KingGreene

I guess Spangler could also find his way there with a good draw and if he's able to open up and get a little more offense going. He needs to hope to be on the other side of the bracket as Johnson because he's by far the best 195 I've seen all season and has offense like a 120! I haven't seen many of the others on Hamm's list so as far as I know Jeremy may be the number 2. But he has to get his offense going a little bit more.... It's not near as bad as my 195's lack of offense! He drives me crazy! But Jeremy will need to have his shots on point next weekend to get to that state finals match. So your pick of 3 is definitely not crazy bold. I predict two for the Vikings.

Luke Story and Denzel Medina are two more retuning Region Champs going in as a #2. Luke being a state ranked wrestler as well. Who are your 3? I can see 2: Trent and Dewey. Don't see any of the others getting that far.

Agreed EZ. Congratulations to all the placers. Extra congratulations to Trent Nelson for sealing a rare 4th Region championship. Dillon looks to be the next one in line for that as he looked about as dominant as his older brother while getting that #2. Speaking of Dew drop, congratulations to him for that 3rd title and the well deserved OW award. The other Dillon (Lemons) dominated as well. Again, great transition from 106 to 126 to get his first title. As EZ pointed out, Cooper did look great! Possibly best match I've ever seen him wrestle! Hopefully he will roll into his last state tournament high with that momentum. Although the bracket does not show it, Jared Harter was the Region Champ. It was very evident he was the best wrestler in that bracket. I know that he did nothing malicious and was not trying to hurt Banks. It was a very unfortunate incident that was out of his control but I hope he bounces back next weekend and no doubt he will be looking to come back and do the best he can at this point by getting 3 Region titles. Very proud of Arthur for pulling off what ended up being probably the best finals match to get his second title!... Hard to believe that kid just learned about wrestling 3 years ago! Hope we can bring back two medals again with those two this year. Nathan Scott had a couple hard tough matches where he was down and I didn't think he was going to be able to pull off. It was impressive that managed to fight his way match after match to a first place. Multiple TN High kids had similar matches like that which they needed to secure the team title. Congratulations to those boys for a good tournament. Jeff County looked great all the way through. Looks like they are a year from being very good! I think they'll be a top 2 team next year! Morristown West also looked pretty solid in places. Impressive what Coach has been able to do with that program in just one year being there. Haven't looked close at what they are losing but I think they may have a chance of being top 3 next year if they make the same amount of improvement and don't lose many. We had a lot of talent in those finals matches and even a handful of 3rd place matches! I think we should be able to bring a lot of hardware back to Region 1 next weekend. Good luck to all of our boys.

Sure will! Not only for the loser of that match, but also for others they may run into early in the tournament because they won't be seeded.

One of those is Bryson Henley (TN) who has dropped to 152 and beat James last time they wrestled for 5th at State. James won the Region 1 finals match last season but they should meet there again tomorrow to clear that up.

It is my understanding that the Landers drop was just for the Duals to put them in a better position as a team, but he wanted to make sure there was no talk about him ducking Ryan and wanted to stay at 132 for that reason.

You are correct EZ. It is incorrect in the newspaper. Must have been incorrect information given by Coach Mann. I went back and looked and both of the last two years he only lost to Trent. 3rd as a freshman, 2nd as a sophomore... If the pattern continues, he should finish 1st this year as you predict. He has made the jump up to 126/132 well. It's very hard to make that transition.

Nathan Wysong and Dillon Lemons will also be at #2 Region title if they win. Arthur will be looking for #2 if he can take another one from Bryson.

I was unaware of that Iron man match. That's a decisive major. Yeah that very well could be the most competitive weight to place at next weekend.

I agree. I think Branham will avenge that early season loss and could see him getting a medal next weekend.

You all are probably correct on Palmer being the better wrestler and finishing higher next weekend. The facts you have provided definitely back that up. Cannon has looked dominant in the few matches I have seen him but haven't seen him in tough matches. Palmer is not as flashy as his slightly smaller training partner but almost always does exactly what he needs to do to win and is just so very solid. However, I still think TJ and Bowers will be the finalists. I think they are just at another level than the rest of the field. I watched Garrett handle both Palmer and Noah last year at Dixie Duals as just an 8th grader and no doubt he's improved tremendously with that Cleveland schedule. 113 is loaded this year! Dillon Pendley from TN will also be in the mix there.

Has Spangler not previously won a Region title as well?

