Rockdale County High School - Tempus Fugit Yearbook (Conyers, GA)

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The Rockdale County Wrestling Program has been on a definite upswing since the arrival of coach John Sprague to the county. The Dogs have never been a loser and always have been one of the top con- tenders in the state since his reign as the head of the upstart Rockdale Countians. Opening the I976-77 season the R.C.H.S. Wrestling Team faced a seasoned oppo- nent in rugged Sprayberry. The Dogs con- fronted worthy adversaries in every match and pulled out a slim 34-30 victory. The matmen were led by pins from Bob Johns, Quinton English, Dan Alford, Tim Norton, and Tony McDonald in a crucial opening match which shined the light on the prom- ise of the season to follow. 182 Wrestling As the i976-77 Season began, the hopes and aspirations of the wrestlers and their supporters were high. The Dogs, fielding one of their youngest teams in history, set out to prove their point and make believ- ers out of everybody.

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'K 'ie .Mir Wrestling 181

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LaGrange was the next foe in a line of sit- ting ducks as the Grangers' imagination of fear quickly rose into a reality of terror. The Dogs repeatedly harassed, humiliated, and annihilated Granger wrestlers on their way to a 66-16 smashing of LaGrange which featured ll pins by Rockdale wres- tlers. By this time the Rockdale supporters knew they had a winner in their wrestling team, however, there were still questions to be answered in matches to come. The next opponent on the verge of frustration was the Jonesboro Cardinals. The Dogs contin- ued to run rampart over people as they overwhelmed the Cardinals in this match 49-18, on only one pin by Tony McDonald in the first period of his match. The Dogs next hosted Clarkston in the Rockdale gym as our winning streak kept rolling right along. Pins were collected by Quinton English, Ricky Webb and Antonio Thornton as the Dogs amassed 45 points to Clarkston's 20. The Dogs traveled to Avondale in their first away match of the season. Not being the home team didn't seem to phase us as we walked away from the Blue Devils 44-29. 'tii ssss Scott Dennis, Chip Meyer, Dan Alford, Ricky Webb, and Antonio Thornton caught their opponents with their backs against the mat as the Dogs won the most crucial match thus far in the 5-0 season. If it were excitement you were looking for, you got it this Friday night as the Dogs took on Marist, the defending class AA champions of 1976. The match was close from the beginning, and at one time the scoreboard read I5-12, Rockdale. Amid intense matches and fiery crowds the Dogs emerged with a 39-I8 victory, which was an emotional and critical win as the Dogs shot into state prominence. Pins were scored by Scott Dennis, Ricky Webb, Anto- nio Thornton, Jeff Baldwin, and Phillip Sheppard. Wrestling 183