There was no last-match suspense this season.

In four of the past five years, the county championship showdown between LaGrange High and Troup High wasn’t decided until the final match.

The outcome of this year’s title match was decided well before the final wrestlers took to the mat, though.

After Troup won the first two matches to take a 9-0 lead, LaGrange charged back to win 10 of the final 12 matches to win going away.

When Braden Duke won by pin to finish things off, the Grangers had a 52-21 win, and they were awarded the county championships for the second straight season.

LaGrange went 2-0 on the day, Troup was 1-1, and Callaway was 0-2.

“Normally it comes down to the last match or two. It’s nip-tuck,” LaGrange head coach Scooter Weathers said. “It was nice to sit back and take it in after you know you’ve got it.”

For Troup, it was the latest learning experience for an inexperienced team.

Even though the result wasn’t what he was looking for, Troup head coach Randy Tittle said his wrestlers are improving.

“We got better from last week to this week, and that’s all I ask,” Tittle said. “We did wrestle a lot better compared to what we did last week. We just have to go back to work (today). Week after week, we just have to get better.”

Callaway, which left several weight divisions unfilled because of injuries, came up short against LaGrange and Troup, but there were some highlights.

Junior Conner Vaught, who’d won just two matches coming into this season, was 2-0 on Tuesday at 171 pounds.

“It was a big night for him,” Callaway head coach J.J. Wahl said. “He comes to work every day and works his tail off.”

Brandon Hontz, meanwhile, continued his unbeaten season with a pair of victories, and Zach McIntyre also went 2-0.

At 275 pounds, Golden Sutton gave Callaway a win over LaGrange.

For LaGrange, there were plenty of stars, including Justin Gilbert, who got things rolling in the 140-pound match.

With Troup having won the first two matches, Gilbert faced off against his cousin, LaQuada Gilbert.

It was tied 5-5 in the third period when Justin Gilbert got LaQuada Gilbert on his back for a takedown.

Justin Gilbert went on to win 9-5, giving the Grangers their first points of the night.

“I’ve been waiting on it all year, really,” Justin Gilbert said of the chance to face his cousin on the big stage of the county championship. “I was just waiting to get him down. I was just waiting for my time.”

After Gilbert’s win, the avalanche began.

The Grangers won the next six matches to take a 34-9 lead before Troup’s DeMarkis Rosser finally stemmed the tide with a win at 275 pounds.

At 145 pounds, LaGrange junior Matt Pauley continued his strong season with an 11-4 victory, and Michael Lee followed with a 20-11 win at 152 pounds to give the Grangers a 10-9 lead.

After that, Nick Kinder (160 pounds), Cody Barnes, Justin Brooks and Ivan Dowell won in succession with pins to turn a tight match into a 34-9 lead.

After Rosser’s pin, the Grangers resumed their winning ways at 103 pounds with Hunter Williams prevailing.

LaGrange forfeited the 112-pound match, and LaGrange’s Austin Taylor (119 pounds) and Braden Duke (125) each won by pin to wrap things up.

For Troup, Adam Lundberg won by pin at 130 pounds, and Cody Rayburn won by decision at 135 pounds.