Dobyns-Bennett sophomore wrestler Mason Jakob once again represented Northeast Tennessee well at the national level.
Over the weekend, Jakob earned his second straight runner-up finish at the 35th annual NHSCA High School Nationals in Virginia Beach, finishing second in the country for the 120-pound division.
Already a two-time TSSAA individual state champion who went 42-3 his sophomore season at Dobyns-Bennett, Jakob won six matches before coming up just short in the 120-pound title bout. Antonio Mills III (Dacula, Georgia) escaped with a 5-3 decision to win the 120-pound sophomore national title.
Jakob didn’t encounter much resistance until the semifinal round, where he took a 3-0 decision over West Chester, Pennsylvania’s Tyler Conroy.
In the first two rounds, Jakob won by major decision — 13-1 over Gus Stefeford (Sewickley, Pennsylvania) in the round of 128 and then 12-1 over Stormville, New York’s Chase Allocca.
Jakob scored second-period falls against his next two opponents, pinning Hopewell Township, New Jersey’s Dylan Hersh in 2:14. South Carolina’s Gianni Bottone lasted three minutes before Jakob pinned him.
The quarterfinal round saw another major-decision win for Jakob, 10-2 over Poquoson, Virginia’s Jared Goodson.
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