Creekview Wrestlers Ariel Maicon and Costen Wright Sweep CCSD's March Athletes of the Month

Both honorees are state champions from the Creekview wrestling program, led by head coach Ross Cravens

When the Cherokee County School District handed out its March Athletes of the Month awards, both honors went to the same school — and the same sport. Ariel Maicon and Costen Wright, wrestlers from Creekview High School in Canton, claimed the district's Female and Male Athlete of the Month distinctions, respectively, capping a season that saw both competitors reach the top of the podium at the state level.

Maicon's recognition carries particular weight. A two-time state champion, she has established herself as one of the most accomplished wrestlers — male or female — that Creekview has produced, and her back-to-back titles place her among an elite tier of Georgia high school athletes. Wright added a state championship of his own, giving head coach Ross Cravens a remarkable pair of individual title-winners from a single program in a single season.

Creekview, located off Bells Ferry Road and home to the Grizzlies, draws students from across the northern reaches of Cherokee County. Principal Mark Vance and Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt Cates presented the awards at the school, with each honoree receiving a certificate and an Athlete of the Month T-shirt sponsored by BSN Sports, a national athletic equipment and apparel company that partners with school districts throughout the country.

The CCSD Athlete of the Month program recognizes one female and one male student-athlete from across the district's high schools each month — meaning Maicon and Wright were selected from a pool that spans every varsity sport at every CCSD high school. Sweeping both awards from a single program in a single month is uncommon and speaks to the depth Cravens has built in Creekview's wrestling room.

For Cherokee County families, the significance extends beyond a pair of certificates. State championships in wrestling are earned on the mat, one match at a time, against the best competition Georgia has to offer. That two Grizzlies wrestlers achieved that in the same season — and that one of them did it twice — is the kind of homegrown success story worth knowing about, regardless of whether you've ever watched a wrestling match.