Wrestling Updates and Tidbits...

[Sommers]

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/preps/story/2017/aug/31/prep-notebook-mansuetwins-team-notre-dame-wre/446434/

 

 

Prep Notebook: Mansueto twins team up for Notre Dame wrestling

August 31st, 2017by Staff Reportsin Sports - PrepsRead Time: 5 mins.

 

Phillip Mansueto, back right, and his brother, Rocco Mansueto, , center, work with senior state placer Grant Speer in the wrestling practice facility at Notre Dame on Wednesday. Phillip has recently joined his brother on staff as part of the Irish wrestling squad.

Photo by Tim Barber /Times Free Press.

 

 

A few days after learning he had made the final 20-man roster for the USA Baseball 18U national team, Cole Wilcox found himself on a bus headed to Canada.

The Heritage High School senior pitcher and his teammates will represent the United States in the WBSC Baseball World Cup beginning Friday in Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is about six hours northeast of Minneapolis. Team USA, attempting to win its third consecutive title in the event, will open against the Netherlands at 2 p.m.

"It was incredible when I learned I had made the team," Wilcox said. "Just knowing that all the work has paid off and reaching this stage is unbelievable. This means everything to me, being able to represent the greatest country in the world by playing the greatest sport in the world is more than a dream."

Wilcox turned heads in his second outing during the recent team trials in Minneapolis. After giving up four runs and five hits in his first appearance, the 6-foot-5 right-hander went three innings and allowed one hit and no runs while striking out three. Two days later, he learned he had made the final cut.

"The difference was I just settled down and realized I belonged," he said. "I had to remind myself that I had the stuff to go out and not just do well, but that I could dominate."

Wilcox continued his strong pitching Tuesday in the team's final exhibition game before heading north of the border. In an 8-2 win over Madison College, he pitched four scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits and striking out five.

He isn't sure if he will be a starter or reliever in the Baseball World Cup, which is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Coalition.

 

Phillip Mansueto, left, and his twin brother, Rocco Mansueto, stand in the wrestling practice facility at Notre Dame High School on Wednesday. Phillip has recently joined his the staff of his brother, the program's head coach.

Photo by Tim Barber /Times Free Press.

------------------

Mason finished 13th in the world!!

--------------------------------

 

Moc wrestling schedule...

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/9/7/354383/Mocs-Announce-2017-18-Wrestling-Schedule.aspx

UTC's first dual is a Southern Conference matchup at VMI onNov. 4.  The next day, UTC is at the Hokie Open in Roanoke, Va.

The first home match of the year is against Virginia Tech in Maclellan Gym on Nov. 17.  The Hokies are coming off a sixth-place finish at last year's NCAA Tournament. 

UTC follows that with a trip to West Point, N.Y., for the Black Knight Invite on Nov. 19.  The Mocs also compete twice on Dec. 2, beginning with a match at Davidson early in the day.  UTC then makes a short trip to Lake Norman for an evening dual against N.C. State.  The Wolfpack placed 17th at the NCAAs in March.

The Mocs then have a big match against Ohio State in Atlanta, Ga., on Sunday, Dec. 17.  The Buckeyes were runners-up at last year's NCAA Championships.  UTC closes out the calendar year with a Dec. 18 home match against Ohio. 

The Southern Scuffle returns to Chattanooga on its traditional Jan. 1-2 dates in McKenzie Arena.  Non-conference action concludes with the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., on Jan. 12-13. 

UTC has home matches against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (Jan. 19), Appalachian State (Feb. 4) and Gardner-Webb (Feb. 11) in the second half of the season.  Road bouts include at The Citadel (Jan. 21) and at Campbell (Feb. 18). 

The Citadel hosts the SoCon Tournament on March 3, while the NCAA Tournament is March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. 

________________________

Prep Notebook: Mansueto twins team up for Notre Dame wrestling

August 31st, 2017by Staff Reportsin Sports - PrepsRead Time: 5 mins.

 

Phillip Mansueto, back right, and his brother, Rocco Mansueto, , center, work with senior state placer Grant Speer in the wrestling practice facility at Notre Dame on Wednesday. Phillip has recently joined his brother on staff as part of the Irish wrestling squad.

Photo by Tim Barber /Times Free Press.

 

 

A few days after learning he had made the final 20-man roster for the USA Baseball 18U national team, Cole Wilcox found himself on a bus headed to Canada.

The Heritage High School senior pitcher and his teammates will represent the United States in the WBSC Baseball World Cup beginning Friday in Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is about six hours northeast of Minneapolis. Team USA, attempting to win its third consecutive title in the event, will open against the Netherlands at 2 p.m.

"It was incredible when I learned I had made the team," Wilcox said. "Just knowing that all the work has paid off and reaching this stage is unbelievable. This means everything to me, being able to represent the greatest country in the world by playing the greatest sport in the world is more than a dream."

Wilcox turned heads in his second outing during the recent team trials in Minneapolis. After giving up four runs and five hits in his first appearance, the 6-foot-5 right-hander went three innings and allowed one hit and no runs while striking out three. Two days later, he learned he had made the final cut.

"The difference was I just settled down and realized I belonged," he said. "I had to remind myself that I had the stuff to go out and not just do well, but that I could dominate."

Wilcox continued his strong pitching Tuesday in the team's final exhibition game before heading north of the border. In an 8-2 win over Madison College, he pitched four scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits and striking out five.

