duals finals in Macon. The Greyhounds, who are now 32-3 and remain the only Georgia school in the national prep rankings, took to the mats without their star, Brooks Climmons, who was away due to a death in the family. Pope overcame a slow start to win 11 matches, dropping only three. Coach Jim Haskin, in his 18th season, now has four state titles to his credit, including state traditional titles in 2011 and 2012. He tells Score Atlanta how the …

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Title Time for Pope, Wheeler Teams

The Greyhounds claimed a second straight state wrestling crown, while the Wildcats are region basketball champions.

Two Pope wrestlers won individual titles as the Greyhounds stormed to their second consecutive Georgia Class AAAA traditional wrestling title Saturday at Gwinnett Arena.  Cameron Munsey (126) and Jake Henson (152) were the individual title winners, while Billy Meek's bid to win a title in the 160 was undone in a dramatic overtime loss to Hunter Gamble of Union Grove.  The Greyhounds tallied 115 points, well ahead of Alexander, which had 96.5 points (full team standings). The state meet capped another dominating season for Pope, which won its first state duals title in January.  Reclaiming Region 5-AAAAA boys basketball supremacy didn't look promising for the Wheeler Wildcats in the third quarter of Saturday's final against Lassiter.  But …

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Pope Vaults into Big Lead

The Greyhounds rallied after a slow start to take command of the Class AAAA traditional state meet.

Pope coach Jim Haskin called his team out after a slow start to the Georgia Class AAAA traditional wrestling finals.  The Greyhounds got the message on Friday, as they wrestled their way back into a comfortable lead heading into today's finals at the Gwinnett Arena. They start today with 93 points, with second-place Alexander totaling 65 and third-place Loganville with 59.  In other words, it's Pope's title to lose.  "They realized that just having the name ‘Pope’ on your singlet doesn’t give you a state championship," Haskin told The Marietta Daily Journal. "This sport doesn’t play favorites. You have to handle the pressure." In the Class AAAAA meet, Wheeler and Walton are in 21st and 23rd places, repsectively, in the team competition, …

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Can Pope Stage a Comeback?

The Greyhounds' coach blisters his team's effort after the first day of the Georgia Class AAAA traditional meet.

Pope Wrestlers Aim for Repeat

The Greyhounds are vying for consecutive Class AAAA traditional titles while Wheeler has seven qualifiers in the Class AAAAA meet.

For a team that has accomplished nearly everything, only one objective remains for the Pope Greyhounds:  Repeat as the Georgia Class AAAA state traditional wrestling champion.  The East Cobb school is a favorite in the traditional team competition that starts today and concludes Saturday at the Gwinnett Arena. But there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding Pope's repeat bid. Brooks Climmons, a defending state champion, has been absent since the Region 5-AAAA tournament for what The Marietta Daily Journal described as "personal reasons."  He is not entered in Pope's lineup for the traditional finals, but the Greyhounds have qualifiers in 10 different weight classes after last weekend's sectional meet in Columbus.   They are: Cameron Munsey (…

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Pope Eases to Cobb Wresting Title

The Greyhounds continued their dominance with four individual champions in this weekend's meet at Sprayberry High School.

Pope Wins State Duals Wrestling Crown

The Greyhounds dominated all Class AAAA comers in Macon this weekend to claim their first championship in duals competition.