Qualifying for the GHSA State Duals earlier this month was a tremendous accomplishment for the Adairsville wrestling team — after all it was the first time the Tigers made the trip to Macon in school history.

But head coach Joey Harris said the trip to state hasn’t left his team satisfied. Instead, they returned to the mats this week eager to get back to work.

“Wrestling in that atmosphere, in a place like the [Macon] Centerplex was huge for the guys on this team, especially the guys that have never been to traditionals before,” said Harris, who is in his first year as the Tigers’ coach. “Coming back this week I think it has definitely helped them focus on what we still want to get done this season.”

Adairsville qualified for the state duals in Macon by finishing a close second place to Calhoun at the 7AA duals on Jan. 7.

At the Centerplex they took the unlucky draw of facing No. 2 overall seed, and eventual state runner-up, Lovett, in the first round. The Tigers gave the Lions all they could handle, pushing the dual to the final match before eventually losing 38-27.

Adairsville would go on to beat Cook 48-16 in the consolation bracket before losing to East Laurens 45-21 to end the school’s first stint at the state tournament.

Harris said he was proud of his team’s efforts on the state’s highest stage, but mentioned that even though they didn’t come away with hardware, the biggest thing they gained was an heir of confidence that they can compete with the state’s elite programs.

“Dalton Johnson, who is one of our big leaders, said it best when he said ‘this team has the best team feeling he has experienced in four years at Adairsville,” said the Adairsville coach.

“For the first time I think they are starting to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish as a team. We’re going to ride that feeling and this momentum as we prepare for traditionals.”

The Tigers began preparations for the state’s individual tournament last week. After qualifying a school record six wrestlers for last year’s traditional tournament, Harris hopes to push as many as 10 kids through to state this year.

The AA Traditional State Tournament will be held at the Gwinnett Arena Feb. 17 and 18.