By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

LaGrange coach Scooter Weathers hopes to keep the county championship right where it is, while Troup head coach Chris Rippy will try to bring the county title back to his school.

Only one of those coaches will get his way today, though, when the County Classic is contested at LaGrange High.

The Grangers are looking to win the county title for the third straight season, while the Tigers will try to snare the championship for the first time since 2007.

The action begins at 5:30 p.m. when LaGrange and Callaway face off.

Troup and Callaway will be next onto the mat, followed by the final match between Troup and LaGrange.

While Callaway has some gifted wrestlers, including state-title hopefuls Brandon Hontz and Zach McIntyre, it has several weight classes unfilled, making it tough to win a dual match against teams like LaGrange and Troup.

That means, as has always been the case before, the Troup-LaGrange showdown should be for the big trophy.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be intense,” Weathers said. “It always is. It’s a cross-town rivalry. I know when I came here my first year as a head coach, I said I wanted to win the county championship. They all jumped on that and wanted it.”

Rippy, meanwhile, will be experiencing the county meet for the first time as Troup’s head coach.

“It’s big. It means a lot,” Rippy said. “They’re our cross-town rivals.”

LaGrange has had the upper-hand in the rivalry in recent years.

Since 2004, the Grangers have won four of the six county titles, and they beat the Tigers 52-21 a year ago.

That blowout victory was not the norm.

Usually it comes down to the final match or two, making for some breath-taking suspense.

In 2005 at Callaway High, LaGrange and Troup actually finished tied, with Troup winning on a tie-breaker.

LaGrange won by five points in 2004 and by two points in 2006.

“Every year, it comes down to the final match,” Weathers said. “Last year, that was an exception.”

The Tigers appear well-positioned to make a strong run at the county title, although they have been hurt by injuries.

Three of their top wrestlers will likely have to sit out tonight’s meet.

Still, the Tigers are a formidable squad, and they’re coming off an appearance in the Class AAA state duals after finishing second in the Area 2-AAA tournament.

“I think we’re ready,” Rippy said. “We had a good practice (Tuesday). They know what we have to do.”

While the Tigers have been busy, the Grangers have had nearly three weeks off.

Citing a rash of illness that hit his team hard, Weathers pulled out of the area tournament.

The last time LaGrange was on the mat was at the Granger Invitational on Dec. 30.

“It helped us heal up,” Weathers said of the time off. “Folks are rested and healthy. We’re finally over the bug.”

Troup has had a strong year.

The Tigers won a couple of tournament championships earlier in the season, and they nearly knocked off Columbus in the finals of the area duals.

The injuries could hurt the Tigers, but Weathers said his team is still a big underdog.

“They are loaded. They’re good,” Weathers said. “I just hope we can keep it close enough to where anything can happen. That’s our hope. They’re a good team, top to bottom.”

One of the Troup’s gifted seniors, defending area champion Zach Latimore, said the team has been focused on returning the program to the glory days of old when it won numerous state titles under former coach Dariel Daniel.

“It’s time to build this program and get it back to where it was,” Latimore said.

Winning today would help with that process, and Rippy said the wrestlers are rested and ready to roll this afternoon.

“They seem positive. They seem upbeat,” Rippy said. “They’re ready to go.”