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From left, Nolan Johnson, Quevin Campbell, Demetrius Abner, Rodney Wooten and Tam Vu were instrumental in bringing Towers its first Area Duals championship. Photos by Robert Naddra

Towers last won the DeKalb County Wrestling Championships in 1995, the same year its last state individual champion was crowned.

The Titans were consistently among the top teams in the state from the 1970s through the mid 1990s. Towers’ 28 top-10 team finishes in the state tournament is the highest number for any DeKalb public school.

For the past two years under coach Antoine Glasgow, the Titans have been working to return to prominence on the state level and last week’s Area 5-AAA Duals championship is a step toward that goal. It is the first area duals title for Towers since the duals format began in 2002.

Towers upended defending area duals champion Riverwood 43-29 in the finals at Towers on Jan. 11. The Titans had rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Dunwoody in the semifinals. The top two teams in each area qualify for the State Duals in Macon on Jan. 15-16.

Three other county teams also qualified for the State Duals tournament. Marist repeated as Area 6-AAAA champion, and Southwest DeKalb placed second. Stephenson finished second to Union Grove in the Area 2-AAAAA tournament.

“Towers had a good wrestling tradition back in the day, but this is our first time going to the state duals meet,” Glasgow said. “We’re 12-0 this year in dual meets against area teams. As long as we can keep the kids focused on their goals, we have the potential to do really well.”

Four wrestlers earned pins in their championship matches – Demetrius Abner (103 pounds), Quevin Campbell (119), Newman Joseph (140) and Joshua Jones (171).

In the semifinals, a 15-0 decision by Rodney Walker over Dunwoody’s Derrick Francois in the 140-pound class broke a 34-34 tie and put the Titans in the finals.

“Coach Glasgow has made a big difference,” said Walker, a two-time county champion. “If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have hardly anyone in the program. There were only nine wrestlers on the team before he got here (there are 14 weight classes). He keeps up with our grades and supports us on and off the mat.”