Sommers

The Tennessean... Live updates: TSSAA Class A/AA high school wrestling state championships Tom Kreager Nashville Tennessean The TSSAA is holding its Tennessee high school wrestling state championships on Wednesday-Friday at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The event has limited seating with state qualifiers being given two tickets for fans. The Division I Class A/AA wrestling championships are Wednesday with Division II and girls wrestling tournaments on Thursday and Class AAA on Friday. Fans can watch the state championships on the NFHS Network here. Fans must have a subscription to the NFHS Nework to view. Follow the live updates from the Class A/AA championship rounds here. 138 pounds Hunter Mason, Greeneville vs. Luke Landon, Sycamore Greeneville's Hunter Mason wins by pin in 1:34. 145 pounds Josh Parton of Pigeon Forge vs. Riley Bennett of Fairview Fairview's Riley Bennett via injury (5:07) 152 pounds Garrett Foreman, Pigeon Forge vs. Lucas Taylor, White House Heritage Garrett Foreman wins by pin 1:14. 160 pounds Kodiak Cannedy, Greeneville vs. Malachi Bennett, Fairview Kodiak Cannedy wins via pin 1:34. 170 pounds Wyatt McLemore, Eagleville vs. Kaden White, Moore Co. Wyatt McLemore, Eagleville, wins via pin 3:30 182 pounds Noah Hill, Forrest vs. Kendrick Curtis, Fairview Noah Hill, Forrest, wins by an 8-4 decision 195 pounds Preston Worley, Signal Mountain, vs. Ethan Sutton, Pigeon Forge Ethan Sutton wins by a 7-6 decision 220 pounds Jonathan Morton, Elizabethton, vs. Caleb Wolfe, Pigeon Forge Jonathan Morton, Elizabethton, wins by pin 5:15. 285 pounds Mustafi Algarawi, Pigeon Forge, vs. Jacob Clevenger, Fairview Mustafi Algarawi, Pigeon Forge, wins by 5-4 decison. 106 pounds Ehtan Uhorchuck, Signal Mountain, vs. Porter Finstad, Gibbs 113 pounds Leandre Dabney, Greeneville vs. Caleb Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain 126 pounds Daniel Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain vs. Trevor Lewis, Hixson 132 pounds Hunter Johnson, Greeneville, vs. Logan Heckert, Sycamore

From Tennessean and Oakridge... 30 Tennessee high school wrestlers to watch during the TSSAA individual wrestling state championships Joseph Spears Nashville Tennessean The TSSAA individual wrestling state championships will be held next Wednesday through Friday at the Chattanooga Convention Center with state championships being crowned in Class AAA, Class A/AA, Division II and girls. The Class A/AA championships will be held on Wednesday, DII and girls on Thursday and Class AAA on Friday. The championships were originally scheduled for last week but were postponed due to hazardous winter weather. Here are 30 high school wrestlers to watch this week — 25 boys and five girls — from the state to keep an eye on: HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING: How Tennessee high school wrestling programs are getting through a COVID-19 season Division I Class AAA Justin Bradford Blackman, junior Weight class: 113 Bradford was pinned in last year's championship with 13 seconds left after leading 10-8 to Wilson Central's Thomas Borders. This season Bradford is unbeaten. Thomas Borders Wilson Central, senior Weight class: 120 Wilson enters his final state tournament as a three-time medalist and two-time champion at 113 pounds. He's undefeated coming off a Region 6-AAA title. Trey Bates Beech, senior Weight class: 126 Bates is a two-time champion, winning the 120-pound class last season. He's 34-0 on the year. Jackson Bradford Cleveland, senior Weight class: 132 Bradford is a three-time medalist finishing sixth and was the 113-pound champion in 2019. He is 24-2 this season. Trae McDaniel Cleveland, senior Weight class: 138 McDaniel is a two-time champion and a three-time medalist. He won state titles in each of the last two seasons winning at 106 in 2019 and 126 last season. McDaniel is undefeated at 22-0. Jackson Hurst Dobyns Bennett, senior Weight class: 152 Hurst is a two-time medalist and won the 145-pound title in 2020. He enters this year's state tournament undefeated at 34-0. Tre Morrisette Dobyns Bennett, senior Weight class: 160 Morrisette is 34-1 on the season and the defending champion at 160 pounds. Mason Smith Senior, Beech, senior Weight class: 170 Smith moved up two weight classes this year after winning last season's 152-pound title. He's 36-0 on the year. Ashton Davis Cleveland, junior Weight class: 220 The reigning 220-pound champion, Davis is 22-0 on the season. Class A-AA LeAndre Dabney Greeneville, junior Weight class: 113 Dabney is the defending state champion and enters the state tournament with a record of 22-1. Daniel Uhorchuk Signal Mountain, senior Weight class: 126 Uhorchuk is a three-time champion and a four-time medalist. He's won state titles at 106, 113 and 120 pounds. Hunter Mason Greeneville, sophomore Weight class: 138 Mason moved up two weight classes after winning last year's 126-pound title. He's 23-0 this season. Josh Parton Pigeon Forge, junior Weight class: 145 Parton is a two-time medalist and won last year's 132-pound title. He's 25-4 this season. Garrett Foreman Pigeon Forge, junior Weight class: 152 Foreman moved up two weight classes this season after winning last year's 138-pound title. He's 34-1 this season. Kodiak Cannedy Greeneville, junior Weight class: 160 Cannedy is 24-1 this season and a two-time champion winning at 145 pounds in 2020 and 126 pounds in 2019. Wyatt McLemore Eagleville, senior Weight class: 170 McLemore has medaled at state for four consecutive seasons and will be competing at state in his fifth different weight division this season. He captured the state championship in the 160-pound class last year. Noah Hill Forrest, senior Weight class: 182 Hill is the defending 182-pound champion. A two-time medalist, Hill is is 27-0 this season. Parrish Pacetti Hixson, senior Weight class: 220 A two-time medalist, Pacetti is undefeated this season and the defending champion at 220 pounds. Division II Nick Corday Baylor, junior Weight class: 113 Corday won last season's 106-pound title and is 13-0 this season. Jackson Bond Baylor, junior Weight class: 126 Bond moved up two classes after winning a state title at 106 pounds in 2019 and 113 pounds last season. Dayne Dalrymple Christian Brothers, senior Weight class: 132 Dalrymple placed 2nd and 3rd at 106 pounds in 2018 and 2019 before finally breaking through and winning the 120-pound title last season. He's 34-2 this season. Garrison Dendy Baylor, junior Weight class: 145 Dendy has moved up a class after winning state titles at 132 and 138 pounds each of the last two seasons. He's 12-0 on the season. Emory Taylor McCallie, senior Weight class: 152 Taylor has moved up four weight classes after winning last season's 126-pound title. He's a three-time champion also winning at 120 pounds in 2019 and 113 pounds in 2018. Gavin Cagle McCallie, senior Weight class: 160 Cagle is a four-time medalist and a two-time champion, winning at 170 pounds last season and 160 pounds in 2019. James Whitworth McCallie, senior Weight class: 170 Since his eighth-grade year, Whitworth has won state titles at 106 (2017), 126 (2018), 152 (2019) and 160 pounds (2020). David Harper Baylor, junior Weight class: 195 Harper is the two-time defending champion at 195 pounds and is 13-1 this season.. Girls Roseanna Vaughn Northwest, junior Weight class: 119 Vaughn placed fifth in last year's state tournament but was this season's region champ beating defending champion Annalynn Rakett by pinfall in the region tournament. Maggie Graham Bartlett, sophomore Weight class: 150 Graham was last season's 160-pound champion. She's 20-1 this season. Shelby Zacharias Creek Wood, senior Weight class: 170 Zacharias is the reigning 170-pound champion and a two-time medalist. She is 21-0 this season. Ariyanna Anderson Creek Wood, junior Weight class: 190 Anderson won last season's 190-pound title and is a two-time medalist finishing second at 190 pounds in 2019. She is 17-2 this season. Valerie Smith McGavock, junior Weight class: 215 Smith is the two-time defending state champion at 215-pounds. Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears7.

Some of you may remember, Walkenvol? From Chattanoogan Vincent “Vinny” Russell Waters Retired From TVA-Sequoia Nuclear Plant As A Supervisor Monday, February 22, 2021 Vincent “Vinny” Russell Waters, 61, of Hixson, Tennessee, passed away on Saturday, February 20, 2021. He was a member of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and was formerly a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He attended OLPH School where he played football, basketball and wrestled. He graduated from East Ridge High School where he exceled in wrestling. He was a swimmer on the East Ridge Youth Foundation Swim Team. He graduated from Chattanooga State with a degree in Nuclear Engineering-Health Physics. He retired from TVA-Sequoia Nuclear Plant as a supervisor. He was preceded in death by his father, Coach Don Waters. Survivors include daughters, Heather Spirz (David) and Krista Conner (Brandon); grandchildren, Haley, Lauren, Ben, Logan, Abby and Riley; mother, Hazel Fryar Waters; siblings, James Donald Waters, Jr, Lawrence Earl Waters (Arlene), Dr. Christopher Mark Waters (Dr. Teresa), David Samuel Fryar Waters (Gina), Margaret Waters Hall; nieces and nephews, Eva Waters, Sean Waters, Nikki DeHaven, Layna Jones, Dr. Katie Waters, Robin Waters, MaryAnn Waters, Ben Hall and Maggie Hall. A private memorial service will be held for the family. Arrangements are by the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 404 South Moore Road, East Ridge, Tn. 37412. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com.

Anyone at higher risk and/or having comborbidities, just be safe. In the meantime... How does 2020 compare to other years? When taken in entirety, 2020 will have more deaths than past years, but analysis not complete yet... USA Today "Just sayin" Soms Survivor at 60 FYI... https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/12/24/fact-check-2020-more-deadly-than-recent-years-u-s/3927190001/ Even USA Today says partly false

Volunteer's Tucker, Glass qualify for state Therogersvillereview ... Volunteer's Ben Tucker won his second TSSAA Region 1-AAA individual wrestling championship Saturday afternoon at Cocke County High School https://www.therogersvillereview.com/sports/article_09d48b59-e83f-5a48-a1df-e681fbfff872.html

Ga News... Camden County is ranked #14 in the country.......Buford also picked up the 6A traditional title... https://www.ghsa.net/congratulations-2021-traditional-wrestling-champions

Murfreesboro Post County to be well represented at state wrestling tournment Feb 16, 2021 Updated 9 hrs ago Oakland senior Graham Keating medaled in last year's state wrestling tournament. FILE The TSSAA state wrestling tournament scheduled to be held this weekend has been postponed until Feb. 24-26 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. This week's winter storm led to the postponement. Almost 30 Rutherford County wrestlers, including five returning medalists, qualified as individuals this year. The following Rutherford County wrestlers will compete in the event next week: Rutherford County 2020 State Wrestling Qualifiers Boys Class AAA 106 Class: Aslan Nadeau, Blackman, Fr. 113: Chas Stokes, Oakland, Sr.; Justin Bradford, Blackman, Jr.* 120: Noah Creque, Siegel, Soph.; Grant Myers, Blackman, Soph. 126: Jacob Jones, Stewarts Creek, Sr.; Mason Sells, Blackman, Soph.* 132: Adm Tibitoski, Oakland, Jr.; Aiden Heathcott, Blackman, Jr. 138: Jaxsen Nieuwsma, Oakland, Soph. 145: Alex Rose, Blackman, Sr. 160: Justin Brown, Blackman, Soph. 170: Jashua Chew, Blackman, Jr. 182: Evan Harris, Oakland, Soph. 195: Connor Milhorn, Siegel, Jr. 220: Tytus Kirby-Reach, Blackman, Sr. 285: Graham Keating, Oakland, Sr.* Boys A-AA 106: Tanner Hatcher, Eagleville, 8th-grade 113: Jacob Pennington, Eagleville, Fr. 138: Gabriel Pennington, Eagleville, Sr. 145: Brody Mclemore, Eagleville, Fr.* 152: Erik Johnson, Eagleville, Jr. 160: Donnovin Darnell, Eagleville, Jr. 170: Wyatt Mclemore, Eagleville, Sr.* 195: Matthew Garber, Eagleville, Jr. Girls AAA 112: Grace Elliott, Siegel, Jr. 119: Jennifer Pranouphong, La Vergne, Sr. 125: Monteria Bigsby, Riverdale, Sr. Contact Information murfreesboropost.com 814 S. Church Street, Suite 202 Murfreesboro, TN 37130 Phone: 1-615-869-0800 Email: news@murfreesboropost.com