I don't know much about the Memphis area, but Moore and Cannon both seem like legitimate picks for OW. As I've stated before, Moore is a beast! He is going to finish high next weekend for sure. Hicks is the only 182 I've personally seen that looks as good as Moore. Can't believe he isn't being talked about as one of the top, but he is definitely going to ruin some kids' weekends next week... And Cannon is dominant as well. Very slick! 113 is pretty loaded, but I see him landing in there right behind TJ and Bowers. He has looked better than Palmer to me... but I have said that about other kids that Palmer has then beaten. So we'll see. 113 is going to be a brawl state wide for sure! Cockman also impressed me when I saw him at CBHS Duals.

I don't think it's really as big of a factor as you think because the kid he drills with and wrestles live with every day is one of the few kids who has beaten Bryson this year. That same kid went with the #2 170, took him down twice to go into OT and came very close to a third time for the win. Arthur wrestles him every day and defends his shots and takes him down. There is no clear cut winner between those two in our room. Not only is he seeing that in the room everyday but with our tough schedule we put him in front of someone who can beat him almost every weekend. He has come through in many tough contested matches including one against Matthews from Bradley who beat Bryson last year at State. I'm pretty confident Bryson won't be the strongest or most skilled kid Arthur has wrestled this season. Not saying he can't beat him, but like I've said to my boys all season: We've been there. We wrestle those type of matches every weekend to prepare for these big ones. It's not new to us. There is an argument to be made about him being bigger but there's also something to say about the kid having to cut weight compared to the one that is walking around under weight. I'd definitely rather my kid be the one walking into weigh ins light and happy after a meal (like all my kids except 106) with a good tough schedule under their belt than the kid cutting weight before the last tournament of the season. I know from experience it takes a while to get used to a weight cut. Dropping late in the season is risky business. But still, ultimately the same conclusion. It could absolutely go either way. I don't have any guess, just a hope. But I would be very surprised to see it be a 4 point difference or a pin as you predict EZ. Just don't see that spread happening with the style of those two wrestlers. It's definitely going to be best match. I hope Buzzy bought a plaque for them. Either way it's a shame because one of them will have to go into the state tournament unseeded.

132 could be a good rematch if Cooper is able to get past English from Jefferson. We have to focus on that match first. Pinkston from Jeff is also going to cause some trouble at 195. He is going to be a tough test for Medina in the semis.

Hard to argue against 152 being the best match with two returning state medalists who saw each other 3 times last year! Should be a great one like all 3 last season. Arthur got 2/3 last year and that pin for 5th was in OT, so it's not like Bryson dominated that match. However, Bryson is much bigger now and has been wrestling 160 all season. Arthur is a small 152 normally weighing under 150, so it will be a tough test for Arthur to handle that size. Charpenter and Hill both have a good chance at getting in there at #3.

Sorry, I'll be in a simple coaches shirt this weekend. But I should have an exciting new outfit for next Saturday in Franklin so maybe you'll be there to see that one. Vikings are shoe ins as champs at a few weights. And then there will be a few exciting finals matchups that could go the way of their opponents. Most of those exciting matchups should most likely be with us. So we may have the ability to take away some of those points in the finals. But what will make the difference for us is going to be in the consolations. Almost all, if not every one, of the Viking qualifiers will be in the finals. We will have some make the finals but most the rest we expect to battle back for top 4.

Duals are done. Seeding meeting is tomorrow. Let's see what everyone has to say about our individual tournament. Typically we have a lot of passionate fans from Region One on here, but this year it has mostly just been 1993Viking expressing his personal vendetta towards me. Let's see if we can give him something else to get excited about and bring out some of the old outspoken fans. 1993Viking, your boys are in the driver seat for the traditional Region title as they will get most their big guns to the finals. We will have to make up some ground on the backside to keep ourselves in the hunt. Jeff County should qualify plenty and score pretty high as well. Here are my guesses of the top 2/3 kids in each weight based on what I've seen this season. I'm sure I may have missed a kid or two worth noting, so let me know. 106 Trent Nelson (TN) Tyler Seeley (SH) 113 Dillon Pendley (TN) Bumgarner (DB)/McCrary (DC) ** Bumgarner beat McCrary earlier in season by decision, but McCrary could change the outcome ** 120 Nathan Wysong (SH) McCray (TN)/Kromoff (DC) ** Judson won the first by pin. Could see this semi going either way and will be important for TN in the team race** 126 Dillon Lemons (DB) Dominic Fields (TN) 132 Logan Ferguson (TN) Williams (SH)/English (JC) ** Haven't seen English compete at 132 yet. Could give Cooper a run in the semis if we're not on top of our game. Could also prove important in the team race for SH ** 138 Dewey Pendley (TN) Luke Story (SH) 145 Grayson Pridemore (SH) Jared Harter (TN) 152 Arthur James (SH) Bryson Henley (TN) 160 Chase Diehl (SH) Josh Rapcan (DB) ** This is the most loaded weight class in our region with 4 returning state qualifiers. One of these tough kids will not be able to qualify but all will compete strong for one of those top 4 spots: Simerly (MW) / Poore (TN) / Workman (JC).... Poore needs to find a way to place in this loaded weight to help TN High in the team race. ** 170 Logan Branham (VOL) Lawson (JC)/ Kalogeros (SH) ** Kalogeros making the finals would really help in the team race for SH ** 182 Weston Brown (SH) ??? ** This weight seems pretty wide open at this point outside of Brown ** 195 Jeremy Spangler (TN) Denzel Medina (SH) 220 Nathan Scott (TN) Brody Workman (JC) HWT Dakota Moungey (JC) Zach Grzelkg (CC) ** Dwight Christian (VOL) also good here. he should qualify and could compete for one of the finalist spots. **