He isn't sure if he will be a starter or reliever in the Baseball World Cup, which is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Coalition.

 

Phillip Mansueto, left, and his twin brother, Rocco Mansueto, stand in the wrestling practice facility at Notre Dame High School on Wednesday. Phillip has recently joined his the staff of his brother, the program's head coach.

Photo by Tim Barber /Times Free Press.

City Prep Tourname

Brothers team up

For the first time since 2003, the Mansueto brothers are on the same team — and Notre Dame stands to be a major beneficiary.

Coach Rocco Mansueto has hired his twin Phil to help with the Fighting Irish wrestling program.

The two were competitors growing up, then teammates through their high school and college years.

"We were very competitive," Rocco recalled. "We were wrestling before we knew what wrestling was. I remember fists being thrown in the middle of the night."

They were one-two, the first on the mat at their high school in Middletown, N.Y. — before the national association encouraged rotating starting weight classes — and then again for Cleveland State once they reached college.

"We're still competitive and we still roll around, but we don't go live with each other anymore. We're too weathered," Rocco said.

Rocco, Heath Eslinger's first assistant when he took over at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, already has endured a hip replacement and Phil now has a pacemaker.

Phil's initial duties for Notre Dame will be running the Irish Wrestling Club, along with Guy Harris. That starts up in November.

"Guy has been on staff for two years with IWC and he has done a superb job, but it's hard to pass up bringing in Phil to work alongside him," Rocco said. "At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to surround our athletes with very good people. Phil will also play a role in our high school program, but the wrestling club will be his priority."

Phil — a three-time NCAA qualifier who twice made it to the championship tournament's round of 12 — had been coaching at Signal Mountain as a high school team assistant and middle school head coach.

He moved this year to Red Bank Middle but has no coaching responsibilities there, freeing him up to rejoin his brother.

"I'm looking forward to it. Just the opportunity of working with my twin brother is something I looked forward to, plus I get to whip up on him again," Phil said. "We have never coached together, and up until recently we had never coached against each other."

Both figure they'll make a good team.

"We have different philosophies — coach differently," Phil said. "I believe we have the backbone of working hard, but Rocco is such a skills-based guy and I'm more on letting the horses run and situation wrestling."

Added Rocco: "He's great at building relationships."

To which his brother later responded with a laugh, "If I have to return the compliment, Rocco's an administrator and he does such a great job of running a program from fundraising to building a team."

________________________

Eslinger reflects on the upcoming wrestling season

http://www.theutcecho.com/qa-eslinger-reflects-on-the-upcoming-season/

By Trevon Wiggins, Staff Writer —

In his eighth season as head coach of the Mocs’ wrestling program, coach Heath Eslinger is excited about what his student-athletes are capable of doing for the 2017-18 season.

“Me and the other coaches are excited about the challenge this schedule presents our student-athletes,” said Eslinger.  “We have some high-level competition in both a dual and tournament setting to get us ready for the conference season.”

When asked about some of the things the has team built upon this offseason, Eslinger mentioned the reduced amount of stress during the offseason and the ability for the team to grow as a unit.

“The summer was great because there was a lot of stress reduced in terms of school and competition,” stated Eslinger. “I think the greatest growth for us is during the offseason.  The sun is not beating down on us and we can water the plant and let it grow. We just want them to continue to love training and have a vision in order to make great things happen.”

When asked what the biggest thing the team had learned last season, Eslinger emphasized the importance of building up his athletes as opposed to keeping them down.

“We learned that as a team, we can never let ourselves get down,” said Eslinger. “We were faced with some adversity and a lot of times, organizations would have let that move them south.  We found a way to point this team north and that is a complement to our athletes and our coaching staff.”

The annual Blue-Gold match gets the ball rolling Saturday, Oct. 21.  The Mocs then hit the road for the first week of official action in Virginia.  The first dual is a Southern Conference matchup at VMI on Nov. 4. The next day, UTC is at the Hokie Open in Roanoke, Virginia.

“Our Blue-Gold is one of many things we use to gather information to decide who is the guy that we can trust, who is the guy that is going to compete for us November fourth against VMI,” said Eslinger.

[Sommers]

Ohio leads the way with 11 to freshman ranked,  and the southeast (Va, Ga, Ky, Fl and TN) not looking bad overall with 6 ranked!

