Eagles host, take third overall in Southern Slam wrestling tourney

Eastside’s Baron Leonard looks toward the referee during his match against River Bluff’s Joshua Neblo. Leonard earned first place in the 215-pound weight class at Southern Slam.

Eastside High School hosted its annual Southern Slam wrestling tournament this weekend, with over 40 schools from six different states competing.

Eastside finished third overall as a team with 175 points and had several placers in different weight classes, including senior Baron Leonard who earned first place in the 215-pound class.

Leonard defeated Aaron Riner of Buford High (GA), 4-3 in overtime in the final to claim first place. Riner was called twice for stalling during the match, with the second infraction coming in overtime and awarding Leonard the sudden-death point.

“It feels really good, especially after last year when I took second place,” said Leonard. “Finally getting to the top feels really good.

“Last year, I don’t think I took every matchup seriously enough. This year, I took every match as if it was going to be a good match, no matter what. I was still ticked off from last year and wanted to be on top of the podium.”

Leonard was just one of several Iron Eagles to place in their respective weight classes. Nate Manos took second place in the 106-pound class, Drayton Johnson earned fifth place in the 133-pound class, George Maholtz earned second in the 150-pound class, and Jack Wyland took third place in the 157-pound weight class.

Additionally, Peyton Schrader brought home fourth place in the 165-pound class, and Hank Lee also took fourth in the 175-pound class.

The Eagles have won eight straight state championships. As a senior, Leonard knows he doesn’t want to be part of the class that fails to bring the title home. The results at Southern Slam show Leonard and the Eagles are on the right track.

“It’s going to take all 14 guys on the team wrestling hard if we want to win it all again,” said Leonard. “It’s about keeping that streak alive. If we seniors don’t keep it alive, then the next senior class will have to restart the streak.

“We’re just looking to bring it home again this year and set next year’s seniors up to get our 10th state title in a row.”