That's the great thing about that poll compared to the Pin-TN rankings. Instead of just one person from one part of the state, it is many different coaches throughout the entire state who see different teams/tournaments/dual matches throughout the year and they voice their opinions based on what they personally have seen along with the stats from what has happened. Because it is many different view points that are then tallied up to find the middle ground, it gives the most unbiased ranking we could ask for. No one is ever going to produce a ranking in which everyone agrees with. That's why it is great to have this poll of chosen coaches (who I assume have all been around the game for many years) to come together and voice their opinion and give us something to talk about.

Pigeon Forge lost to both Arlington and Blackman just a couple weeks ago in Memphis. There are years that they are tough enough to be on this list with the big schools despite their numbers, but not this season. It was impressive that they were able to still get that state championship in one of their "down years". I agree that Independence should get a vote over Blackman. They had a great tournament and also beat us this season. But either way, neither make the top 12 so that was probably just one person who put them in there and so they were listed under "others receiving votes". MBA wrestled those top DII teams close this season so I think it makes sense why they could be in the bottom of that 12.

You are correct. Aaron Moore is who I meant. They have the results of our first match incorrect and had Lewis listed instead of Moore. But Moore is the one I was speaking of. Very impressive. I am pretty fond of our logo also. Pretty scary looking dude. I also like yours simply because I am a Mizzou wrestling fan. We need to work out a trade next season.

Thanks Nainten. We really had some good battles this season! It's crazy that in the 5 years I've been a part of this program, we had never wrestled Arlington once... and then wrestled them 4 times this season! A very impressive group that's for sure! The most impressive kid to me is Moore at 182! He is someone that hasn't been talked about this season, but is dominant! People better watch out for him. After the second meeting in Memphis, most of our dual match strategy revolved around him. There's no doubt in my mind he is going to place High this season! And of course, as people already know, Cannon is an absolute stud at 113! Good luck to your guys in the traditional post season and during the offseason.

Region 4 is dominant for the right reasons. They have all the right people doing the right things and we should all take notes. I strongly believe that having UTC (the only DI wrestling program in the state) in their backyard is the main reason for being able to obtain and keep great wrestling minds. I also believe that if we could get a DI program at ETSU we could create a similar hotbed in the tri-cities. However, until that happens, I just continue to get my kids and myself around the likes of Ben Smith and Josh Bosken and their programs as much as I can during the offseason. Through our Appy Elite and Team Cash trips our boys have seen what it takes to be at that level and I have learned a tremendous amount from both of these coaches. We may have to travel more to get the influences and competition we need, but it is definitely worth it being around those great people and ending a dual season the way we did. Those coaches are both very open for others to join them in improving. Coaches have to encourage their kids to take advantage of those opportunities to build their own programs. As for our team, we return all but 3 seniors. One senior just started wrestling last season and the other two have great backups ready to step up. One being AAU State champion Joseph Frye and the other Isaiah Ryans who made a big statement at the Duals this weekend including a tech-fall in the last match of Wilson Central to win the match for us. Our program has never before made the State finals, but you best believe that is our goal next season that our boys believe is achievable! Thank you to everyone who has congratulated our program. That group of boys who no one knew prior to this season worked very hard to make a name for themselves. They had a great weekend and I am very proud of their team effort.

Science Hill was up 27-22 going into the last match. TN needed a pin to win. SH got a turn for 3 points in the first 30 second OT and then an escape and takedown in the next 30 second OT to win 10-4 and make the final team score 30-22.

You're forgetting one very important thing.... The extra E in GreenEville! Haha! Go Greene Devils!