Overall	Class	NAME	School	State	Weight
1	FR.	Carson Manville	Wyoming Seminary	VA	132
2	FR.	Ryan Sokol	Simley	MN	120
3	FR.	Alex Facundo	Davison	MI	145
4	FR.	Ryan Franco	Clovis North	CA	126
5	FR.	Padraic Gallagher	St. Edward	OH	145
6	FR.	Victor Voinovich	Brecksville	OH	138
7	FR.	Travis Mastrogiovanni	Blair Academy	NJ	132
8	FR.	Zeke Escalera	Wyoming Seminary	KY	106
9	FR.	Richard Figueroa II	Selma	CA	106
10	FR.	Vincent Zerban	Christian Brothers College	IL	106
11	FR.	Brandon Hoselton	Prairie Central	IL	182
12	FR.	Yusief Lillie	Bonney Lake	WA	106
13	FR.	Isaac Salas	St. John Bosco	CA	120
14	FR.	Shayne Van Ness	Blair Academy	NJ	120
15	FR.	Cole Rees	Wyoming Seminary	PA	145
16	FR.	Luka Wick	San Marino	CA	138
17	FR.	Caleb Rathjen	Ankeny	IA	106
18	FR.	Zack Witmer	St. Joseph's	PA	120
19	FR.	Micah Norwood	Lancaster	OH	113
20	FR.	Reid Ballantyne	Stillwater	MN	120
21	FR.	Jett Strickenberger	Discovery Canyon	CO	106
22	FR.	Kyle Haas	Maize	KS	170
23	FR.	Carter Young	Sand Springs	OK	106
24	FR.	Joseph Martin	Buchanan	CA	120
25	FR.	Cooper Flynn	McDonogh	TN	106
26	FR.	Jordan Titus	Center Morichees	NY	106
27	FR.	Maximo Renteria	Buchanan	CA	113
28	FR.	Peyton Craft	Blair Academy	OH	152
29	FR.	Cole Hivnor	Wickliffe	OH	160
30	FR.	Alek Martin	St. Paris Graham	OH	126
31	FR.	Brock McMillen	Glendale	PA	106
32	FR.	Nathaniel Deasey	Chandler	AZ	220
33	FR.	Trey Kibe	Mifflin County	PA	126
34	FR.	Conor Knopick	Millard South	NE	120
35	FR.	Jaxson Rohman	Fairmont-Martin	MN	113
36	FR.	Brock Delsignore	South Glens Falls	NY	106
37	FR.	Dustin Norris	Lasalle	OH	106
38	FR.	Lucas Willis	Somerset	FL	120
39	FR.	Cole Skinner		OH	106
40	FR.	Caden McCrary	Woodland	GA	113
41	FR.	Peyten Kellar	Nelsonville-York	OH	106
42	FR.	Drake Ayala	Fort Dodge	IA	106
43	FR.	Dean Peterson	St. John Vianney	NJ	106
44	FR.	Hudson Hightower	St. Edward	OH	152
45	FR.	Justin Mastroianni	New Caanan	CT	113
46	FR.	Sam Kruger	KWLPG	SD	138
47	FR.	Connor Gaynor	Mt. Carmel	IL	120
48	FR.	Cael Berg	Simley	MN	113
49	FR.	Dylan Dodson	Licking Valley	OH	138
50	FR.	Gene Quodala	St. Paul’s	VA	106

http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/3069-manville-tops-first-big-board-of-new-school-year/2017-09-14/class-of-2021-big-board#.WbtYD3NOm7M

[Sommers]

Ohio leads the way with 11 to freshman ranked,  and the southeast (Va, Ga, Ky, Fl and TN) not looking bad overall with 6 ranked!

Overall	Class	NAME	School	State	Weight
1	FR.	Carson Manville	Wyoming Seminary	VA	132
2	FR.	Ryan Sokol	Simley	MN	120
3	FR.	Alex Facundo	Davison	MI	145
4	FR.	Ryan Franco	Clovis North	CA	126
5	FR.	Padraic Gallagher	St. Edward	OH	145
6	FR.	Victor Voinovich	Brecksville	OH	138
7	FR.	Travis Mastrogiovanni	Blair Academy	NJ	132
8	FR.	Zeke Escalera	Wyoming Seminary	KY	106
9	FR.	Richard Figueroa II	Selma	CA	106
10	FR.	Vincent Zerban	Christian Brothers College	IL	106
11	FR.	Brandon Hoselton	Prairie Central	IL	182
12	FR.	Yusief Lillie	Bonney Lake	WA	106
13	FR.	Isaac Salas	St. John Bosco	CA	120
14	FR.	Shayne Van Ness	Blair Academy	NJ	120
15	FR.	Cole Rees	Wyoming Seminary	PA	145
16	FR.	Luka Wick	San Marino	CA	138
17	FR.	Caleb Rathjen	Ankeny	IA	106
18	FR.	Zack Witmer	St. Joseph's	PA	120
19	FR.	Micah Norwood	Lancaster	OH	113
20	FR.	Reid Ballantyne	Stillwater	MN	120
21	FR.	Jett Strickenberger	Discovery Canyon	CO	106
22	FR.	Kyle Haas	Maize	KS	170
23	FR.	Carter Young	Sand Springs	OK	106
24	FR.	Joseph Martin	Buchanan	CA	120
25	FR.	Cooper Flynn	McDonogh	TN	106
26	FR.	Jordan Titus	Center Morichees	NY	106
27	FR.	Maximo Renteria	Buchanan	CA	113
28	FR.	Peyton Craft	Blair Academy	OH	152
29	FR.	Cole Hivnor	Wickliffe	OH	160
30	FR.	Alek Martin	St. Paris Graham	OH	126
31	FR.	Brock McMillen	Glendale	PA	106
32	FR.	Nathaniel Deasey	Chandler	AZ	220
33	FR.	Trey Kibe	Mifflin County	PA	126
34	FR.	Conor Knopick	Millard South	NE	120
35	FR.	Jaxson Rohman	Fairmont-Martin	MN	113
36	FR.	Brock Delsignore	South Glens Falls	NY	106
37	FR.	Dustin Norris	Lasalle	OH	106
38	FR.	Lucas Willis	Somerset	FL	120
39	FR.	Cole Skinner		OH	106
40	FR.	Caden McCrary	Woodland	GA	113
41	FR.	Peyten Kellar	Nelsonville-York	OH	106
42	FR.	Drake Ayala	Fort Dodge	IA	106
43	FR.	Dean Peterson	St. John Vianney	NJ	106
44	FR.	Hudson Hightower	St. Edward	OH	152
45	FR.	Justin Mastroianni	New Caanan	CT	113
46	FR.	Sam Kruger	KWLPG	SD	138
47	FR.	Connor Gaynor	Mt. Carmel	IL	120
48	FR.	Cael Berg	Simley	MN	113
49	FR.	Dylan Dodson	Licking Valley	OH	138
50	FR.	Gene Quodala	St. Paul’s	VA	106