I'll never forget sophomore Nic Bundy buzz sawing through former medalists including Jr Danny Coleman (who was really good most days), but Bundy wasn't the brand yet. Then Sr Coleman hangs on only to squeak out his final match(s) vs a scattered field who didn't drop or increase. A HS career selection was Coleman, and a Brand, but NOT Kenny Meredith of Blackman (1st Gold medalist if I remember right for that fairly unknown new school), who also buzz sawed through highest quality competition (including Clarksville's incredible Weakley in the finals), but again Meredith was NOT a brand... ...Shocking selection down there in Chattanooga that particular year. I was stunned, but it was clear what was going on. 2021, I predict a home cooking in D2 and Big schools. Not sure how MOW goes, but Baylor and Cleveland once again gets the nod. A Grand Championship would be fun. AA could get interesting w a few schools like PF, SM, Hixson and Fairview...+

BREAKING Kyle Cooley wins McMinn's first region championship since 2007; Alex Cooley also to state By Gabriel Garcia Sports Writer 0 1 of 3 Buy Now McMinn County’s Kyle Cooley scores a two-point near fall on Rhea County’s Francisco Perez during the 170-pound championship match of the Region 4-AAA wrestling tournament on Friday at Bradley Central High School. Cooley won the title match in a 4-0 decision and became the first wrestler from McMinn County to win a region championship since Eddie Turner in 2007. Gabriel Garcia | The Daily Post-Athenian Buy Now McMinn County’s Alex Cooley prepares to finish off a pin of Bradley Central’s Brett Waters during the 220-pound second-place match of the Region 4-AAA tournament Friday at Bradley Central High School. With his region runner-up finish, the senior Cooley clinched a state tournament appearance. Gabriel Garcia | The Daily Post-Athenian Buy Now McMinn County’s Jackson Boggess (top) wrestles Bradley Central’s Brayden Swallows during the Region 4-AAA wrestling tournament Friday at Bradley Central High School. Boggess finished the tournament in fourth place in the 152-pound weight class. Gabriel Garcia | The Daily Post-Athenian CLEVELAND — Kyle Cooley figured he just needed to get the first points. And when he did, the rest was a place in McMinn County wrestling history. The Cherokees’ junior caught Rhea County’s Francisco Perez in a two-point near-fall with seconds left in the second period of his 170-pound Region 4-AAA tournament championship match, taking a 2-0 lead. Cooley then pulled a reversal in the third period that padded his lead by another two points and allowed him to keep Perez under control the rest of the way to a win by 4-0 decision. “Once I realized I got the two on him in the second period toward the end of it, the last period I just rode it out and ended up flipping over on him and holding toward the end,” said Cooley in an interview with The Daily Post-Athenian after. When time ran out, Cooley rose from the mat Friday at Bradley Central High School as the first wrestler from McMinn to win a region championship since Eddie Turner in 2007. And it’s a title that Cooley believes will be the start of a trend for the Cherokees. “I think in the upcoming years, McMinn is going to be a pretty good team, and this is the start of it,” Cooley said. “And it feels good knowing I pushed the hardest I could.” By winning the region title, Cooley ensured his second straight appearance in the TSSAA Wrestling State Championships. But Friday night became even more special for Cooley when he later saw his brother, Alex, clinch his own state tournament berth in the 220-pound weight class. “It’s the best feeling ever,” said Kyle Cooley on his brother joining him. “No words to describe it.” Alex Cooley had lost by pin in the region title match to defending state champion Ashton Davis of Cleveland and then had one more match to wrestle after. Because only the top two region finishers qualify for the state tournament this year, the loser of the title round would have to face the consolation bracket winner for second place if the two wrestlers hadn’t previously met earlier in the tournament. So Alex took to the mat against Bradley Central’s Brett Waters, and he would not be denied. Waters had scored a takedown on Alex in the second period, but Alex turned the tables with a reversal shortly after and finished off his pin of Waters with 14 seconds left in the period to clinch his runner-up position. “I knew he was getting tired, so I decided to act before he could act,” Alex Cooley said. Alex Cooley, a senior, will end his wrestling career at McMinn with his first trip to the state tournament — joining his younger brother who he said has helped push him to take his wrestling to another level. “It’s really special,” Alex said. “We’ve been wrestling all our lives, and I’m glad I get to go to state with him and wrestle some more.” The TSSAA cut the state tournament fields to 16 wrestlers per weight class this season due to COVID-19 restrictions, from the usual number of 32. That meant that this year, only the top two finishers at region tournaments go to state instead of the usual top four. And one McMinn wrestler, Jackson Boggess at 152 pounds, happened to be affected by that cutoff. Boggess, the brother of three-time state participant Gage Boggess, finished Friday in fourth place and would have joined the Cooley brothers at state in a normal season. Boggess had started the evening with a last-second takedown just inbounds that won him a 6-5 first-round decision over Bradley’s Brayden Swallows. Boggess lost to East Hamilton’s Maclain Otting in the semifinals via pin, but bounced back with a win by pin over Walker Valley’s Markus Rich. Boggess then fell in his rematch with Swallows in the third-place match via pin. “It’s a heartbreaker, because I feel that a lot of kids are missing out on that opportunity all throughout the state,” said McMinn coach Matt Rabine. “We feel blessed that we actually have a season, and it’s understandable why there are all these restrictions, but at the same time Jackson should be going to state, as well as anybody who made the top four.” Kyle Cooley had a first-round bye and then pinned East Hamilton’s Tex Lewis in 1:30 to get to the 170-pound title round. “He’s been working hard, and in the offseason as well,” Rabine said of the region champion. “That’s in the gym as well as on the mats. And his hard work is paying off this year, so I’m excited to see what he’s going to do next week (at state).” Alex Cooley also started his evening with a bye, then outlasted Walker Valley’s Jacob Anderson in a 9-7 decision. Cooley had taken a 7-2 lead, but Anderson tied near the end of the second period with a reversal and a three-point near fall. But Cooley recovered in the third period and went back ahead with a two-point near fall with 51 seconds left, then held on to advance to the title round. “Alex is finally wrestling as we felt he could wrestle at his potential, and I think he’s going to do very well at the state tournament, as well,” Rabine said. The Class AAA state tournament will take place Saturday at the Chattanooga Convention Center – since the tournament was moved this year from its usual location in Franklin. Weigh-ins begin at 7:30 a.m. and wrestling starts at 9 a.m. in the round of 16. Also finishing in sixth place from McMinn on Friday were London Wilkins (113 pounds), Tres Schuft (138), NaQuan Vincent (182) and Ryan Vogus (195). As a team, McMinn finished sixth out of the eight teams in the region with 51 points, ahead of Ooltewah in seventh (49 points) and Rhea County in eighth (28). “I’m extremely proud of these boys,” Rabine said. “This year everything was rescheduled, canceled, rescheduled three or four times, and that’s not an exaggeration. And for everything that was canceled, something else came up last-minute. And what came out of it was these guys bonded. “They all get along very well, and they have a lot of respect and love for one another. And out of that adversity came bonding. And we have a whole bunch of kids coming back next year, and I look forward to working with them in the offseason.” Cleveland topped the team standings with 245.5 points, and Bradley finished in second with 221. Walker Valley was third (114 points), East Hamilton fourth (102) and Soddy-Daisy fifth (59). Email: gabriel.garcia @dailypostathenian.com_ ___________ Out West... https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/02/15/evan-anthony-won-state-wrestling-title-torn-acl-hes-aiming-repeat/4429758001/ Biggest smile you'll ever see DURING a crazy scramble like this... https://www.commercialappeal.com/picture-gallery/sports/high-school/2021/02/14/christian-brothers-wrestler-evan-anthony-photos/4481013001/ Nashville area Centennial's Alex Ables grateful to cap his career with state wrestling tournament run The Tennessean Ables, a 152-pound wrestler, was left waiting for his moment to go. ... This season the top two wrestlers in each Class AAA region advance to the state ... Simpson carries on his father Frank's legacy as new MBA wrestling coach. https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/02/13/centennial-alex-ables-grateful-last-wrestling-state-tournament-tssaa/4412984001/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTODY4NjA0Mjk4NTkyMTA1ODY4MTIaZTk1NWMzNTQzYTljYTA3Mjpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNE-092BTJjM08n26xhdKBs3lbZZhA Region Champs httpsps://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/02/14/nashville-area-high-school-wrestling-region-champions-2021/4431744001/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoTODY4NjA0Mjk4NTkyMTA1ODY4MTIaZTk1NWMzNTQzYTljYTA3Mjpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNGxdcgP0ip25RIpKLR6wUiUscGRTg https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/02/13/centennial-alex-ables-grateful-last-wrestling-state-tournament-tssaa/4412984001/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoUMTYwOTkyNDE4ODc1NTQzNTMwMDUyGjI4Mjk4OGI0MDg3OTdiYTY6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNE-092BTJjM08n26xhdKBs3lbZZhA TriCities https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://heraldcourier.com/sports/local-briefs-brown-arrington-jones-lead-sullivan-east-in-regional-wrestling/article_2f98e256-6e7b-11eb-906d-6b6ca6daeec7.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYAioUMTYwOTkyNDE4ODc1NTQzNTMwMDUyGjI4Mjk4OGI0MDg3OTdiYTY6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHjZiugdf0KORKfpogMDRFn-ez9Ww Greenville and PF looking solid for state... LIVE NOW / Watch News Channel 11 at Noon Area wrestlers punch their ticket to state with regional victories SPORTS The individual state tournament starts on February 18 in Chattanooga by: Jesse Krull Posted: Feb 14, 2021 / 01:00 AM EST / Updated: Feb 14, 2021 / 01:00 AM EST ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – The following wrestlers won their weight class in the TSSAA 1 A-AA Regional Tournament on Saturday at Elizabethton High School. 106: Porter Finstad – Gibbs 113: LeAndre Dabney Jr. – Greeneville 120: Andy Cable – Piegeon Forge 126: Charles Dabney – Greeneville 132: Hunter Johnson – Greeneville 138: Mason Hunter – Greeneville 145: Josh Parton – Pigeon Forge 152: Garrett Foreman – Pigeon Forge 160: Kodiak Cannedy – Greeneville 170: Morgan Lowery – Greeneville 182: Joseph Skidmore – Pigeon Forge 195: Ethan Sutton – Pigeon Forge 220: Deuce Morton – Elizabethton 285: Mustafi Algarawi – Pigeon Forge https://www.wjhl.com/sports/area-wrestlers-punch-their-ticket-to-state-with-regional-victories/ & https://www.greenevillesun.com/sports/six-devils-win-region-titles-14-local-wrestlers-advance-to-state/article_3c977ca9-a4dc-5381-9716-c1d93a147b8e.html

