By Donald Heath

South Effingham junior wrestler Ashton Anderson fell short of winning the 285-lb. weight class at the region and sectional tournaments.

And his pathway to the state championship Feb. 17 in Macon had a new roadblock – Woodward Academy’s Jaylin Tate, who needed less than a minute in the Class 6A semifinals to pin Anderson’s previous nemesis.

So to be the man, Anderson had to beat the man who beat the man.

“You do think about it in different ways. On one hand, I wasn’t wrestling the Grovetown kid (Marquis Moss, who won region and sectionals), but I’d be wrestling someone who beat him,” Anderson said.

Either way appeared daunting.

But Anderson (53-4) defied any doubters by producing a nail-biting 4-3 win over Tate in four overtimes for a state title.

Anderson earned a point for an escape in the final five seconds of the fourth one-minute overtime period to gain his winning edge.

He became the fourth wrestling state champion at SEHS, joining Jacob Galindez (2022), Austin Blaske (2020) and Robbie Collum (2009).

“At this point, it still hasn’t hit me,” said Anderson, who was traveling to North Carolina for a snow skiing trip. “I’m sure in the future I’ll be able to relax and think back at what I accomplished.”

At times, it was tough sledding. Anderson failed to make the state tournament as a sophomore. He said he felt slow and out of shape at 275 lbs. and worked to slim down to a comfortable 235.

He credited SEHS assistant coach Chris Hobbs and workout partner C.J. Lord for pushing him in practice.

“The biggest thing about Ashton is his work ethic,” Mustangs coach Christopher Bringer said. “He has a great attitude and supports his teammates and they support him. He’s just growing up and finding his potential.”

Anderson has had some big moments for SEHS wrestling. A year ago, he produced a pin in overtime against Richmond Hill High School that aided a one-point dual win in the region semifinals.

Two weeks ago, he found a reserve of strength to reverse and eventually pin Brunswick’s highly regarded River Creel to rally in the third round of the traditional region semifinals.

Anderson won two close matches at state – 4-3 and 4-2 again over Creel – before tangling with Tate.

Hobbs had reassuring words before the match – “You don’t have to be special. You can win.”

Anderson said he thought endurance could be the key. Four overtimes later, no one would disagree.

Saturday, he and his teammate endured the long bus ride home. Fans met the arrival of the team bus at South Effingham with cheers and signs. They threw confetti into the air.

It’s been quite a season for Mustang wrestling, starting with a team state championship less than a month ago. Now the program has the heavyweight king of Class 6A.

“A lot of people are excited for what we’ve done,” Anderson said.