http://www.flowrestling.org/ranking/3069-manville-tops-first-big-board-of-new-school-year/2017-09-14/class-of-2021-big-board#.WbtYD3NOm7M

_____________________________

Former Walker Valley Captain Receives Scholarship...

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/9/14/354874/Cleveland-State-Cross-Country-Signs.aspx

Cleveland State Cross Country Signs Dillon Clark

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Dillon Clark, alumnus of Walker Valley High School, has signed to Cleveland State's men's cross country team. Clark did not run cross country in high school but is excited to accept this new challenge.

A former team captain of the Walker Valley wrestling team, Dillon possess a certain level of work ethic and drive that he's excited to add to the sport of cross country running.

Clark stated, "It feels great to be here, this is a different feeling since I'm entering a higher level of competition." On his expectations for this season he said, "Individually I'd like to reach nationals within the next two years but as our team as whole, I want to make sure we leave a lasting impression at Cleveland State and grow cross country into a successful program here."

CSCC Cross Country Head Coach David Kyle said, "Since Dillon comes from a wrestling background, I don't have to worry about his effort or mentality. You can tell he really wants to be here and is excited to get started. I expect that with his drive, Dillon can accomplish anything he wants to, if he puts his mind to it."

On what this addition does for the men's team, Coach Kyle stated, "It's gives us an extra runner, filling out a full squad. Its also added a sense of competition within our own team and that's really helped us to improve and grow. Dillon also brings experience in the weight room, which will most definitely impact our team in a positive way. Overall we are extremely excited to have Dillon here, and can't wait to hit the ground running."

 

 

[Sommers]

Remember these days...

Greenback pins down another Region Wrestling Title

http://archive.knoxnews.com/sports/high-school/greenback-pins-down-another-region-wrestling-title-ep-410365005-359587941.html/

 

Edited September 24, 2017 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Sequatchie Valley Sensation "in full recovery" turning heads once again, now as a senior with the pig skin back on the other side of the mountain... 

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/preps/story/2017/sep/26/soddy-daisys-versatile-ty-boeck-areplayer-wee/451085/

Soddy-Daisy's versatile Ty Boeck is area player of week

Soddy-Daisy's Ty Boeck (13) shakes off Red Bank's David Cosby (10) to score the Trojan's first touchdown. The Red Bank Lions visited the Soddy-Daisy Trojans in TSSAA football action at Soddy-Daisy High School on August 18, 2017.

Photo by Robin Rudd /Times Free Press.

Honorable Mention

Keegan Jones, Cleveland: He rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and returned kickoffs 95 and 87 yards for two other scores.

Trace Condra, Whitwell: He ran for 205 yards and two TDs on just 11 carries (18.6 yards per carry).

Ty Boeck of Soddy-Daisy was selected as a member of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Football team. November 23, 2016

Photo by Robin Rudd /Times Free Press.

Jake Woodlief, Signal Mountain: He had 10 solo tackles including three lost-yardage hits and three sacks, two assists and a fumble recovery.

Friday was the best night of his high school football career, but Ty Boeck may be just getting started.

__________________________
The Soddy-Daisy senior sustained a broken leg in last February's Tennessee state wrestling tournament and was sidelined for more than two months. He was limited in the Trojans' spring drills and was still recovering at the handful of one-day summer camps he attended.
_________________________

He finally is rounding into form and was the key piece in Soddy-Daisy's 42-21 upset of perennial local power Ooltewah.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find somebody else on a Friday night that did something like he did," Trojans coach Justin Barnes said.

Soddy-Daisy's Ty Boeck (13) starts on a touchdown run. The Red Bank Lions visited the Soddy-Daisy Trojans in TSSAA football action at Soddy-Daisy High School on August 18, 2017.

A 6-foot-1, 210-poounder, Boeck rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, caught a 62-yard pass for another score and then threw a pass for a TD, thus playing an integral part in four of the Trojans' scores. 

The Waffle House all-star player of the week was a pivotal piece of Soddy-Daisy's defense as well — with nine solo tackles including three lost-yardage stops, five assists, a caused fumble and a fumble recovery.

There has been no bigger win for the Trojans, whose two losses this year were each by one point (15-14 to Lenoir City and 49-48 to Knoxville Catholic), in the five years Barnes has been their coach.

"At this point in time and with (Ooltewah) being a 6A team and us 5A and the way they've dominated in the past, yeah, this is probably the biggest win since I've been here," he said.

Boeck last year had been penciled in as a receiver, linebacker and possible running back but wound up moving to quarterback because of injuries to teammates.