Cleveland Beats Bradley For Region 4-AAA Mat Title Blue Raiders Claim Eight Champs And 11 Qualifiers For State Tournament Saturday, February 13, 2021 - by John Hunt CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Cleveland and Bradley have been the two most dominant teams in state wrestling circles in recent years, so it’s no surprise that it came down to a battle between these two teams for the Region 4-AAA honors Friday night at Bradley Central’s Jim Smiddy Arena. The Blue Raiders, fresh off their fourth straight AAA State Duals title last Saturday, had 11 in the finals and emerged with seven champs and four seconds to win for the fourth time in the last three years with 245.5 points. It was a Cleveland-Bradley matchup in the first seven weights and the Blue Raiders put the tournament out of reach by winning the last six before adding two more after that. Bradley’s Bears, the defending region champ, finished second with 221 points after claiming two champions and sending nine to next Saturday’s Traditional State Tournament, which will be held in Chattanooga at the Hamilton County Convention & Trade Center. In most years, Bradley would have qualified all 14 individuals for the state and Cleveland 13, but since it will be a one-day event with only a 16-man bracket instead of the usual 32. Only the top two in each weight class qualify for the final big meet. While Cleveland and Bradley were battling for overall honors, Walker Valley was third with 114 points while East Hamilton was fourth with 102. Soddy Daisy was fifth with 59 while McMinn County, Ooltewah and Rhea County completed the eight-team field with 51, 49 and 28 points, respectively. There were two Outstanding Wrestler awards presented, one for those 145 pounds and less and another for those 152 and above. Bradley’s Bryson Terrell earned the honor for the little guys after posting an impressive 11-2 major decision in the final against Cleveland’s Logan Fowler. The Bear sophomore is now 22-0 on the season. Cleveland’s Cael Laxton was the honoree in the upper weights after posting a 12-5 decision over East Hamilton’s Maclain Otting in the 152-pound final. Laxton improves to 16-3 while Friday’s loss was the first for the Hurricane junior after nine straight wins. Cleveland coach Joey Knox rarely gets over-excited about anything and that was the case on Friday, but he’s just glad that his team did so well in a year when nothing has been normal. “I thought we looked good in a lot of places and the results are about what I expected,” he said while three extra matches were being held to determine a true second. More on that new feature a little later in the story. “I wish that Tetoe Boyd could have won at 182, but I was really pleased with Blake Randall at 126. He had lost to the Lipsey kid from Bradley twice before today, but was able to find a way to win and I’m really proud of him for that,” Knox added, knowing that Randall’s match was the only one in the finals where the top seed didn’t prevail. “I was a little worried not having wrestled some of these kids before today, but I thought we wrestled better in places than we have in the past. I was hoping that we wouldn’t get caught looking ahead, but I thought we did a great job for the most part. Now we have to make it happen next Saturday,” he concluded. Bradley coach Ben Smith was also happy that his kids did as well as they did. “It’s been a really long day for me I was up all night with a stomach bug. I’m not feeling my best, but I have some great assistants that picked up the slack all day,” he praised as the individual weight class winners were being announced. “This was about what we expected. On any other year, we would be sending all 14, but we have nine this year and I’m pleased for the most part. I thought we did the best we could, but there were some matches where we got behind early and it’s tough to come back in that situation. “I think we’ll represent our region well next Saturday and there’s no doubt in my mind that the two best teams in the state were in this gym tonight,” Smith said matter of factly. While Laxton prevailed in his championship match, other champs for Cleveland included Bentley Ellison at 113, Arlo Laxton at 120, Randall at 126, Jackson Bradford at 132, Trae McDaniel at 138, Cody Chittum at 145 and Ashton Davis at 220. Davis is another young man who is unbeaten after 22 matches and one of four wrestlers who won by pin in the finals, his coming in 29 seconds. Bradley’s champs included Terrell at 106 and Chase Stansberry at 160 while Walker Valley had two winners in Heath Tanksley at 182 and Jadon Langford at 285. East Hamilton and McMinn County had one champion each, including McMinn’s Austin Cooley at 170 and East Hamilton’s Jason Brumlow at 195. Now back to that True Second match. Because only the top two finishers qualify for the state meet, this new twist allowed all guys who finished third to challenge the runner-up as long as they had not lost to him earlier in the day. There were only four such matches and nothing changed as Bradley’s Ethan Lipsey pinned Soddy Daisy’s Andrew Lewis in 3:44 at 113 pounds while older brother Easton Lipsey got a forfeit over East Hamilton’s Nathan Hollingsworth at 126. East Hamilton’s Otting kept his spot with a 13-6 decision over Bradley’s Brayden Swallows at 152 while McMinn’s Alex Cooley pinned Bradley’s Brett Waters in 3:45 at 220 pounds. The state will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the A-AA tournament on Thursday, D-II on Friday and AAA on Saturday. REGION 4-AAA LEGEND AND FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Cleveland (Clev) 245.5; 2. Bradley (Brad) 221; 3. Walker Valley (WV) 114; 4. East Hamilton (EH) 102; 5. Soddy Daisy (SD) 59; 6. McMinn County (MC) 51; 7. Ooltewah (O) 49; 8. Rhea County (RC) 28. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS 106 – Bryson Terrell (Brad) major dec. Logan Fowler (Clev), 11-2; 113 – Bentley Ellison (Clev) major dec. Ethan Lipsey (Brad), 11-2; 120 – Arlo Laxton (Clev) dec. Daniel James (Brad), 5-1; 126 – Blake Randall (Clev) dec. Easton Lipsey (Brad), 3-1; 132 – Jackson Bradford (Clev) pinned Taron Patterson (Brad), :26; 138 – Trae McDaniel (Clev) dec. Luke Belcher (Brad), 11-6; 145 – Cody Chittum (Clev) pinned Austin Lynn (Brad), 3:53; 152 – Cael Laxton (Clev) dec. Maclain Otting (EH), 12-5; 160 – Chase Stansberry (Brad) pinned Desmond Prigmore (Clev), 1:27; 170 – Austin Cooley (MC) dec. Francisco Perez (RC), 4-0; 182 – Heath Tanksley (WV) dec. Tetoe Boyd (Clev), 3-2; 195 – Jason Brumlow (EH) dec. Kallum Lowe (WV), 3-0; 220 – Ashton Davis (Clev) pinned Alex Cooley (MC), :29; 285 – Jadon Langford (WV) dec. Austin McClure (Brad), 3-1. CONSOLATION FINALS FOR THIRD PLACE 106 – Brett Harris (WV) pinned Brady Long (EH), 1:36; 113 – Andrew Lewis (SD) major dec. David Westfield (WV), 9-0; 120 – Hunter Bankes (SD) pinned Connor Lloyd (EH), :36; 126 – Nathan Hollingsworth (EH) dec. Hunter McKinney (O), 15-11; 132 – Hayden Endicott (EH) dec. Christian Wilson (WV), 3-2; 138 – David Cantrell (WV) pinned William Whalen (SD), 3:51; 145 – Roman Evans (O) won by technical fall over Caleb Boyd (EH), 3:00; 152 – Brayden Swallows (Brad) pinned Jackson Boggess (MC), 2:28; 160 – Jaden Harden (O) dec. Jackson Davis (WV), 8-4; 170 – Knox Watson (Brad) major dec. Tex Lewis (EH), 14-2;\ 182 – Landon Lewis (SD) dec. Wade Brooks (Brad), 9-3; 195 – Benjamin Gray (Clev) pinned Cody McDaniel (Brad), 2:27; 220 – Brett Waters (Brad) dec. Joseph Singerle (O), 5-1 in overtime; 285 – Nick Nicodemis (Clev) pinned William Turner (O), :55. (Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com) Region Wrestling Results From 3-A/AA And D-II East Matches Held At Eagleville And Knoxville Catholic On Saturday Saturday, February 13, 2021 REGION 3-A/AA AT EAGLEVILLE LEGEND AND FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Signal Mountain (SM) 227; 2. Nolensville (Nol) 190; 3. Eagleville (Eag) 172.5; 4. Whitwell (Whit) 124; 5. East Ridge (ER) 80; 6. Watertown (Water) 71; 7. Cascade (Cas) and Red Bank (RB) tied with 68; 9. Forrest (For) 64; 10. Marshall Co. (MarCo) 52; 11. East Nashville (EN) 42; 12. Moore Co. (Moore) 37.5; 13. Sequatchie Co. (Seq) 31; 14. Howard (How) 29; 15. Trousdale Co. (TC) 17. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS 106 – Ethan Uhorchuk (SM) pinned Payton Bures (Nol), :56; 113 – Caleb Uhorchuk (SM) pinned Kyle Harper (RB), :50; 120 – Noah Shriner (SM) dec. Gregory Mech Paz (Water), 8-7; 126 – Daniel Uhorchuk (SM) pinned Cameron Elliott (Whit), 2:00; 132 – Brice Barton (Whit) pinned Riley Lippincott (Nol), 2:00; 138 – Kale Albritton (SM) dec. Benton Magouirk (Whit), 14-12; 145 – Brody McLemore (Eag) dec. Cooper Horton (Whit), 13-8; 152 – Tate Crowell (Nol) pinned Titus Moschkau (ER), 3:17; 160 – Donnovin Darnell (Eag) pinned Tavin Birdwell (Seq), 1:09; 170 – Wyatt McLemore (Eag) won by tech fall over Kaden White (Moore), 5:29; 182 – Noah Hill (For) pinned Kevin Muschel (SM), 5:44; 195 – Preston Worley (SM) pinned Nathan Berry (Water), 1:49; 220 – Bailey Black (Nol) pinned Mason Keel (Whit), 3:22; 285 – Kaymon Overton (EN) dec. Jermichael Young (How), 3-0. CONSOLATION FINALS FOR THIRD PLACE 106 – Tylan Moschkau (ER) dec. Tanner Hatchell (Eag), 10-8; 113 – Jacob Pennington (Eag) dec. Jack Henson (Nol), 8-4; 120 – Collin Thomas (ER) pinned Hunter Nolan (Seq), 2:53; 126 – Dakota Pattee (Nol) pinned Asa Nance (For), :52; 132 – Perrin Clark (ER) pinned Braiden Vanderploeg (For), 3:16; 138 – Gaberial Pennington (Eag) dec. Seth McCoy (For), 8-1; 145 – Brock Shipley (SM) pinned Sean Allen (Nol), 2:17; 152 – Erik Johnson (Eag) major dec. Jacob Franklin (Water), 17-8; 160 – Aaron Foster (MarCo) pinned Ty Wiggins (Cas), :56; 170 – Zach Sinner (Nol) pinned Elijah Arnold (Cas), 2:54; 182 – Colton Haun (MarCo) pinned Hayden Sinner (Nol), :38; 195 – Nathan Montpool (Nol) major dec. Matthew Garber (Eag), 16-3; 220 – Rob Atwood (TC) won by forfeit over Matthew King (Water); 285 – Keanun Cummings (Whit) dec. Daniel Odom (SM), 3-1. DIVISION II EAST AT KNOXVILLE CATHOLIC LEGEND AND FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Baylor (Bay) 281; 2. McCallie (McC) 161; 3. Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) 154; 4. Lakeway Christian (LC) 107; 5. Boyd Buchanan (BB) 97; 6. Notre Dame (ND) 81; 7. Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) 71.5; 8. Chattanooga Christian (CCS) 55; 9. Knoxville Grace (KG) and Knoxville Webb (Webb) tied with 44; 11. Friendship Christian (FC) 40; 12. Knox Catholic (KC) 16; 13. Donelson Christian (DC) 13; 14. King’s Academy (KA) 9. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS 106 – Kade Hartline (Bay) pinned Andrew Justice (CAK), 1:14; 113 – Nick Corday (Bay) pinned Tate Williams (BB), 1:34; 120 – Keveyon Roller (LC) won by tech fall over Joshua Deitch (ND); 126 – Jackson Bond (Bay) dec. Jack Braman (McC), 7-2;] 132 – Conor Payne (BB) dec. Parker Sapp (CAK), 6-4; 138 – Brayden Ivy (LC) pinned Micah Tisdale (Bay), 1:59; 145 – Garrison Dendy (Bay) pinned Nick Krauss (KG), :39; 152 – Emory Taylor (McC) pinned Kaiden Bates (BB), 2:46; 160 – Gavin Cagle (McC) major dec. Anthony Mannella (Bay), 10-2; 170 – Alex Whitworth (McC) pinned Omaury Alvarez (Bay), 3:59; 182 – Gunnar Garriques (Bay) major dec. Frankie Zahrobsky (McC), 13-3; 195 – David Harper (Bay) pinned Ethan Fogle (CAK), 1:20; 220 – Gabe Fisher (MBA) dec. Brik Boruff (Webb), 7-2; 285 – Max Fisher (MBA) dec. Matthew Smith (Bay), 1-0. CONSOLATION FINALS FOR THIRD PLACE 106 – Henry Ribble (MBA) pinned Cole Gumlick (LC), 2:52; 113 – Bob Deitch (ND) dec. Jay Eversole (LC), 2-0; 120 – Judson Jarrett (Bay) won by technical fall over Matthew Tieng (Webb); 126 – Chase Eakes (FC) major dec. Luke Braman (ND), 13-2; 132 – Tyson Wolcott (FC) dec. Tim Carpenter (LC), 3-2; 138 – Mac Russ (MBA) pinned Francisco Palacios (ND), :51; 145 – Hawk Dunn (CAK) dec. Adam Garfinkel (MBA), 3-0; 152 – Porter Kaufman (Bay) pinned Ryan Comfort (KC), 3:05; 160 – Matthew Hyde (MBA) pinned A.J. Johnson (BB), 1:45; 170 – Ben Bumgarner (CCS) dec. Blake Hopper (ND), 5-4; 182 – Kaleb Bonastia (CCS) pinned Dominic Vance (Webb), 4:38; 195 – Luke Estes (LC) inned Jonathan Moore (MBA), 2:44; 220 – Heath Snodgrass (Bay) dec. Carson Gentle (McC), 3-1; 285 – Wylie McDonald (McC) dec. Devin Lively (KC), 5-2. (Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com) ___________ SHAR Tribe's Hurst heads Super 14 wrestling team By Douglas Fritz dfritz@johnsoncitypress.com Feb 12, 2021 Dobyns-Bennett’s Jackson Hurst, right, poses with teammate Tre Morrisette and the brackets from their individual state championships won last year. Hurst is the Times News/Johnson City Press Super 14 Wrestler of the Year this season. Contributed Dobyns-Bennett’s Jackson Hurst was at the head of the class among Northeast Tennessee wrestlers this season. On Friday, Hurst was named the Times News/Johnson City Press Super 14 Wrestler of the Year. The 152-pound senior carries an undefeated 31-0 record into Saturday’s Region 1-AAA tournament at Cocke County’s gym in Newport. Ranked No. 1 this year in the 152-pound class, Jackson is defending state champion after winning at 145 pounds in 2020. Morristown East’s Dale Johnson was selected the Times News/Johnson City Press Super 14 Coach of the Year. Here is this year’s honor roll, compiled with input from coaches: 106 pounds Stiles Miller (Science Hill, Fr., 26-5) Placed second in the Indian Classic, third at the Mountain Rumble, second in the Fandetti-Richardson Brawl, and was tournament champion at the Maryville Invitational. Twenty of his 26 wins this season came via pin. 113 pounds Jeremiah Skeen (Morristown West, Jr., 9-2) Returning region runner-up and state qualifier. 120 pounds Gavin Armstrong (Dobyns Bennett, So., 18-2) Returning region runner-up and state qualifier. He placed second in the Indian Classic and third at the Mountain Rumble. 126 pounds Perry Roller (Tennessee High, Jr., 20-1) Defending region champion and two-time state qualifier. He placed first at the Indian Classic. 132 pounds Brennan Watkins (Dobyns Bennett, Sr., 24-1) State runner-up last year and region champion. This year he placed first in the Indian Classic and second at the Fandetti-Richardson Brawl. 138 pounds Ethan Hylton (David Crockett, Jr., 28-2) Has an overall record of 112-17 and this season was the tournament champion at the Indian Classic. 145 pounds Landon Fisher (Jefferson County, Sr., 23-4) Fourth-place finisher in the state last season at 138 pounds and two-time region champion. Placed second in the Mountain Rumble and third in the Fandetti-Richardson Brawl. 152 pounds Jackson Hurst (Dobyns Bennett, Sr., 31-0) Defending state champion who has won every event he has entered this season: Indian Classic, Mountain Rumble and Fandetti-Richardson Brawl. 160 pounds Tre Morrisette (Dobyns Bennett, Sr., 31-1) Defending state champion. He placed first in both the Mountain Rumble and Indian Classic and was second at the Fandetti-Richardson Brawl 170 pounds Clint Morrisette (Dobyns Bennett, Sr., 24-0) Defending region champion and state qualifier. He has won every event he’s entered this season: Indian Classic, Mountain Rumble and Fandetti-Richardson Brawl. 182 pounds James Robinson (Jefferson County, So., 20-6) Returning region runner-up and state qualifier and has a career record of 51-25. He placed fourth at the Mountain Rumble and Fandetti-Richardson Brawl. 195 pounds Garrett Crowder (Dobyns Bennett, Fr., 23-9) Placed third in the Indian Classic. 220 pounds Ryver Shelton (Jefferson County, Sr., 16-5) Two-time region champion and two-time state medalist (fourth in 2020; fifth in 2019) and boasts a career record of 124-33. 285 pounds Sonny Watson (Morristown West, Sr., 14-0) Returning region medalist and state qualifier. Recommended videos Kingsport Times News, 701 Lynn Garden Kingsport, TN | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Powered by BLOX Content Management System from TownNews.com. x

