Gibbs wins traditional wrestling tournament to complete sweep

Tom Kreager
Knoxville
Noel Leyva of Gibbs competes with Alexander Richardson of Alcoa during the TSSAA Individual Wrestling State Championships finals, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, in Franklin, Tenn. (Photo by Wade Payne, Special to the Tennessean)

FRANKLIN — A change in classification was good for Gibbs' wrestling program this season.

Gibbs won the TSSAA's Class A/AA traditional wrestling state championship on Saturday, completing a season sweep of the team awards. The Eagles won the Class A/AA team duals last month.

The two titles came in the program's first season dropping down in A/AA from Class AAA.

"This just feels good to know that Gibbs dropped down and we're proving ourselves," said Gibbs' Noel Leyva, who beat Alcoa's Alexander Richardson 3-1 in the 160-pound championship. "We went to the team duals and we won it.

"We then came here and had like eight wrestlers place. It's just awesome."

Gibbs won with 179 points. Forrest was second with 126.

The Eagles claimed four of seven Knoxville area championships won in Class A/AA.

Gibbs' Landon Adzima defeated Harpeth's Thomas Hatcher 1-0 in the 126-pound championship. Teammate Matthew Maxwell pinned Greenback's Jonathon Hawkins in 2:46 at 145 pounds. Isaiah Brooks beat Greenback's Zach Malone 14-5 at 170 pounds.

Adzima's title came a year after a self-described "rough season" when he was eliminated on the first day of the state tournament.

"Last year I had my tonsils taken out, and I had mono right before the season and I just never recovered from it," Adzima said. "It was just a really tough season.

"It is great to come back and be healthy and just feeling strong," he added.

Also winning were Fulton's Elijah Davis at 152 pounds with a 20-5 technical fall over Pigeon Forge's Joseph Skidmore and Alcoa's Noah Evans at 195 pounds with an 11-4 win over Forrest's Wesley McCoy. Greeneville's Trent Knight beat Forrest's Andrew Carlisle in the 182-pound final.

Davis, a junior, was named co-outstanding wrestler for Class A/AA with Signal Mountain's Daniel Uhorchuck.

"This means all this weight that I burned off paid off," said Davis, who lost 15 pounds over the past month to be able to compete at 152 pounds. "It means a lot to me to win this because I started out in middle school and I've been wanting a championship.

"Now I've got it."

Three Knoxville area girls won their respective weight classes. William Blount's Kate Barnett pinned David Crockett's Taylor Roy in 3:331 at 103 pounds. Heritage's Kerra Streval pinned Elizabethton's Tyesha Thomas in 3:50 at 112 pounds. Hardin Valley's Kenya Sloan pinned Rossview's Brielle Bissonette in 1:19 at 160 pounds.

Sloan was named the outstanding wrestling for the girls tournament.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.