"He has (scholarship) offers from Lindsey Wilson and Tennessee State, but most people saw him at quarterback and a lot of folks want to see more film on him on the defensive side," Barnes said. "Once he became our quarterback last year he was kind of off limits to the defensive side.

"It hurt him in a lot of ways when it came to recruiting, but if you ask him he'd tell you he wouldn't go back and change it because he was trying to help the team in any way possible."

Boeck's offensive showing against the Owls surprised even Barnes, at least to a point.

"If you had 11 of Ty you'd have a pretty good team," he said. "But Ty only practices with the offense one day per week."

The coach knew he should've expected it, though, because Ty is the son of a coach: Trojans defensive coordinator Troy Boeck.

"He's a heck of an athlete and he has that mentality and feel for the game that you often see in coaches' children," Barnes said. "He's got the frame to put on some weight, and he isn't through growing. Karen (Boeck's mom) played basketball at UTC and Troy was a defensive lineman there, and Ty wears a size-14 shoe. I think he just turned 17. Whoever gets him in college is getting a steal."

Honorable Mention

Keegan Jones, Cleveland: He rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and returned kickoffs 95 and 87 yards for two other scores.

Trace Condra, Whitwell: He ran for 205 yards and two TDs on just 11 carries (18.6 yards per carry) for the 3rd ranked, and 6-0 Tigers. 

Jake Woodlief, Signal Mountain: He had 10 solo tackles including three lost-yardage hits and three sacks, two assists and a fumble recovery.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.

________________________

Now on to the left side of the state... 

Memphis lineman Jonathan Wilson uses wrestling background to emerge as defensive force

http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/memphis-tigers/football/2017/09/27/memphis-tigers-football-lineman-jonathan-wilson-uses-wrestling-background-emerge-defensive-force/699724001/

TIGER FOOTBALL

Tom Schad | USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee5:11 p.m. CT Sep. 27, 2017

University of Memphis defender Jonathan Wilson (left) sacks UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen (left) ...more

Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Jonathan Wilson has always felt at home on the football field, but during his junior year at South Plaquemines High School in Louisiana, he discovered a new passion: Wrestling.

Before he became a starting defensive lineman for the University of Memphis, which will face UCF in its American Athletic Conference opener on Saturday, Wilson was also a state champion on the mat. As a junior, Wilson was a 230-pounder wrestling in the 285-pound weight class and still managed to finish third in his division at the state tournament. Then, as a senior, he committed himself to the sport, gained 35 pounds and won a Louisiana state title, pinning his opponent in the championship match.

“My junior year, I really wasn’t working fundamentals, like my technique,” said Wilson, who was named the most outstanding wrester in his division by The New Orleans Advocate. “My senior year, I was working with little guys, like (using) smaller weight-class moves on bigger guys. That’s what really helped me.”

So what, exactly, does wrestling have to do with Wilson’s football career? Ask Memphis defensive line coach Paul Randolph and he’ll tell you it helps.

“Two things: Body control, which you have to have down inside. Hands. Hand-to-hand combat, which you do every down when you’re down inside,” Randolph said. “I ask (recruits), ‘Are you a wrestler? Have you wrestled at any point?’ … Because if they have, there’s no doubt it’s a plus for them — a major plus for them.”

Wilson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, has always had a rare combination of size and quickness. In high school, for example, he played linebacker and offensive line. And, in addition to wrestling, he also was a member of the track and field team, running the 200-meter dash and throwing shot put.

Wilson didn’t necessarily wrestle to help him on the football field, but looking back on it now, he does believe there were benefits.

“Conditioning-wise, yes. It helps a lot. Because in wrestling, that’s all we did — run all day,” Wilson said. “In wrestling, it’s really just all about stance. … And D-Line, that’s what it is too — all about your stance. Wrestling, it’s really an aggressive sport. D-Line, you’ve got to be aggressive. So it helps a lot.”

Wilson originally planned to bring his football skills — and wrestling background — to Tulane, where his older brother, Sean, was already a defensive lineman. But after failing to academically qualify after National Signing Day, Wilson said “everything was going all crazy” and he soon found himself looking at Division II schools.

University of Memphis defender Jonathan Wilson (right) brings down Southern Illinois University ...more

Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Memphis didn’t become a possibility until Wilson learned that taking another high school class would boost his grade-point average and make him Division I eligible. At that point, Wilson said, Tigers wide receivers coach David Johnson, who had recruited him as an assistant at Tulane, helped bring the defensive lineman aboard midway through preseason camp.

“When he had the opportunity to explore other options for his education, he elected to come up and take a look at Memphis. I’ll tell you, we’re extremely glad that he did,” Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. “What impressed me so much is he had never played with his hand in the grass. To come in and play as many snaps as he did last year, never playing on the interior, and to have the impact he did, that was pretty remarkable.”

Despite his late arrival to Memphis, Wilson went on to play in all 13 games as a true freshman with eight starts, finishing with 30 tackles, including six for a loss, and three sacks. He also intercepted a pass against Kansas and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown.

“He picked up and learned the system,” Randolph said, “and once he got that down — he’s a really smart kid — it was a matter of just letting his ability take over.”

Despite missing the first half of the UCLA game after being ejected for targeting against Louisiana-Monroe, Wilson has already recorded five tackles, including two for a loss, and a sack so far in 2017. He said he’s stronger than he was a year ago, which helped him get off blocks while pass rushing and not get pushed out of his gap on running plays.