Senior moment. Thanks

One of the highlights of TN wrestling was Marable's breaking one if the great ones', (what was it?), 84 match winning streak a few years ago. TN wrestling has never been as deep as today. I love that small schools can whip schools 3-4x's their size. We do need more hardware from out of state, i.e, Just 5 hours away, there at that Super 32.

I would love to see state champion matches from 10-20 years ago vs the last 5 years. That would be fun to see. Think about it... Bruno Reagan down to Jordan Leen to Matt Sweeten to Zac Watson etc. vs today

Chattanooga Times Free Press 3 nationally ranked including Buford's transfer.. First in a while... Corday won the Super32???? Sports: Preps Baylor's Nick Corday is one of the country's best high school wrestlers February 12th, 2021 | by Patrick MacCoon | Copyright © 2021 Staff file photo by Robin Rudd/ Junior 113-pounder Nick Corday is one of three nationally ranked wrestlers for Baylor, which hopes to sweep the TSSAA Division II state championships for a third straight season by winning the traditional tournament next Friday in Chattanooga. Baylor School wrestler Nick Corday has won high school championships in two states and has a No. 13 national ranking, but the 113-pound junior takes nothing for granted when he steps on the mat. Corday leaves his campus housing early each morning to lift and train before classes begin. After school, he drills with his teammates and has even challenged himself by inviting three-time Tennessee state champion Daniel Uhorchuk of Signal Mountain and Uhorchuk's brothers Caleb and Ethan for extra training time together. "Wrestling has always been good for me because it is always a grind. What you put into it is what you get out of it," said Corday, who has committed to Army, where his future teammates are set to include Daniel Uhorchuk and Cleveland's Trae McDaniel. "I am motivated to be the wrestler I can become, and that goes for my teammates and others like Daniel. We are always trying to be the best and create the best group. We love to compete and win. Baylor has been the perfect program for me." Corday tries to take advantage of his opponent's mistakes and make each match as short as possible, something he did at last year's TSSAA Division II state traditional tournament as he won the 106-pound bracket with a trio of first-round pins. He also won a state title in Georgia as a freshman at Buford High School. Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Baylor's Nick Corday, top, wrestles to a victory against Bradley Central's Ethan Wilson at 106 pounds on Dec. 12, 2019 in Cleveland, Tenn. Now he's one of three Red Raiders with a top-20 national ranking, according to FloWrestling — fellow juniors and two-time individual state champs Garrison Dendy (145) and David Harper (195) are the others — but Corday may be a bit undervalued at 13th. He has beaten six wrestlers ranked ahead of him, including a 5-4 win against the No. 1 wrestler in October at the Super 32 Challenge in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A team captain, Corday won by pin twice last weekend as Baylor beat both Father Ryan and Christian Brothers in convincing fashion to win the program's third straight state duals championship. Baylor coach Rex Kendle sees a lot of similarities between himself and Corday in their devotion to the sport. At Michigan State, Kendle went from being a walk-on wrestler to a team captain and starter his final two years with the Spartans. "Nick's drive is what stands out to me," Kendle said. "Every day at practice, he shows up and never has a bad day. He is always looking for extra workouts. To him, wrestling is more than a sport — it's a lifestyle. You see it in the way he trains and takes care of his body. It means a lot to him." Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Baylor's Garrison Dendy, right, wrestles McCallie's Emory Taylor during a 152-pound match on Jan. 22 at Baylor. Like Corday, Dendy and Harper, Jackson Bond (126) is a two-time state champion for Baylor, and other key team members include senior homegrown talents Kade Hartline (106), Matthew Smith (285) and Heath Snodgrass (220), plus Omaury Alvarez (170), Gunnar Garriques (182) and Michael Tisdale (138). Baylor was ranked before the season as one of the top 50 programs in the country, and the Red Raiders have been No. 1 in Tennessee all season. They're heavy favorites to win another DII state title when the traditional tournament is held next Friday at the Chattanooga Convention Center, although they will compete before then in the DII East Region tournament Saturday at Knoxville Catholic. While COVID-19 shut down plans of competing in prestigious national tournaments — though they were runners-up at the Knockout Classic in Florida — the Red Raiders are excited about the chance to show out in their own backyard soon. "This means something to each and every one of us," Corday said. "We want to be at the top. The plan is to go out there and dominate. Our coaches have really motivated us and helped us grow this year even with all the cancellations. They have pushed us to keep working and have allowed us to stay on the right path to success." Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

Rossview High leads scoring in individual boys’ district wrestling tournament By Ryan Vinson Contributed February 11, 2021 11:35 am FaceboTwLink CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Conditions were cold on the roads, but it didn’t take long for the action to heat up on the mats Wednesday night. Rossview High School hosted the individual boys’ district wrestling tournament one night earlier than originally scheduled in order to avoid the incoming ice storm. This was a new event, necessitated by the small number of matches in the COVID-19 era, which made it harder to seed wrestlers for the region tournament properly. In each weight class, the top four wrestlers advance to the region tournament at Beech High School on Saturday, Feb. 13. Then, the top two will advance to the state tournament in Chattanooga the following week. Girls have already qualified for state. The Rossview Hawks seemed to enjoy a home advantage despite not having a crowd in attendance, scoring 226.5 team points and having a top four finisher in every weight class. In second place was Clarksville, 199 points; third place West Creek, 144; fourth place Montgomery Central, 82; fifth place Kenwood, 71; sixth place Northeast, 50; and seventh place Northwest, 29. Here are the results by weight class: 106 lbs 1st: Koen Ploeckelman, CHS 2nd: Jason Scorpio, WCHS 3rd: Camden Myers, NWHS 4th: Alex Dean, RHS 113 lbs 1st: Devin Lozdoski, CHS 2nd: Ben Mayberry, RHS 3rd: Nathan Spuill, KHS 4th: Aidan Renken, WCHS 120 lbs 1st: Zachariah Loreant, RHS 2nd: Rowan Carey, NEHS 3rd: Jakobi Moore, KHS 4th: Niko Gottlick, CHS 126 lbs 1st: Bryce Woerner, RHS 2nd: Cael Crume, WCHS 3rd: Cade Steiner, NWHS 4th: (no other wrestlers) 132 lbs 1st: Samuel Shires, RHS 2nd: Camden Stahley, CHS 3rd: Joshua Key, MCHS 4th: Dylyn Hussey, WCHS 138 lbs 1st: Aidan Johnson, CHS 2nd: Jeb Burchett, RHS 3rd: Nathaniel Gonzalez, WCHS 4th: Davin Mayfield, MCHS 145 lbs 1st: Julian Bershear, RHS 2nd: Jackson Vaughn, WCHS 3rd: Malachi Robinson, CHS 4th: Darius Williamson, NEHS 152 lbs 1st: Aidan Brenot, CHS 2nd: Jordan Musarra, RHS 3rd: Kaden Perkins, MCHS 4th: Devin Otero, WCHS 160 lbs 1st: Matthew Seeber, CHS 2nd: Joshua Ward, WCHS 3rd: Jordan Caldwell, NWHS 4th: Anthony Bracero, RHS 170 lbs 1st: Michael Bissonett, CHS 2nd: Nathan Moore, RHS 3rd: Ryan Babuscio, MCHS 4th: Gabriel Vandiver, WCHS 182 lbs 1st: Zachary Duessler, RHS 2nd: Deago Buck, CHS 3rd: Noah Taylor, KHS 4th: Nathan Contreras, NEHS 195 lbs 1st: Tyler Lowell, KHS 2nd: Bryan Simpson, NEHS 3rd: Ruben Avalos, RHS 4th: Nate Savers, MCHS 220 lbs 1st: Kyelar Edwards, CHS 2nd: Mason Booth, MCHS 3rd: Gary Cheesman, RHS 4th: Chris Carbin, WCHS 285 lbs 1st: Jonathan Cook, WCHS 2nd: Joshua Phillips, RHS 3rd: Bobby O’Connor, MCHS 4th: Dagoberto Rodriguez, KHS ___________ College wrestling in Tennessee, i.e., King... “We usually just want to bring guys in that fit our culture as a team,” Brown said. “We want to build a championship culture, but also that fits what King is about as a Christian institution. “First, we look there, and then secondly we look our weight class needs so this year we kind of look at where we could stand to fill some more depth.” Currently, that would be the heavyweight, in addition to the 197 and 184 weight classes. Interested? Brown is always looking for a few more good men. “We just kind of look for the best wrestlers in the country at that weight class and if you think Bristol, Tennessee is a good fit for you,” he said, “then come on and join us.” Deral Brown, HC Brown, is assisted by Bryce Killian and Matt Martoccio https://heraldcourier.com/sports/college-wrestling-king-wrestling-looking-toward-the-postseason/article_4aee989a-6c1c-11eb-a356-d70814649141.html

