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The Long Cane wrestling program continues to prove it is one of the top teams in the state of Georgia. The Cougars, an extension of the Troup High program, went 3-1 at the state duals on Saturday, finishing as the runner-up after a heartbreaking loss to Jefferson.

“It felt horrible,” wrestler Hank Muhr said. “It was terrible to know that it was my last match with Long Cane. I feel like we all could have done better.”

“I just remember crying knowing how close we came,” eighth grader Braylon Smith added. 

It was a tumultuous week for the Cougars, who could not practice during the week because of the inclement weather that rolled through the Southeast. This left individuals to work and prepare on their own. Many of the kids were under their normal wrestling weight on Saturday. 

“I’m so proud of these kids,” Long Cane head coach Russell Yeatman said. “To show the kind of resiliency after the week they faced was impressive. I know we were disappointed in the result, but I couldn’t expect any more from the team.”

It was far from the ending that the Long Cane team featured, but it was an extremely successful season nonetheless. Long Cane went 33-2 as a team and had multiple wrestlers put together undefeated individual seasons, including Calvin Waters. 

“It felt amazing to go my entire eighth-grade year without losing,” Waters said. “It wasn’t a goal coming into this season, it kind of just happened.”

This three-year stretch has been the best in program history. The team has compiled a record of 70-6 including a state championship in 2023 and a third-place finish last season. The eighth-grade class has left an indelible impact on the program.

One of the aspects of training that allows the Long Cane program to have sustained success is the partnership with Troup High wrestling. The program is strongly connected from youth wrestling up to the high school level. 

“It’s a lot of fun and it helps us to go against guys that are bigger and stronger than us and they know what they are doing,” wrestler Elan Ledford said. 

The ones that are coming back next season will have a lot to live up to. 

“I wasn’t in middle school when they won a state championship, so I want to be part of one before I go to Troup,” seventh grader Levi Allison said.

Long Cane is also developing the next generation of female wrestlers. Out of the 20 teams that competed at the state championship last Saturday, just one had multiple girls in the starting lineup. Twins Brylie and Blakely Garner are just getting started as they wrapped their sixth-grade seasons.

“This year was very different for me and a lot harder,” Brylie said. “The kids in middle school are a lot better and a lot stronger.”

Seventh grader Bentley Tittle also got his first taste of middle school action this season. After taking some time off from wrestling, Tittle came back and had a huge impact on the Cougars this season.

“It was a lot different than when I did it in elementary school,” Tittle said. “It took me a little while to get adjusted.”

The Cougars will certainly have some holes in the lineup to fill next season. Long Cane will send a large class of talented wrestlers to the high school ranks.

Great programs, like the Long Cane Cougars, don’t rest on their laurels, they reload, retool and get back to work in chasing a state championship.

“It’s really the kids that keep the standards so high,” Yeatman said. “The kids we have in our program are special. The ones that are coming up from our youth program will add a lot to what we already have.”

The ones that are coming back and the ones that are heading to Troup High are already plotting out ways to get better.

“I plan on working on my cardio,” eighth grader Javen Russo said. “I know I’m going to need it in high school.”