Despite his success on the wrestling mat, he knows his future is in football.

“I loved wrestling, too,” Wilson said. “But I played football all my life.”

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Shippensburg youth wrestling coach dies in Las Vegas shooting

http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/12800739-74/shippensburg-youth-wrestling-coach-missing-after-las-vegas-shooting

[Sommers]

Cornell may be down some this season, but they do have the most successful in Alabama history slated to start at 174, and coming from a school similar to Red Bank Hixson Greenbrier  or PF. 

Lineup Look: Cornell's EIWA Reign May Be Over

Oct 4, 2017

Nomad

 

It's lineup look season. We've gone from State College to Columbus to Stillwater, and now to Ithaca, New York.

The youngest Ivy League school, and the one with the largest enrollment, has been the class of the EIWA for 11 years now. But Cornell's lineup has perhaps more question marks than any team we have reviewed so far.

Losing Gabe Dean, Dylan Palacio, Brian Realbuto and Mark Grey may have devastated the Big Red's roster, for this year at least.
 

Projected Cornell Lineup

125: Noah Baughman
133: Chaz Tucker
141: Yianni Diakomihalis
149: Jon Furnas
157: Joey Galasso/Kyle Simaz
165: Milik Dawkins/Dillon Artigliere/Jonah Barley/Foster Karmon/Matthew Russo
174: Brandon Womack
184: Max Dean
197: Ben Honis/Ben Darmstadt
285: Jeramy Sweany/McZiggy Richards

Edited October 9, 2017 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Top three in Chattanooga...

http://www.gomocs.com/news/2017/10/16/field-announced-for-the-2018-southern-scuffle-presented-by-compound-clothing.aspx

Field Announced for the 2018 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Clothing

Mocs welcome student-athletes from nine of the Top 25 Teams from last year’s NCAA Championships

Oct. 16, 2017 Southern Scuffle

STORY LINKSPURCHASE UTC WRESTLING SEASON TICKETSThe University of Tennessee at Chattanooga announced the field for the 2018 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Clothing today.  The return of NCAA Champion Penn State, along with a host of other top programs, continue the tradition of excellence at the Jan. 1-2 event. 
 
Representatives from nine teams who finished in the top 25 at last year's NCAA Tournament are making their way to Chattanooga for the New Year's event.    
 
The Nittany Lions lead this group that includes Ohio State (2), Oklahoma State (3), Michigan (10), Lehigh (12), Virginia (15), N.C. State (17), Northern Iowa (18) and Stanford (24).  The Buckeyes, Cowboys, Wolverines and Wolfpack are all sending partial teams to this year's Scuffle. 
 
Individually, there could be as many as seven individual NCAA Champions on the mat.  Over 70 of the competitors qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament, while 21 were All-Americans. 
 
"This is going to be another great year for the Scuffle," stated UTC head coach Heath Eslinger"Our partnerships with Compound Clothing, the Chattanooga Sports Committee and FloWrestling have all helped make this the best in-season wrestling tournament in the country, and we are working to make sure we continue that with this year's event."
 
Flowrestling will live stream every match of the tournament for the sixth year in a row.  The Scuffle is also utilizing FloArena software for the second year.  FloArena is the most complete and turnkey event management software in the market, allowing wrestling tournament and dual meet organizers to offer real-time scoring updates across multiple mats simultaneously. FloArena archives every match instantly and links those matches to the brackets.   

Tickets for the 2018 Southern Scuffle go on sale Nov. 1.  However, you can get the best seats today by purchasing a season ticket for UTC wrestling.  Those include the home duals against Virginia Tech, Ohio, SIUE, Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb in Maclellan Gym. 
 
Daily admission is $35 for reserved seats, $20 for general admission and $10 for youth general admission.  All-session passes are $60 for reserved, $35 for general admission and $15 for youth.  Tickets can be purchased online on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).  Group rates are also available by contacting Barry KamenVirginia

Remaining field:
15N.C. State*
17Northern Iowa
18Stanford
24Appalachian State
26Navy
31Duke
32Cleveland State
44Lock Haven
44Gardner-Webb
47Northern Colorado
47Cal State Bakersfield
53Drexel
53Utah Valley
53George Mason
62The Citadel66Chattanooga
69Air ForceHofstra
*Denotes partial team participation. 

[Sommers]

Two UTC Wrestlers Ranked In Preseason Poll

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2017/10/18/356955/Two-UTC-Wrestlers-Ranked-In-Preseason.aspx

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Two members of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team are among the top 20 in their respective weight classes in the Intermat preseason rankings released today. 
 
Junior Chris Debien is No. 20 at 133 pounds, while senior Bryce Carr checks in at No. 12 at 184.  Both or these individuals will be in action, with the rest of the Mocs, at the Blue & Gold Scrimmage in the middle of tailgating festivities for The Citadel football game on Saturday, Oct. 21.

  The match is set for 12:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) in the First Tennessee Pavilion. 
 
Debien is coming off an 18-11 campaign that included the Southern Conference Championship at 133 pounds.  He won 12 of his last 14 matches, and went 1-2 at the NCAA Tournament. 
 
Carr spent most of last season ranked in the top 15 at 184 pounds.  He won the SoCon title and finished with a 26-6 overall record.  All six of his losses were either in overtime, or by a single point. 
 