More Ga updates... Nanta Journal-Consti GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championship Preview HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLOG| 9 hours ago By Score Atlanta In the highest classification, Camden County will attempt to complete its seventh-consecutive title sweep. The Wildcats qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes to undertake this feat and are fresh off an absolutely dominant performance in their run to this year’s Class 7A Dual Championship. Camden County outscored West Forsyth 63-12 in the finals after dispatching Lowndes 69-3 and Archer 65-3. There are several other Class 7A programs that qualified enough wrestlers to challenge Camden County’s bid for its seventh-straight traditional title. West Forsyth qualified 11 wrestlers, Mountain View qualified 12, McEachern qualified 13 and Brookwood, Archer and Newnan each qualified 14. Class 6A’s dual saw Buford outscore Creekview 46-17 in the finals. The victory gives Buford an opportunity to sweep titles for the third time since 2017. This is Buford’s first year competing in Class 6A and there will be plenty of experienced programs stacking the field. North Atlanta qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes and Valdosta will have 13 wrestlers. Additionally, Alexander, Richmond Hill, Coffee, Creekview and Lee County qualified a dozen wrestlers and Pope will have wrestlers competing in 10 weight classes. Class 5A was also significantly restructured in the latest reclassification cycle and the depth of contenders makes this classification one of the most intriguing fields to watch this weekend. Woodward Academy emerged victorious in the duals with its 47-24 win over Cass and will have 14 wrestlers heading to Macon where they will look to claim a third-straight traditional championship after racking up back-to-back titles in Class 4A the previous two years. Woodland-Cartersville has won the last two 5A traditional titles and will have 14 wrestlers. This could set up a battle between reigning champions as Woodland and Woodward now occupy the same classification. Also, Coffee and Southwest DeKalb qualified 13 wrestlers and Ola, Ware County, Villa Rica and St. Pius each qualified a dozen wrestlers. Jefferson will aim for its 19th traditional state title since 2001 and headlines the Class 4A field after competing in Class 3A the previous two seasons. The Dragons used wins over North Oconee (36-30), Central-Carroll (62-13) and Flowery Branch (61-15) to capture this year’s dual state title and will have 13 wresters competing in the traditional tournament. Heritage-Catoosa and Perry qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes, West Laurens qualified 13 and the Class 4A field will also feature Marist—which qualified 12 wrestlers. In Class 3A, North Hall defeated Gilmer 37-27 to win the dual title. The victory gave the Trojans their third all-time dual state title, however, the program is still searching for its first-ever traditional title. North Hall will have 12 wrestlers competing this weekend looking to deliver the Trojans’ first-ever championship sweep of titles. The Class 3A field is loaded with other contenders—including Gilmer—which qualified a full 14 wrestlers. Pike County will also have 14 wrestlers. Adairsville and Rockmart have 13 wrestlers representing them in this year’s tournament and Sonoraville has 12 wrestlers—providing the Phoenix with enough depth to challenge the field. Oglethorpe County defeated Dade County in the Class 2A duals to win the school’s first-ever wrestling championship. Now, the Patriots will have a full 14 wrestlers heading to Macon with the goal of completing the historic championship sweep. Fannin County also qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes and there will be plenty of competition in Class 2A, with Banks County, Lovett and Elbert County positioned to have wrestlers in 13 weight classes. Additionally, Putnam County, Lamar County and Toombs County will each have a dozen wrestlers taking on the tournament field. Like Oglethorpe County, Mt. Pisgah made history in the duals by capturing its first-ever wrestling state title. The Patriots scored a 48-27 win over Commerce in the dual finals and Commerce made it to the finals after a thrilling 32-31 win over Trion. Commerce, Trion and Social Circle will have wrestlers in all 14 weight classes. Mt. Pisgah qualified 13 wrestlers and Screven County will have 12 wrestlers represented in the field. About the Author In Other News HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLOG| 3h ago Class 3A blog: Some big questions that need some big answers HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLOG| 3h ago Class 4A Blog: Region 6 Tournament reaches semifinal round HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLOG GHSA Traditional Wrestling Championships Commence in Macon HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BLOG GHSA Girls Wrestling Division Gears Up for Exciting Year Three Sign up for our newsletters About Contact Us Subscriptions Our Products © 2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Learn about Careers at Cox Enterprises.

Down from RMC's territory, Ga's Buford up from 2A to 6A now in a just a few short years takes another championship. Also, Archer is back... https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/archer-rolls-to-7-aaaaaaa-traditional-wrestling-title/article_a28d8bd2-68d0-11eb-87f3-a7f31b2a69e1.html

Murfreesboro Post https://www.murfreesboropost.com/sports/oakland-wrestlers-fall-at-state-duals/article_dc348ff8-696f-11eb-a215-d73692a5283a.html Oakland wrestlers fall at State Duals POST REPORT Feb 7, 2021 Updated 21 hrs ago Comments 1 of 10 Oakland's Drayden Bouma (top) defeated Summit's Grayson Miller 12-8 in the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's Evan Harris (bottom) defeated Summits Jensen Schreiber by fall at the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's Chastain Stokes defeated Summit's Jarvis Little 6-5 at the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's Jaxsen Nieuwsma defeated Summit's Austin Grooters 6-5 at the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's Conner Steven Beasley defeated Summit's Jack Hill by fall in the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Summit celebrates a win during the during the State Duals in Franklin Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Summit's Tyler Garber (bottom) defeated Theron Gaines of Oakland by fall in the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Summit''s Justin Noll defeated Oakland's Kenton Smith 16-3 in the State Duals Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's Maddox Reed (top) defeated Oakland's Braxton Myers 9-5 in the State Duals. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland and Summit compete in the state duals in Franklin Saturday. HARRISON MCCLARY Harrison McClary Oakland's wrestling team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the State Duals held in Williamson County on Saturday. The Patriots fell 43-20 to Summit in the tournament opener at Independence High School. Oakland finished the season in the top eight and 23-4 on the season. Oakland winners included: Jaxsen Nieuwsma defeated Austin Grooters 6-5 in the 138-pound class; Conner Steven Beasley defeated Jack Hill by pinfall at 152; Even Harris defeated Jensen Schreiber by pinfall at 182; Brayden Bouma defeated Grayson Miller 12-8 at 106; Chastain Stokes defeated Jarvis Little 6-5 at 113. The TSSAA Wrestling State individual championships will be returning to Chattanooga after a 12-year absence on Feb. 18-20. The Chattanooga Convention Center will host this year’s competition. Division I Class A-AA will take place on Thursday, Feb. 18th. Division II and girls will compete on Friday, Feb. 19th, and Division I Class AAA will compete on Saturday, Feb. 20th. STATE WRESTLING DUALS RESULTS Quarterfinals Cleveland (12-0) 55, Dobyns Bennett 15 Summit (19-1) 43, Oakland (23-3) 20 Science Hill 47 (15-3) 47, Collierville (10-2) 22 Wilson Central (28-0) 37, Bradley Central (10-3) 33 Semifinals Cleveland 41, Summit 37 Wilson Central 39, Science Hill 36 Third Place Summit 45, Science Hill 25 Fifth Place Bradley Central 59, Collierville 20 Seventh Place Oakland, Dobyns Bennett Championship Cleveland 39, Wilson Central 28

After several matches in a day, could it be, Virtual high fives or elbow bumps may work✌️ ..... Hey, just wondering, has anyone seen any stats in the last several months of how our wrestlers are doing with this epidemic? Any lives lost?

Chattanooga Times Free Press coverage including north ga success... Sports: Preps Prep roundup: Baylor, Cleveland wrestlers add more state duals titles February 6th, 2021 | by Staff Reports | Copyright © 2021 Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / Baylor standout Garrison Dendy had a first-round pin and a 17-1 technical fall to help the Red Raiders win a third straight TSSAA Division II state duals championship Saturday. Cleveland and Baylor continued the Chattanooga area's wrestling dominance at Saturday's TSSAA state duals, the Blue Raiders by winning their fourth straight Class AAA title and the Red Raiders with their third Division II championship in a row. All three of Cleveland's wins Saturday were at Independence High School in Thompson's Station. The Blue Raiders beat Wilson Central 39-28 in the final after a 41-37 semifinal win against Summit and a 55-15 rout of Dobyns-Bennett. The Blue Raiders (15-0), the state's top-ranked team across all levels, were led by Logan Fowler (106 pounds), Benjamin Gray (195) and Army signee Trae McDaniel (138), who won all three of their matches by pin. Tetoe Boyd (185), Cody Chittum (145), Ashton Davis (220) and Bentley Ellison (113) also went 3-0 for Cleveland. "This was special, especially for Trae McDaniel, Jackson Bradford and Cael Laxton, who have been with me since the start four years ago," coach Joey Knox said. "Ben Gray is a senior and was a tremendous addition to our lineup. Jackson convinced him to come out to wrestle with us and end his senior year with us. These guys are all a part of history." Baylor, 4-0 under first-year head coach Rex Kendle, continued its run of titles with a 48-21 victory against Christian Brothers in the final, having won four decisions by two or fewer points while throttling Father Ryan 55-9 in the semifinals in D-II competition at Middle Creek Middle School in Nolensville. Ronald Garriques (182) won both of his matches by pin, and he was joined in going 2-0 by teammates Omaury Alvarez (170), Jackson Bond (126), Nick Corday (113), Garrison Dendy (145), David Harper (195), Kade Hartline (106) and Elijah Turner (132). "All of the guys are jacked up about winning another state championship, Kendle said. "This was a very strange season and we didn't get a lot of matches, but we were just happy to be wrestling. You can't point at just one person; our lineup has so many great wrestlers, and they all played a big part today." In the Class A/AA state duals at Nolensville High School, Signal Mountain beat Hixson 47-32 in the third-place match. In the semifinals of the four-team event, Signal Mountain lost 42-33 to Pigeon Forge, which then had its run of three straight state duals titles end with a 39-36 loss to Fairview. Hixson lost 44-31 to Fairview in the semifinals. Trailing 26-24 in the third-place match, the Eagles (9-2) stormed back with a technical fall by Ethan Uhorchuk (106) and pins by Caleb Uhorchuk (113) and Noah Shriner (120) before three-time state champion Daniel Uhorchuk's (126) second forfeit win of the day. Signal Mountain's Kevin Muschel (182) had two pins Saturday, when Brock Shipley (145) was 2-0 with one pin. For Hixson (12-2), the trio of senior captains Trevor Lewis (126), Caleb Miller (132) and Parrish Pacetti (220) were all 2-0, Pacetti with two pins, Miller with a pin and a major decision and Lewis with a pin and by forfeit. Bradley Central lost 37-33 in a Class AAA quarterfinal to Wilson Central but won its fifth-place match 59-20 over Collierville. Luke Belcher (145) won both of his matches for the Bears (11-4), one of them a 17-0 tech fall. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Cleveland's Trae McDaniel won by pin in all three of his matches Saturday to help the Blue Raiders secure a fourth straight TSSAA Class AAA state duals championship. Georgia High School Association wrestlers began their traditional postseason with area and region tournaments, and with no sectionals this year, top-three individual finishes were required to advance to this coming week's state tournaments. 7-A at Darlington: Trion won the team title with 215 points to Armuchee's 106, and the Bulldogs will send all 14 of their wrestlers to state. Trion's individual champions were Daegan Vaughn (106), Seth Huskins (120), Bryce James (132), Logan Eller (160), Bladyn Bowman (182), Zach Sharp (195) and Brantley Willbanks (220). Gordon Lee was third with 102 points and will be sending 10 to state, led by champion Montgomery Kephart (170). 7-AA at Chattooga: Area duals champion Dade County rolled to the traditional title with 188 points, well ahead of second-place Model (148.5). The Wolverines have 11 state qualifiers, led by area champions Jake Gatlin (106), Garrett Dunn (120), Cayden Cooper (145), Zac Smith (152), Cody Williams (182) and Landon Williams (195). Gordon Central was fourth with 83 points and has three state qualifiers, including area champion Shane Davis (126). Chattooga, the reigning state traditional champ hit hard by COVID-19, has five qualifiers, including area champs Rowan Burdick (160) and Ty Veatch (220). 6-AAA at Sonoraville: The host Phoenix, who scored 196 points to win the title, will send 13 of their 14 wrestlers to state, including eight area champions: Logan Moore (126), Eli Knight (132), Davin O'Neal (145), Colt Weaver (160), Gavin Harper (182), Jebb Knight (195), Draven Peppers (220) and Jaxx Knight (285). Coahulla Creek was second with 134 points and will send 11 wrestlers to Macon, led by champ Levi Sandoval (170). Third-place LaFayette (125) has nine qualifiers and three area champs: Jacob Hamilton (106), Levi Ledford (138) and Karson Ledford (152). Ringgold had a pair of area champions in Gage Kenner (113) and Hudson Moss (120) and will advance six others, while LFO has three qualifiers. 5-AAA at Gilmer: The hosts dominated with 239 points and finished with 12 area champs and two runners-up. North Murray had the other two champs in Herman Hernandez (132) and Devin Hunte (195) among its 11 state qualifiers, with Murray County advancing eight. 7-AAAA at Pickens: Northwest Whitfield finished a tight second to Central-Carroll, 162 points to 154, and will take eight competitors to state, four of them area champs: Eli Johnson (106), Victor Pineda (113), Alex Robinson (138) and Manny Barreiro (145). Southeast Whitfield was second and will advance seven to the state, while Heritage had a pair of champions in Cayman Hughey (132) and Zach Brown (220) among its six state qualifiers and Ridgeland two area champions in Aidan Raymer (152) and Tommy Lamb (285). 6-AAAAA at Cass: Calhoun finished fourth behind Woodland-Bartow, Cass and Cartersville, and five Yellow Jackets advanced to state, led by 145-pound champion Isaac Green. 5-AAAAAA at Alexander: Dalton finished fourth and had four state qualifiers, led by champs Hunter Noland (145) and David Garcia (170).

