By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The Callaway Cavaliers made a run at a championship on their home turf.

The Cavaliers were the host team for the Callaway Classic that was held on Saturday, and they made it all the way to the championship match before losing a hard-fought match to the LaGrange Grangers.

Callaway had to forfeit the final two matches against LaGrange, and those 12 points were critical in a 48-36 loss.

Despite that disappointment, the Cavaliers walked away with their heads held high after finishing the day with a 4-1 record that included a victory over the rival Heard County Braves in their first match.

“We went into those last matches (against LaGrange) tied 36-36, and we didn’t have a 220 or a heavyweight, so we had to forfeit the last two,” Callaway head coach Jason Boatman said. “But, we had other chances throughout the lineup. Just don’t get pinned here or there. It was a good lesson for us.”

Next up for Callaway will be the area duals on Saturday at Bremen, with the top two finishers qualifying for next week’s state duals.

“That was the type of dual that it meant a whole lot to our guys,” Boatman said. “Hopefully that’ll get us ready for next week.”

Shortly after Saturday morning’s weigh-in, Callaway took the mat for its opening match against Heard County.

It was a close one, with Callaway securing a 39-28 victory.

“We got a little momentum to start the day, and it just kept going,” Boatman said.

Callaway then beat Upson-Lee 42-30, Landmark Christian 48-30 and Bowdon 54-3 to close pool competition with a perfect record.

Callaway then pushed LaGrange to the limit before falling short.

LaGrange and Callaway will meet again in the county championship on Jan. 22.

Troup will also participate in the county championship that will be hosted by Callaway.

“We’ll see them again in a couple of weeks,” Boatman said of the Grangers. “That was the first time we’ve seen them head-to-head this year.”

One of the Cavaliers’ top wrestlers in the Callaway Classic was Laquize Gilbert, who went 5-0, with all five of his wins coming by pin.

Also going 5-0 for Callaway was Anthony Elliott.

Gilbert and Elliott are both enjoyed standout seasons that included individual championships in the Gary Silva Invitational in December.

Korbin Browning, Ladarious Williams, Jakwan Nunley, Curmondre Bray and Jared Nation each went 4-1, and Cameron Key posted a 3-2 record.