The Smiths Station wrestling tournament will take place this weekend at Smiths Station High.

The tournament will begin today at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Finals for the tournament are projected to take place between 4-6 p.m., though Panthers coach Tommy Sanders noted that they may begin by 3:30 p.m. if earlier matches are completed ahead of schedule.

This year's tournament will have 21 teams present, including 12 from the Bi-City area: Brookstone, Carver, Central, Chattahoochee County, Columbus, Hardaway, Jordan, Northside, Pacelli, Russell County, Shaw and Smiths Station.

Also present will be Gilmer High, which has won three consecutive Georgia Class AAA duals titles.

"They beat the No. 8 team in a America earlier this year, so we know they'll be good," Sanders said.

Sanders praised the quality of the teams taking part in the tournament and said that the semifinals and finals matches would be extremely competitive.

"Competition makes you better, so we're happy to have so many good teams here this year," said Sanders.

The Smiths Station team is one of the favorites in the tournament, having won five of the six it has participated in this season.

Tickets for the event are $10 for single-day passes and $15 for the entire weekend.