Times Free Press Cleveland's Colton Landers steps up for UTC wrestling program February 5th, 2021 | by Gene Henley | Copyright © 2021 Staff photo by Troy Stolt / UTC's Colton Landers escapes to earn a point against Campbell's Gabe Hixenbaugh in the 133-pound match in their teams' SoCon dual Friday at McKenzie Arena. Landers, a redshirt junior, has made steady progress during his time with the Mocs after starring in high school for Cleveland's Blue Raiders. It's taken four seasons for former Cleveland High School standout Colton Landers to assume a full-time position in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling lineup. The 133-pounder redshirted in 2017-18, then wrestled just a few matches in his first official season on the mat with the Mocs as he learned behind another former Blue Raider, 2019 Southern Conference champion Chris Debien. In 2019-20, Landers got his first taste of some real action, making it to the second day of the Southern Scuffle at McKenzie Arena, which brought him some confidence. Now a junior and a regular starter, Landers has performed well, including being one of five UTC wrestlers who won twice in Friday's home duals against Campbell and Bellarmine. Fabian Gutierrez (125), Franco Valdes (141), Weston Wichman (157) and Drew Nicholson (165) also went 2-0. UTC split, falling 17-15 to the Camels — who clinched their third straight SoCon regular-season title with the win — before handling the Knights 38-3 to finish its duals schedule 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the league. Campbell (8-1, 7-0) won 47-3 against Bellarmine (1-9, 1-7) in the day's first dual at McKenzie. The next scheduled competition for the Mocs is Feb. 28 at the SoCon tournament in Boone, North Carolina. PHOTO GALLERY UTC vs. Campbell wrestling on Feb. 5, 2021 View 34 Photos Landers beat Campbell's Gabriel Hixenbaugh 4-0 and pinned Bellarmine's Max Dansereau in 2:38 to improve to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in SoCon matches this year. He was one of three Mocs who wrestled in SoCon dual meets at 133 last season, along with Valdes and Wade Cummings. That's no longer the case, and Landers said "it feels good to start off the season" as the top wrestler in his weight class on the roster. "The weight cut is always tough, but weekend after weekend of having these tri-matches, the weight isn't a problem anymore," he added. "I feel good. I'm wrestling and ready to go." After a prep career in which he was 123-7 in his final three seasons with a state title and two runner-up finishes, his early time with the Mocs showed him he had to refine his style, particularly in the two starting positions on the mat. "If your top and bottom game isn't up to par, you'll get manhandled big time," he said. "I've made leaps and bounds to get to where I'm at now." UTC coach Kyle Ruschell reiterated that Landers' biggest challenge was "making weight every week," but now that it's become a routine — the Mocs have wrestled at least one dual meet for six straight weekends — the process has become a lot easier for him and people now have the opportunity to see what he can do. "Him being the starter, that's his role now," Ruschell said. "He doesn't have to worry about anybody behind him, and so he can take confidence in that. I think now, walking out on the mat, he knows it's going to be really hard for people to score on him, and he can ride them and he's seen a lot of success. "It's just a matter of putting it all together, and I think this year he's seeing the results." Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.

Way to follow in your dad's footsteps Pete!!! I know Al is proud Soms

State Duals Wrestling Results Matches Held In Williamson County On Saturday, February 6 Saturday, February 6, 2021 AAA CHAMPIONSHIP AT INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL CLEVELAND 39, WILSON CENTRAL 28 132 -- Riley Fort (WC) pinned Jackson Bradford, :49; 138 -- Hagen Cooper (Clev) pinned Avery Warnock, 4:33; 145 -- Trae McDaniel (Clev) pinned Alan Fort, 2:46; 152 -- Lucas Chittum (Clev) won by injury default over Steven Fisak; 160 -- Samuel Griggs (WC) major dec. Desmond Prigmore, 13-3; 170 -- Brady Jarvis (WC) dec. Edward Christie-Couvillion, 8-2; 182 -- Tetoe Boyd (Clev) major dec. Matthew Hills, 14-5; 195 -- Benjamin Gray (Clev) pinned Anthony Glasgow, 1:50; 220 -- Ashton Davis (Clev) dec. Noah Todd, 1-0; 285 -- Jesse Richardson (WC) pinned Nick Nicodemis, 2:39; 106 -- Logan Fowler (Clev) pinned Paul Johnson, 2:00; 113 -- Bentley Ellison (Clev) dec. Nicholas Mercante, 4-0; 120 -- Thomas Borders (WC) dec. Arlo Laxton, 2-1; 126 -- Connor Warnock (WC) pinned Charles Randall, 1:16. DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIP AT MILL CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL BAYLOR 48, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS 21 195 -- David Harper (Bay) major dec. Gervacio Gonzalez, `15-3; 220 -- Connor Billingsley (CB) dec. Heath Snodgrass, 5-0; 285 -- Matthew Smith (Bay) pinned Gabriel Croom, 3:59; 106 -- Kade Hartline (Bay) pinned Alex Ropski, 5:33; 113 -- Nick Cordey (Bay) pinned Isaac Levey, 5:07; 120 -- Wills Bronson (WC) pinned Judson Jarrett, 2:50; 126 -- Jackson Bond (Bay) pinned Carter Zuendel, 1:19; 132 -- Elijah Turner (Bay) pinned Drake Bowers, 1:31; 138 -- Dayne Dalrymple (CB) dec. Micah Tisdale, 4-0; 145 -- Garrison Dendy (Bay) won by technical fall over Sam Lee; 152 -- Evan Anthony (CB) won by technical fall over Porter Kaufman; 160 -- Aidan Bowers (CB) major dec. Anthony Mannella, 13-5; 170 -- Omaury Alvarez (Bay) dec. Foster Salvaggio, 10-4; 182 -- Ronald Garriques (Bay) pinned Theo Sewell, 3:47. A-AA CHAMPIONSHIP AT NOLENSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL FAIRVIEW 39, PIGEON FORGE 36\ 138 -- Riley Bennett (Fair) pinned Colin Gray, 3:00; 145 -- Josh Parton (PF) major dec. Matthew Cox, 10-2; 152 -- Garrett Foreman (PF) pinned John Spicer, 2:40; 160 -- Blake Mitchell (Fair) pinned Aiden Littles, 1:12; 170 -- Malachi Bennett (Fair) major dec. Khumovn Sattorov, 15-4; 182 -- Joseph Skidmore (PF) dec. Marco Pukl, 7-5 in overtime; 195 -- Ethan Sutton (PF) pinned Kendrick Curtis, 5:17; 220 -- Caleb Wolfe (PF) pinned Arie Donaldson, :16; 285 -- Jacob Clevenger (Fair) pinned Mustafi Algarawi, 4:49; 106 -- Sam Frank (Fair) pinned Samuel Hadder, 2:16; 113 -- Hunter Gentry (PF) pinned Josh Helm, 3:09; 120 -- Keegan Seaver (Fair) won by technical fall over James Justice; 126 -- Jeffery Anderson (Fair) won by injury default over Andy Cable; 132 -- Noah Dyer (PF) pinned Matthew Blaylock, 3:31. AAA QUARTERFINALS CLEVELAND 55, DOBYNS BENNETT 15 120 – Arlo Laxton (Clev) major dec. Gavin Armstrong, 17-4; 126 – Charles Randall (Clev) pinned Cannon Mullins, 3:27; 132 – Jackson Bradford (Clev) dec. Brennan Watkins, 7-4; 138 – Trae McDaniel (Clev) pinned Eli Whitley, 2:13; 145 – Lucas Chittum (Clev) won by technical fall over Drew Vetter; 152 – Jackson Hurst (DB) dec. Cael Laxton, 11-9 in overtime; 160 – Tre Morrisette (DB) pinned Desmond Prigmore, 1:43; 170 – Clint Morrisette (DB) pinned Edward Christe-Couvillion, :47; 182 – Tetoe Boyd (Clev) major dec. Aidan Rhoton, 11-2; 195 – Benjamin Gray (Clev) pinned Garrett Crowder, 2:15; 220 – Ashton Davis (Clev) pinned Nikolas Burke, :28; 285 – Nick Nicodemis (Clev) dec. Eseka Kipimo, 3-0; 106 – Logan Fowler (Clev) pinned Judah Moore, :45; 113 – Bentley Ellison (Clev) pinned Matthew Munsey, 1:18. WILSON CENTRAL 37, BRADLEY 33 120 – Thomas Borders (WC) won by forfeit; 126 – Connor Warnock (WC) major dec. Daniel James, 13-5; 132 – Avery Warnock (WC) dec. Easton Lipsey, 5-2; 138 – Riley Fort (WC) pinned Taron Patterson, 3:18; 145 – Luke Belcher (Brad) dec. Alan Fort, 10-5; 152 – Steven Fisak (WC) pinned Anthony Lynn, :58; 160 – Brady Jarvis (WC) pinned Benjamin Stansberry, 2:28; 170 – Samuel Griggs (WC) dec. Knox Watson, 9-7; 182 – Matthew Hills (WC) dec. Wade Brooks, 4-1; 195 – Cody McDaniel (Brad) won by forfeit; 220 – Jaylen Thomas (Brad) won by forfeit; 285 – Austin McClure (Brad) won by forfeit; 106 – Bryson Terrell (Brad) won by forfeit; 113 – Ethan Lipsey (Brad) won by forfeit. AAA SEMIFINAL CLEVELAND 41, SUMMIT 37 126 – Charles Randall (Clev) pinned Justin Noll, 3:00; 132 – Landon Desselle (Sum) won by injury default over Jackson Bradford; 138 – Trae McDaniel (Clev) pinned Austin Noll, :46; 145 – Lucas Chittum (Clev) pinned Davie Hackert, 2:53; 152 – Graham Harvey (Sum) pinned Camden Lockerby, 3:42; 160 – Finley Jameson (Sum) major dec. Desmond Prigmore, 12-2; 170 – Luke Justice (Sum) dec. Edward Christe-Couvillion, 10-3; 182 – Tetoe Boyd (Clev) pinned Jensen Schreiber, 2:24; 195 – Benjamin Gray (Clev) pinned Maddox Reed, :48; 220 – Ashton Davis (Clev) won by technical fall over Tyler Garber; 285 – Ryan Smith (Sum) pinned Nick Nicodemis, 3:33; 106 – Logan Fowler (Clev) pinned Grayson Miller, 3:48; 113 – Jarvis Little (Sum) won by forfeit; 120 – Jackson Masters (Sum) won by forfeit. AAA CONSOLATION BRADLEY 59, COLLIERVILLE 20 126 – Damen Pullen (Col) dec. Easton Lipsey, 3-2; 132 – Taron Patterson (Brad) pinned Gage King, 5:26; 138 – Luke Belcher (Brad) won by technical fall over Lucas Spradley; 145 – Anthony Lynn (Brad) won by forfeit; 152 – Christian Flynn (Col) pinned Brayden Swallows, 1:21; 160 – Benjamin Stansberry (Brad) pinned Dalton McNutt, :52; 170 – Knox Watson (Brad) pinned Brandon Gutierrez, 2:56; 182 – Wyatt Lankford (Col) won by technical fall over Wade Brooks; 195 – Theodore Cooper (Col) pinned Cody McDaniel, 2:21; 220 – Brett Waters (Brad) won by forfeit; 285 – Austin McClure (Brad) won by injury default over Christian Iroh; 106 – Bryson Terrell (Brad) won by forfeit; 113 – Ethan Lipsey (Brad) won by forfeit; 120 – Daniel James (Brad) won by forfeit. A-AA SEMIFINALS PIGEON FORGE 42, SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 33 132 – Noah Dyer (PF) pinned Cole Jenkins, 3:04; 138 – Josh Parton (PF) dec. Kale Albritton, 3-2; 145 – Brock Shipley (SM) dec. Colin Gray, 5-1; 152 – Garrett Foreman (PF) pinned Aidan Maharrey, :49; 160 – Aiden Littles (PF) pinned Mats Dammann, 1:05; 170 – Oscar Reyes (PF) pinned Roman Skorupa, 1:07; 182 – Kevin Muschel (SM) pinned Joseph Skidmore, 5:21; 195 – Ethan Sutton (PF) dec. Preston Worley, 9-3; 220 – Caleb Wolfe (PF) pinned Pearson Lindsay, :33; 285 – Mustafi Algarawi (PF) pinned Daniel Odom, 1:05; 106 – Ethan Uhorchuk (SM) won by forfeit; 113 – Caleb Uhorchuk (SM) won by forfeit; 120 – Noah Shriner (SM) won by forfeit; 126 – Daniel Uhorchuk (SM) won by forfeit. FAIRVIEW 44, HIXSON 31 132 – Caleb Miller (Hix) major dec. Jeffery Anderson, 15-7; 138 – Riley Bennett (Fair) pinned Cole Shackleford, :55; 145 – Bradley Woodall (Hix) pinned Matthew Cox, 3:34; 152 – Blake Mitchell (Fair) pinned Jonas Vandergriff, 1:55; 160 – Malachi Bennett (Fair) dec. Kobie Smith, 8-3; 170 – Jacob Derrick (Fair) pinned Barrett Seldon, 1:58; 182 – Marco Pukl (Fair) pinned Maddox Gilkey, :28; 195 – Kendrick Curtis (Fair) won by technical fall over Logan Woodall; 220 – Parrish Pacetti (Hix) pinned Sam Hammon, 1:40; 285 – Jacob Clevenger (Fair) pinned Landon Moore, 5:58; 106 – JuJuan McCrary (Hix) dec. Sam Frank, 7-2; 113 – Josh Helm (Fair) pinned Grant Finch, :36; 120 – Jase Moses (Hix) won by forfeit; 126 – Trevor Lewis (Hix) won by forfeit. A-AA CONSOLATION FINAL FOR THIRD PLACE SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 47, HIXSON 32 138 – Kale Albritton (SM) pinned Cole Shackleford, :32; 145 – Brock Shipley (SM) pinned Bradley Woodall, 1:49; 152 – Jonas Vandergriff (Hix) pinned Aidan Maharrey, 5:10; 160 – Kobie Smith (Hix) pinned Eli Shriner, 1:14; 170 – Barrett Seldon (Hix) pinned Mats Dammann, 3:53; 182 – Kevin Muschel (SM) pinned Maddox Gilkey, :49; 195 – Preston Worley (SM) pinned Logan Woodall, 3:24; 220 – Parrish Pacetti (Hix) pinned Pearson Lindsay, 1:43; 285 – Landon Moore (Hix) dec. Daniel Odom, 4-0; 106 – Ethan Uhorchuk (SM) won by technical fall over Grant Finch; 113 – Caleb Uhorchuk (SM) pinned JuJuan McCrary, 4:49; 120 – Noah Shriner (SM) pinned Jase Moses, 2:54; 126 – Daniel Uhorchuk (SM) won by forfeit; 132 – Trevor Lewis (Hix) pinned Cole Jenkins, :55. DIVISION II SEMIFINAL BAYLOR 55, FATHER RYAN 9 182 – Ronald Garriques (Bay) pinned Tim Brunet, :49; 195 – David Harper (Bay) pinned William McGrady, :49; 220 – Heath Snodgrass (Bay) pinned Abraham Cromartie, 1:18; 285 – Parker Petersen (Ryan) won by forfeit; 106 – Kade Hartline (Bay) won by forfeit; 113 – Nick Cordey (Bay) pinned Joseph Jones, 1:27; 120 – Judson Jarrett (Bay) dec. Matt Oberlander, 5-3; 126 – Jackson Bond (Bay) major dec. Calvin Eason, 10-1; 132 – Elijah Turner (Bay) dec. Fuad Ahmed, 12-11; 138 – Micah Tisdale (Bay) dec. Thomas Wesnofske, 4-3; 145 – Garrison Dendy (Bay) pinned Ben Stigamier, 1:39; 152 – Porter Kaufman (Bay) dec. Andrew Laden, 7-5; 160 – Joey Terry (Ryan) dec. Anthony Mannella, 6-4; 170 – Omaury Alvarez (Bay) dec. William Rodgers, 7-0. (Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)

