LAFAYETTE - The Heritage Middle School Generals marched into the LaFayette Academy gym on Saturday, looking to walk away with a North Georgia Athletic Conference traditional wrestling championship to add to their NGAC duals title they won a week ago.

The host Ramblers had other plans.

LaFayette claimed three individual champions, but all three scored bonus points in the finals to give the Ramblers their first NGAC wrestling championship since 2007.

The Orange-and-Black finished with 243.5 points, edging the Generals (235) for the title. Ringgold (217) finished third, followed by Gordon Lee (189), Lakeview (130), Dade County (102), Trion (93.5), Chattanooga Valley (41) and Rossville (16).

"Today was a lot of fun," LaFayette coach Will Dendy said. "I thought coming in that we might have an outside chance at winning, but we'd have to wrestle really well to do it, and they did. Everybody stepped up to the plate and we won the matches we had to win. We lost a few early in the day that we probably could have won, so it became pretty nip-and-tuck after that."

LaFayette held a razor-thin three-point lead over the Generals entering the consolation and championship finals with Ringgold also still in striking distance. The Ramblers, Generals and Tigers each put six wrestlers in the championship finals.

Sam Lemons rolled to an easy 16-0 technical fall over Ringgold's Judd Bates to win the 108-pound class, but his win was the only one for LaFayette in their first four tries at NGAC gold.

But Dendy got to save his biggest guns for last.

Michael Sartin got a huge pin for the Ramblers in the 180-pound final, sticking Lakeview's Cameron Chestnut before big Kamden Stoker stepped to the mat. Stoker avenged his only loss of the season by quickly pinning Warrior heavyweight Jarrett Gibson to seal the title for LaFayette.

"This is the most satisfying win I've had since I've been doing this because most of these guys didn't come out of our youth program," Dendy explained. "They had very little mat time coming into this year, but they've gotten better and better every week. This eighth grade group has now become a great class. I was a little disappointed in how we finished last week (third at the duals), but we made up for it today."

Heritage saw Briar Potter (72) and Blake Burche (140) win their weight classes while Safa Mishain (115) and Sam Shepard (130) won individual titles for the Tigers.

Gordon Lee claimed the most champions with four - Chase Wood (86), Will Jacks (94), Kory Allmond (100) and Shane Farmer (150).

Jonathan Ragsdale (78) and Ethan West (123) won for Dade County while Lakeview's Dionta Humphrey (165) won the only title for the Warriors.