Buford’s Chip Ness and Kennesaw Mountain’s Jonatan Rivera were All-Americans at 182 pounds in the cadet division, while Pope’s Brooks Climmons received the award at 182 in the junior flight.
Ness and Climmons each finished as runners-up, while Rivera placed third.
Rising Woodstock senior Chris Nani also competed for Team Georgia as a member of its junior division. He completed the tournament with back-to-back losses at 145 pounds in junior freestyle after going 0-2 at the same weight class in Greco-Roman earlier in the week.
“I definitely think, for him, it’s more for his self-esteem,” Woodstock coach Michael Powell said. “He’s traveling with some of the best wrestlers in Georgia. He’s seeing how they practice and how they work. Plus, he’s seeing other wrestlers from across the country and looking at what they do.
“I’ve been to Fargo. That whole atmosphere puts a different perspective on things. I don’t see how his experience there couldn’t benefit him.”
Powell and Nani communicated often during the tournament, primarily through text messages and email.
“He had some doubts, but I just kept suggesting to him to keep going,” Powell said. “Chris wants to get better and, hopefully, wrestle in college one day. The wrestlers in college are that good. I just reinforced to him that he had to see what wrestling is like at this level in order to compete in it and reminded him of why he was there.”
For Climmons, it was his first All-America accolade since winning a cadet Greco-Roman national championship in 2010.
“This one was pretty special,” he said. “I think I’m more proud of it then when I won the cadet championship because winning at the junior level is so much tougher.”
The accomplishments of Ness, Rivera and Climmons brought the total number of Team Georgia All-Americans to eight. Amy Hou won the women’s 97-pound junior division freestyle title, while Emily Pinson placed fourth in the 108-pound cadet freestyle. Greco-Roman junior wrestlers Hunter Kelley and Jason Grimes finished fifth at 113 and eighth at 170, respectively.
Rivera also collected cadet Greco-Roman All-America honors at 182 pounds, helping Team Georgia boast at least one double All-American at Fargo for the sixth consecutive seasons.
Team Georgia scored 13 points and placed 17th of 47 teams in the cadet freestyle flight, which was won by Pennsylvania (66). Georgia placed 24th with seven points in junior freestyle, which Illinois won (63).
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