Sports: Preps Hixson senior Parrish Pacetti aims to help Wildcats bring home state duals title February 5th, 2021 | by Patrick MacCoon | Copyright © 2021 Staff file photo by Patrick MacCoon / Hixson senior wrestler Parrish Pacetti, top, won the TSSAA Class A/AA 220-pound championship last season, and he helped the Wildcats in football the past four years as a standout offensive lineman and defensive end. Parrish Pacetti may have his sights set on playing Division I football, but the Hixson High School senior wrestler admits that on the mat is where he has been challenged the most. Pacetti won the 220-pound title at last year's TSSAA Class A/AA state traditional tournament, stacking up a pin and 7-0 and 6-2 decisions to wrap up a 46-5 record for his junior season. However, that came only after a fifth-place finish as a sophomore and a freshman season in which he lost at state in the round when a victory would have guaranteed a top-six finish and a medal. "I love football, but wrestling has had the biggest effect on my character and mindset," said Pacetti, who is being recruited by Austin Peay to play offensive line for the Governors. "You have to be a tough dude to excel in this sport. You have to be mentally there every day to work. Each day you have to reach your breaking point in practice to really get better. That's how you get better and cross that plateau." He will try to help Hixson (12-0) win the A/AA state duals championship Saturday at Nolensville High School, with the Wildcats facing Fairview (20-3) in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Eastern, when Signal Mountain (8-1) and five-time state champion Pigeon Forge (24-5) will also face off. The championship and third-place duals are set for 4:30. In Class AAA, Cleveland (12-0) will hunt for its fourth straight state title in an eight-team field, with the Blue Raiders meeting Dobyns-Bennett (15-2) in a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Eastern at Independence High School in Thompson's Station, where Oakland (23-3) and Summitt (19-1) will face off at the same time. In quarterfinals at the same time at Centennial High School in Franklin, Bradley Central (10-3) will take on Wilson Central (28-0) and Collierville (10-2) faces Science Hill (15-3). AAA teams will remain at the same sites for the semifinals that follow, with the championship and third-place duals set for 6:30 at Independence. In the Division II semifinals at Mill Creek Middle School in Nolensville, back-to-back state champion Baylor (2-0) will face Father Ryan (12-6) while Christian Brothers (10-0) wrestles Montgomery Bell Academy (12-4) at 4:30 Eastern. The championship and third-place duals are set for 7. Hixson's Pacetti quit after his first wrestling tryout in sixth grade because he said he was not tough enough yet for the sport. He has come a long way since then with gains in strength, technique and mindset. He built character as a steady leader the past four years for Hixson's football team. Although the Wildcats won only four games during that time, with all of those victories over the past two seasons, Pacettit worked hard and became standout offensive lineman and defensive end. As a wrestler, he enjoys being able to control his own fate in one-on-one matchups that test more than strength and talent. He is 13-0 overall and was one of nine Hixson wrestlers who won individual region championships as he easily pinned his way to victory Thursday at Alcoa High School. "Honestly, what helps me in wrestling is the hunger to be at the top," Pacetti said. "I have a beat the best to be the best mentality. If you don't win, it means you didn't work harder than the other guy. That's the biggest thing wrestling comes down to. You have to want it more than the other one does." Pacetti, Trevor Lewis (126 pounds) and Caleb Miller (132) are team captains for the Wildcats, who finished third at state duals last season. Lewis — a state champ two years ago — Jonas Vandergriff (152) and Kobe Smith (160) are also undefeated this season, and Miller, Logan Woodall (195) and Landon Moore (285) each has won loss for coach Todd Worley's deep lineup. As for Pacetti, football may be in his future, but wrestling will remain with him even after he steps off the mat for the last time. "My coaches have really been role models for me because I didn't grow up with a whole lot of great role models," Pacetti said. "But I got into school and sports and they really pushed me. Coach Worley helped me really prepare hard for my state championship run last year, and he is a really great coach and friend to me. He is just a great dude who has been a big influence on me and my success." Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

