Columbus-area wrestlers take charge at state tournament

High school wrestlers from across the state traveled to Macon on Thursday for the 2016-2017 state wrestling tournament. When the three-day tournament was all said and done, several athletes from Columbus had plenty of reason to hold their heads high.

Six wrestlers from Muscogee County finished in the top five of their respective weight classes over the weekend.

Spencer senior Elijah McNickles was the lone champion of the group, prevailing in the Class 2A 138-pound weight class. Kendrick’s Isaiah Sellars finished second in the 3A 195 division, while three wrestlers—Columbus’ Robert Mulvaney in 4A 130, Spencer’s Dequan Thornton in 2A 220 and Columbus’ William Nana Fabu in 4A 285—finished third. Jordan’s Renard Swiney placed fifth in 2A 285.

McNickles’ opponent in the state finals was a familiar one. McNickles wrestled Dodge County’s Christian Grauberger four times in the season, with each wrestler alternating as the winner.

After falling to Grauberger in sectionals by two points, Sanders said he and McNickles got together and watched film of the match. The two were able to point out the tactical errors McNickles made, knowing that the chance to correct them on the biggest stage was coming up.

The study session paid off. McNickles outlasted Grauberger and took the state championship by a 16-11 score.

Spencer head coach Robert Sanders said McNickles’ assent to state champ in one that is particularly special.

“It’s been four years of hard work,” Sanders said. “His sophomore year, I had 13 kids go to sectionals, and he was the only one that didn’t make it. I remember the look in his face when it happened. I told him not to forget this moment. From that point, he really put in the work.”

Spencer’s other state placer, Thornton, finished his senior season strong after not wrestling at all his junior year.

“This year, he was kind of an unknown,” Sanders said. “He finished third at the city tournament, and it seemed like a light clicked on with him. It was his first time at state and he had some jitters, but for him to get third is a great accomplishment.”

Columbus matched Spencer as the only schools in the county with more than one top-five finisher.

The third-place efforts from Nana Fabu and Mulvaney were ones that stood out to Columbus head coach Namu Keys, who pointed out how tough the competition is for his wrestlers when it’s time to go to state.

“I’m pretty proud of what they accomplished, being in 4A and all the participants we have in 4A,” Keys said. “It was a tough competition in that classification, and they did well.”

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Columbus-area wrestlers take charge at state tournament."