Season tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com, or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).  Single-match and Southern Scuffle tickets go on sale on Nov. 1.  If you want the best seats for the Scuffle, buy a reserved season ticket now and be placed before they go on sale to the general public. 

 

[Sommers]

LOGIN

 

Gold beats Blue 34-11 in UTC intrasquad wrestling

October 22nd, 2017by Staff Reportin Sports - CollegeRead Time: 1 min.

 

Led by upperclassmen, the Gold team won 34-11 in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team's Blue & Gold intrasquad exhibition match Saturday at First Tennessee Pavilion.

The Gold roll started with a 9-3 decision for nationally 20th-ranked junior Chris DeBien from Cleveland at 141 pounds and included a 14-0 major decision by junior Jake Huffine at 133, a pin in 6:01 by junior Trey Watson at 157, a 14-2 major decision by senior Chad Pyke at 165 and a 22-5 technical fall for 12th-ranked senior Bryce Carr at 184.

Other Gold winners were Fabian Gutierrez at 125, David Fairly at 141 and Connor Tolley at 285.

The Blue squad victories came from freshman Jake Adcock at 149 (7-5 in overtime) and seniors Justin Lampe and Scottie Boykin. Lampe earned a 15-8 decision at 174 and Boykin registered a 23-8 technical fall at 197.

UTC's wrestling season begins Nov. 4 in a Southern Conference match at Virginia Military Institute, and the Mocs' first home meet will be Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. against Virginia Tech in Maclellan Gym.

Season tickets are on sale at GoMoc.com or by calling 266-MOCS.

BLUE & GOLD RESULTS

141 pounds—Chris DeBien (G) dec. Franco Valdes, 9-3; 125—Fabian Gutierrez (G) dec. Cody Hill, 2-1; 133—Jake Huffine (G) major dec. Colton Landers, 14-0; 141—David Fairly (G) W-F (inj.) Michael Pongracz; 149—Jake Adcock (B) dec. Roman Boylen, 7-5, OT; 157—Trey Watson (G) pinned Justin George, 6:01; 165—Chad Pyke (G) major dec. Drew Nicholson, 14-2; 174—Justin Lampe (B) dec. Hunter Fortner, 15-8; 184—Bryce Carr (G) tech. fall over Rodney Jones, 22-5; 197—Scottie Boykin (B) tech. fall over Ben Stacey, 23-8; 285—Connor Tolley (G) dec. Jared Walker, 14-6.

 

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Trinity holds off Sewanee, 27-21

[Sommers]

Wrestling forecasts for Bradley County Suggests Higher Probability for Future success...

Jones Foundation Donates To Higher Calling Wrestling Club

Monday, October 23, 2017

Higher Calling Youth Wrestling Club Head Coach Josh Bosken (center) accepts a check from the Allan Jones Foundation. Pictured with Bosken are Jones Management Services Vice President J. Bailey Jones (left) and Toby Pendergrass (right), director of the Foundation.

The Higher Calling Youth Wrestling Club of Cleveland received a major boost of support this week from the Allan Jones Foundation. 

Josh Bosken, head coach of Higher Calling, announced that his club received a check from the Jones Foundation for $16,983. The donation was a match to funds the club had raised earlier in the year.

“This week’s matching donation brings the total given by the Allan Jones Foundation to our club this year to $106,000,” said Mr. Bosken. “Thanks to the Foundation, I’m proud to say that we are the best-funded kids wrestling club in the United States!”

Higher Calling is a wrestling program that gives young wrestlers of all skill levels, grades K through 8, a chance to learn the essentials of practice and competition. The goal of the program is to train and maintain the highest-quality athletes to help continue the finest wrestling program in Tennessee.

 

The Foundation requires the club’s members to earn money themselves, which is later matched dollar-for-dollar. Along with the check for $16,983 this week, the foundation endowed $90,000 to Higher Calling in 2017 through the Cleveland-Bradley County Community Foundation.

Higher Calling received national attention in April when the Allan Jones Foundation auctioned off a King Ranch F-150 4X4 pickup autographed twice by President George W. Bush. The majority of the proceeds from the auction went to Higher Calling. 

J. Bailey Jones, vice president at Jones Management Services and a representative of the Foundation, was a 2010 160 lb. Division 1 State Champion. He set the all-time record with 125 takedowns in the Greater Chattanooga Area that stood until 2012 when another Cleveland wrestler, 4-time state champion Chris DeBien, broke it with 134 takedowns.

 “Our donation to Higher Calling along with the club’s own fundraising efforts, make it the highest funded kids club in the county,” said Mr. Jones. “We give the club the challenge to raise money on their own and we are always ready to double what they raise.”

Mr. Jones noted that last year at the state championships, Higher Calling more than doubled the score of the team that was runner-up and the club’s wrestlers have won state championships numerous times.

Mr. Bosken said, “The Allan Jones Foundation allows me to work full-time, year-round. If anyone reading this wants their son to be a state champion, it can almost be guaranteed if you start in Higher Calling.”

Mr. Bosken said winning is a three-pronged approach.

“It includes the high school head coach, the middle school head coach, and the kids club coach,” said Mr. Bosken. “The kids club coach is the most important, because the coach is the one who gets the kids interested and teaches them about the joy of winning.”

Mr. Bosken offered a special thanks to the foundation and to the Jones companies like Check Into Cash that have supported the club through the years. 

