SHARPSBURG, Ga. — Eastside had success at the South Metro Invitational last weekend as the team placed second with a pair of first place finishes.

The Eagles are no stranger to the South Metro Invitational. This year, they were competing against 22 other schools from the state.

In just his second trip to the South Metro Invitational as the Eagles’ head coach, Caleb Payne was impressed with his team’s performance at the meet.

“[I’m] extremely proud of them from this past weekend! I think it is Eastside’s highest — or tied for highest — ever finish at South Metro,” Payne said. “I am fortunate to coach a lot of talented wrestlers who are coachable and put the work in every practice. We battled on Saturday and I was extremely proud of the level we are wrestling at.”

Eastside scored 189 points in the event, which only trailed Ola, who led by a wide margin with 293 points.

Behind the Eagles was Newnan with 157 points.

The two top finishes of the day for Eastside were provided by Nolan Christian (126-pound weight class) and Dylan Baynes (144-pound weight class), who both claimed first place in their respective weight classes.

Christian and Baynes, who are 15-2 and 14-3 on the year respectively, are veterans on the team that had strong showings at South Metro.

For Payne, the two embody what it means to be a wrestler at Eastside.

“Dylan and Nolan have been a part of the program for all four years. Not only did they win Saturday, but they dominated on their way to first,” Payne said. “Nolan did not give up a takedown all day and beat the No. 1 wrestler at his weight class 17-2 in the finals. Nolan was also named most outstanding wrestler for lightweights at the tournament. Dylan has wrestled a very tough schedule and has gone up against a lot of hammers this year. He has a 14-3 record to show for it. He is a three-time state qualifier and placed fifth at state last year.”

Christian began the meet with a win via forfeit before defeating Hampton’s Donovan Aviles and Union Grove’s Fernando Mulligan by technical fall each.

In the semi-final match, Christian won by 17-3 major decision over Woodward Academy’s Aiden Hitt.

Christian continued his winning ways in the championship match for the 126-pound weight class by defeating Ola’s Max Meredith on a 17-2 major decision.

Baynes’ day started with back-to-back wins by forfeit before taking on East Coweta’s Tommy DiNucci, who he beat via fall.

In the next match, Baynes won via 15-10 decision over Rockdale County’s Luka Heron.

For the first place match for the 150-pound weight class, Baynes won via 18-9 major decision over Ola’s Jobi Colbert.

The next highest finish of the meet for Eastside came by way of Malachi Riley (17-5), who is a new face in the Eagles’ wrestling program.

Prior to joining Eastside as a senior, Riley was a standout on the Newton Rams’ wrestling team.

Riley placed second in the 165-pound weight class.

After beginning the day with a win by forfeit, Riley defeated Newnan’s Nathan Dewberry via technical fall before beating Union Grove’s Ethan Lumpkin via fall.

Riley then defeated Whitewater’s Zayne Tillery via technical fall in the semi-final match to advance him to the first place match for the 165-pound class.

In the championship match, Riley ultimately lost via fall to Ola’s Brian Papcun.

Riley’s work ethic has been a key part of his game that has stood out to Payne during his first year with the team.

“Malachi works everyday and is the type of athlete every coach wants to coach. Not only is he extremely talented but is a leader on and off the mat,” Payne said. “He does whatever is asked of him and then some. He had a great Saturday as he had two first period techs and a pin to get to finals.”

Rylan Daniel (144-pound weight class) and Jamorrie Cole (190-pound weight class) each took home third place in their respective weight classes.

Eastside received a trio of fourth place finishes from Hassan Williams (138-pound weight class), Jordan Amedee (157-pound weight class) and Amaiah Clayton (Girls 110-pound weight class).

Payne was particularly happy with Amedee, who was wrestling through an illness at South Metro despite earning fourth place.

“Jordan Amedee was battling a major illness and was [able] to fight through that, wrestle six matches and place fourth at a very tough tournament,” Payne said. “There are not many people on earth who have that kind of toughness.”

On the junior varsity (JV) side, Eastside claimed a pair of first place finishes from Griffin Norries (JV 138-pound weight class) and Cadieu Dunlap (JV 190-pound weight class).

After the event, Payne spoke about the importance of placing high in a meet of that size and the team’s mindset as they turn their attention to the next meet.

“It does a lot but like I told them at practice, ‘We can enjoy this, but we have to get back to work,’” Payne said. “We have a very tough region with teams like Walnut Grove, North Oconee and Flowery Branch. All of which are extremely well coached and have some of the best wrestlers in the state. 4A is also probably the deepest in terms of a talent level out of all classifications. So we cannot afford to settle if we are going to accomplish our goals. We have multiple people on this team who have capabilities of qualifying, placing and even winning state. Just have to keep putting the work in.”

Eastside will be back on the mats Saturday, Dec. 21 at South Forsyth High School for the War Eagle Duals at 9:30 a.m.