“The Jones companies have done more for these kids than we ever thought possible,” Mr. Bosken said. “Allan Jones has said many times that Higher Calling is important because the wrestlers develop a love for the sport and build a strong work ethic that will carry them through life. He also appreciates that we strive to teach young athletes moral character and good sportsmanship. Winning starts at this level.” 

Toby Pendergrass, director of the Jones Foundation, agreed with Mr. Bosken.

“If there is a state championship won in wrestling, the Allan Jones Foundation wants it to be one of our three schools – and it all starts with the Kids Club,” said Mr. Pendergrass.

_____________________

ASSISTANT WRESTLING COACH - NWHS

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System ( learn more )

Clarksville , TN ( map ) 
Job Details

• Job ID: 2862086
• Application Deadline: Posted until Filled
• Posted : October 25, 2017

Job Description

Brief description of duties:  Assistant wrestling coach for both the boys and girls wrestlin programs.

Special Skills, qualifications, or education:  Prior wrestling or weight training experience preferred.

• Position Type: Full-time

• Job Category : Athletics & Activities > Coaching 

Contact Information

• Jacklyn Winegarden
• 621 Gracey Avenue
• Clarksville, Tennessee 37040

• Phone: (931) 648-5600

Edited October 25, 2017 by Sommers

[Sommers]

The future of college wrestling alive and well...

Middle school wrestling programs moving forward

 

Assistant wrestling coach Steve Hill gives instruction during a recent middle school wrestling practice. James Strong (green shirt) has D.J. Bean in a tight hold.

BEN CRAVEN | HERALD-CITIZEN

 Buy this photo

Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2017

BY BEN CRAVEN

Amateur wrestling in Cookeville has been steadily rising for the past three years, but it took a huge step this season as there are now officially three separate teams at Prescott South Middle School, Algood Middle School, and Avery Trace Middle School.

Three years ago, Greg Strong was a part of the pioneering effort that started a collective Cookeville middle school wrestling team.

Middle schoolers from all over town gathered at Cookeville High School at 5:30 after its practice to have the middle school team’s practice.

The program has been a rousing success, but strong and a few others felt it could be improved even further.

“The original intent of the middle school wrestling program was to help funnel more kids into the high school program, and we’ve done that. Now you have to multiply that times three,” Strong explained.

“The last few years, we’ve sent an average of 12 kids to the high school team, and we’ll probably triple that this year. It’s exactly what you want, and the kids are loving it.”

A middle school wrestling starting roster is comprised of 15 kids.

Strong said that his first day of practice as Prescott’s head coach saw 44 kids show up, and that number has remained steady through a week and a half of practice.

Algood’s team is headed up by Tony Houston, and Avery Trace is led by former CHS wrestler Beau Wynn. Strong had originally planned on having a small supervisory role over all three programs.

“The numbers have been unbelievable,” Strong said.

“The other school’s have been having just as good of a turn out as we have here at Prescott. That was the original plan, but in reality, I’ve got more than I can handle here. The response has been incredible, and we’ve pretty much separated completely.”

The complete separation has been good for more than just the number of kids that show up.

It has also helped logistically as kids can merely stay at school when it ends to attend practice. That means they don’t need to wait to be picked up only to be shuttled to the high school a few hours later and not finish until later in the evening.

Now, the program looks to yet another innovation to get the kids excited in what is being called the Backyard Brawl. This is an event that will take place Thursday at Avery Trace and will pit each middle school team against one another for bragging rights and a taste of the end of the season. First matches are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

“The past two years, we accomplished one of our goals of having a city championship at the end of the season, but practicing together kind of took all the sting out of that,” Strong explained.

“The cross-town rivalries didn’t really develop the way that they should have. The kids knew each other and knew what the other was going to do. 

“We’ve already been hearing from these kids this year that these rivalries are going to be huge, and the Backyard Brawl kind of developed out of that. We wanted something early in the season to kind of give them a taste of what is before them. Each team will wrestle each other, but then we won’t wrestle each other again until the city championship.”

The city championship is scheduled for Dec. 11-12 after each team has wrestled through a full schedule of at least 11 events.

_________________

In case you missed it...

Debien, Carr Among Intermat Preseason Rankings

 

Oct. 18, 2017 Wrestling

STORY LINKS

• PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
• INTERMAT RANKINGS

Two members of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team are among the top 20 in their respective weight classes in the Intermat preseason rankings released today. 

Junior Chris Debien is No. 20 at 133 pounds, while senior Bryce Carr checks in at No. 12 at 184.  Both or these individuals will be in action, with the rest of the Mocs, at the Blue & Gold Scrimmage in the middle of tailgating festivities for The Citadel football game on Saturday, Oct. 21.  The match is set for 12:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) in the First Tennessee Pavilion. 

Debien is coming off an 18-11 campaign that included the Southern Conference Championship at 133 pounds.  He won 12 of his last 14 matches, and went 1-2 at the NCAA Tournament. 

Carr spent most of last season ranked in the top 15 at 184 pounds.  He won the SoCon title and finished with a 26-6 overall record.  All six of his losses were either in overtime, or by a single point. 

Season tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com, or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).  Single-match and Southern Scuffle tickets go on sale on Nov. 1.  If you want the best seats for the Scuffle, buy a reserved season ticket now and be placed before they go on sale to the general public.