Tennessee HS Wrestling Coaches Poll for week of Feb. 1 STAFF REPORTS sports@mainstreetmediatn.com Feb 1, 2021 No. 3 Wilson Central qualified for the state duals after Blackman was forced to forfeit in the sectionals. The Tennessee High School Wrestling Coaches Poll saw few changes heading into the TSSAA Dual Championships, set for this Saturday, Feb. 6 in Williamson County. No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Cleveland, No. 3 Wilson Central, No. 4 Christian Brothers and No. 5 Bradley Central all continued to occupy the top five spots. Other ranked Nashville-area teams include No. 6 Father Ryan, No. 7 Summit, No 8. Oakland and No. 11 Blackman. The dual championships will be held across four schools – Mill Creek Middle, Centennial High, Independence High and Nolensville High – all in one day. Fairview qualified for the Class A-AA tournament, Oakland, Summit and Wilson Central will compete in Class AAA and Father Ryan and MBA will vie for a title in the four-team Division II bracket. The poll is primarily a measure of dual meet strength with some consideration to individual tournament strength. Votes are cast by a statewide panel of high school wrestling coaches and are based on a maximum power ranking of 144 points. Below is the full list. Each school’s power ranking is followed by last week’s ranking in parentheses. 1. Baylor 141 (1) 2. Cleveland 132 (2) 3. Wilson Central 120 (3) 4. Christian Brothers 109 (4) 5. Bradley Central 94 (5) 6. Father Ryan 74 (7) 7. Summit 54 (9) TIE. Oakland 54 (11) 9. Pigeon Forge 54 (10) 10. McCallie 37 (8) 11. Blackman 36 (11) 12. Science Hill 20 (12) Also receiving votes: Dobyns-Bennett, Fairview, MBA Central enters TSSAA duals 29-0 Tommy Bryan tbryan@wilsonpost.com Feb 3, 2021 Updated 18 hrs ago The 2020-2021 Wilson Central wrestlers sport a record of 29-0 headed into Saturday's TSSAA Duals. Four-time state runner-up - Sporting a roster with just four seniors, Coach John Kramer's Wilson Central wrestling team is primed for success Saturday at the 2021 TSSAA Class AAA State Dual Wrestling Championships. With the Williamson County Expo Center unavailable this year sue to its' use as a COVID-19 testing center, the Wildcats will wrestle at Centennial High, taking on Bradley Central in Saturday's 12 p.m. quarterfinal match. Standing 29-0 following back-to-back forfeits from Blackman in the TSSAA Sectional and Beech in the Region 6 finals, Wilson Central should be well-rested for a long day of wrestling. The winner of the Central versus Bradley match will take on the winner of Science Hill versus Collierville at 2 p.m. in the semifinals. The Class AAA championship match will start at 5:30 p.m. at Independence High against either Oakland, Summit, Dobyns Bennett or Cleveland High. Here's the Wilson Central line-up for Saturday. 106 Paul Johnson, 24-3, freshman; 113 Nick Mercante, 29-2, sophomore; 120 Hunter Borders, 29-0, senior; 126 Conor Warnock, 27-5, sophomore; 132 Avery Warnock, 27-3, senior; 138 Riley Fort, 27-3, sophomore; 145 Cole Fort, 30-1, senior; 152 Steven Fisak, 28-3, junior; 160 Samuel Griggs, 27-5, freshman; 170 Brady Jarvis, 24-6 junior; 182 Matthew Hills, 25-3, junior; 195 Conor Staggs, 11-8, junior; 220 Noah Todd, 26-3, sophomore and 285 Jesse Richardson, 19-2, senior. 2020 finish -- Wilson Central placed second in the 2020 Dual Tournament, winning three matches handily before falling to Cleveland 43-18 in the championship match. WCHS has finished second in the state duals four times. Milestone -- Wilson Central wrestling coach John Kramer is on the threshold of a career milestone. He enters Saturday's tournament with 699 wins -- just one shy of 700 dual match wins in a career. Ticketing -- Limited tickets will be available and sold via private GoFan links sent directly to participating schools. Family members of participating wrestlers will need to contact their school to purchase tickets. No tickets will be sold to the public. TSSAA Championship Event Cards, TACA cards, TSSAA ID cards and TMSAA ID cards will not be accepted. Parking -- Parking fees may be collected at certain sites at the rate of $5 per vehicle per day (cash only). Concessions -- Concession stands and vendors will sell food. All school venues are handicap accessible. State Coaches Poll -- The Tennessee High School Wrestling Coaches Poll saw few changes heading into the TSSAA Dual Championships. No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Cleveland, No. 3 Wilson Central, No. 4 Christian Brothers and No. 5 Bradley Central all continued to occupy the top five spots. Other ranked Middle Tennessee teams include No. 6 Father Ryan, No. 7 Summit, No 8. Oakland and No. 11 Blackman. The dual championships will be held across four schools – Mill Creek Middle, Centennial High, Independence High and Nolensville High – all in one day. Fairview qualified for the Class A-AA tournament, and Father Ryan and MBA will vie for a title in the four-team Division II bracket. The poll is primarily a measure of dual meet strength with some consideration to individual tournament strength. Votes are cast by a statewide panel of high school wrestling coaches and are based on a maximum power ranking of 144 points.Four-time state runner-up - Sporting a roster with just four seniors, Coach John Kramer's Wilson Central wrestling team is primed for success Saturday at the 2021 TSSAA Class AAA State Dual Wrestling Championships. With the Williamson County Expo Center unavailable this year sue to its' use as a COVID-19 testing center, the Wildcats will wrestle at Centennial High, taking on Bradley Central in Saturday's 12 p.m. quarterfinal match. Standing 29-0 following back-to-back forfeits from Blackman in the TSSAA Sectional and Beech in the Region 6 finals, Wilson Central should be well-rested for a long day of wrestling. The winner of the Central versus Bradley match will take on the winner of Science Hill versus Collierville at 2 p.m. in the semifinals. The Class AAA championship match will start at 5:30 p.m. at Independence High against either Oakland, Summit, Dobyns Bennett or Cleveland High. _______________ Hixson Wrestlers Win Fourth Straight Region Title Wildcats Claim Eight Champs And 13 Qualifiers For State In Two Weeks Thursday, February 4, 2021 - by John Hunt The Hixson Wildcats didn’t perform up to the level coach Garrick Hall had wanted, but it was good enough to win their fourth straight Region 2-A/AA wrestling tournament at Alcoa High School Thursday evening. Hall had some really lofty goals for his team, like scoring more than 265 points, coming home with more than nine champions and qualifying all 14 individuals for the state tournament in two weeks. The Wildcats were close as they won with 224.5 points, they had eight individual winners and 13 of 14 earned a spot in the tournament that will be held at the Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center in two weeks on Feb. 18. “I’m always happy when we win, but I didn’t think we looked very good,” said Hall while driving back home Thursday night. “We had some kids who stepped up while others got upset. We had young kids wrestling like young kids, but our lack of matches really hurt today. We were facing some teams that hadn’t been shut down. We’ll go back to work tomorrow in hope of fixing some things before the state duals on Saturday. “We just hope to win a match on Saturday. I’m proud of my guys for what they did today, but I’m not pleased and I’m definitely not satisfied. Even some of our older and more experienced kids looked sloppy, but that was from lack of mat time. “I’m glad to get this tournament behind us and we can still wrestle in two weeks, no matter what. I’m sorry that we didn’t get all 14 qualified, but I’m happy for the ones who are. We’ll see what happens in two weeks,” Hall added. While Hixson was all alone in first place with 224.5 points, Polk County was a distant second with 113. Greenback was third with 102 while Sale Creek and Cumberland County were fourth and fifth with 65 and 64 points, respectively. The rest of the field included Upperman with 60, Alcoa with 53, Central with 51, Tyner 33 and Livingston Academy with 21. Hixson had eight champions while Polk County had two. Central, Tyner, Greenback and Alcoa had one each. Hixson’s eight included Trevor Lewis, who had a first-period pin to win at 126 pounds and claim his fourth straight region title. Parrish Pacetti did the same at 220 to claim his second region crown. Other champs for the Wildcats included JuJuan McCrary at 106, Caleb Miller at 132, Jonas Vandergriff at 152, Kobie Smith at 160, Logan Woodall at 195 and Landon Moore at 285. Polk’s winners included Oleksaudr Warner at 145 and Kylar Chadwick at 170. Cory Manuel was Greenback’s winner at 113 while Gordon McCall was Alcoa’s winner at 120. Roby Thomas was victorious for Central at 138 while Tyner’s Ricardo Cancino was the winner at 182. While Hixson qualified 13 individuals for the traditional state, Polk had seven, Sale Creek five, Central three and Tyner two. LEGEND AND FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Hixson (Hix) 224.5; 2. Polk County (PC) 113; 3. Greenback (Green) 102; 4. Sale Creek (SC) 65; 5. Cumberland County (CC) 64; 6. Upperman (Upp) 60; 7. Alcoa (A) 53; 8. Central (Cent) 51; 9. Tyner (Ty) 33; 10. Livingston Academy (LA) 21. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS 106 – JuJuan McCrary (Hix) won by tech fall over Garrett Hall (SC), 3:12; 113 – Cory Manuel (Green) pinned Chris Lagorio (Hix), 5:41; 120 – Gordon McCall (A) pinned Darren Ward (Green), 5:09; 126 – Trevor Lewis (Hix) pinned Wyatt Coleman (SC), 1:12; 132 – Caleb Miller (Hix) pinned Joshua Emerson (PC), 1:03; 138 – Roby Thomas (Cent) pinned Cole Shackleford (Hix), 2:19; 145 – Oleksaudr Warner (PC) pinned Drake Rayburn (Upp), 5:31; 152 – Jonas Vandergriff (Hix) pinned Ocean Brown (PC), 5:33; 160 – Kobie Smith (Hix) pinned Jacob Speights (PC), 5:32; 170 – Kylar Chadwick (PC) pinned Randall Gray (Cent), 3:40; 182 – Ricardo Cancino (Ty) dec. Grayson Hale (CC) 2-0; 195 – Logan Woodall (Hix) pinned Logan Caldwell (Green), 2:35; 220 – Parrish Pacetti (Hix) pinned Jeremiah Cope (Green), 1:13; 285 – Landon Moore (Hix) pinned Benjamin Stone (PC), 1:24. CONSOLATION FINALS FOR THIRD PLACE 106 – Jacob Folker (LA) received a bye; 113 – Ryan Stephens (A) received a bye; 120 – Noah Pinion (Cent) pinned Jase Moses (Hix), 2:12; 126 – Demeerio Brock (PC) received a bye; 132 – Ryan Leonard (Upp) dec. Mark McNabb (SC), 6-3; 138 – Jaden Harris (SC) pinned James Lawson (CC), :30; 145 – Alek Perry (Green) pinned Bradley Woodall (Hix), 3:17; 152 – Garrett Shokley (Green) pinned Will Bastian (CC), 1:36; 160 – Demetrii Lovick (Ty) pinned Marcus Pedde (CC), :17; 170 – Barrett Seldon (Hix) pinned Isaiah Spradling (A), :46; 182 – Matthew Love (Upp) pinned Aaron Tipton (A), 2:25; 195 – Trevor Almand (A) dec. John Geist (LA), 5-1; 220 – Nic Fields (Upp) pinned Ty Raimbeau (CC), 4:20; 285 – William Beason (SC) pinned Jakob Hicks (CC), 1:50.\ (Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com) __________ Baylor, Cleveland Look For State Dual Repeat Wins Signal Mountain, Hixson, Bradley Also In The Hunt For Post-Season Mat Honors Thursday, February 4, 2021 - by John Hunt Here we are in the first week of February, which means that under normal circumstances, local teams would be preparing for the State Duals wrestling tournament. That is certainly the case as teams in three classifications will gather in Williamson County on Saturday to determine who’s the best of the best. But unlike recent years when everyone gathered at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Center for the two-day event, this year will be a one-day tournament with reduced numbers of teams and at four local schools in the Franklin area. Four teams in A-AA will gather at Nolensville High School while four more teams in Division II will gather at Mill Creek Middle School in Nolensville for those matches. The AAA field will have eight teams, four gathering at Centennial High School and four more at Independence High. Champions in all three classifications will be determined by quitting time Saturday night. Cleveland, Pigeon Forge and Baylor are the defending champs in their respective divisions and are better-than-average bets to win again. Cleveland has won three straight AAA State Duals titles while Pigeon Forge has won the last two in A-AA and three of the past four. Baylor has been the king in Division II for the past two years. Second-ranked Cleveland will face Dobyns Bennett in its first match at noon (CST) with the winner facing the Summit-Oakland winner. Bradley Central is currently ranked fifth in the state and will face defending state runner-up Wilson Central in its first match at noon at Centennial with the winner facing the winner of Science Hill and Collierville. The up-and-coming Signal Mountain Eagles took a huge step last week by beating Nolensville to advance, but the task doesn’t get any easier as they face Pigeon Forge. The Hixson Wildcats face A-AA runner-up Fairview in the other semifinal. Baylor takes on Father Ryan at 3:30 (CST) at Mill Creek Middle with the winner facing the winner between Christian Brothers and Montgomery Bell Academy. Baylor beat Christian Brothers 46-22 to win last year while the Purple Wave was the winner in 2018. We all know that we’re lucky to even be having a prep wrestling season as all of the regular-season tournaments were cancelled and so were a bunch of regular-season dual meets. In years past, each team could take 28 individuals to weigh in, but that number is limited to just 20 this year, which makes for some tough assignments for coaches deciding who has to stay at home. CLEVELAND: The Blue Raiders are the three-time defending champ in the traditional as well as State Duals tournament. They won all 12 of their dual meets without a loss, but that’s about a third the number of matches they usually have in a season. Coach Joey Knox has been quick to remind his kids that everyone is gunning for the guys in blue and that any moment of looking past anyone could be a recipe for defeat. “It seems like everything is going pretty good, but I’m not sure what to think at this point,” Knox said Wednesday morning during a break from his busy schedule. “We can only take 20 kids, so we just have to make sure we have the right kids at the right spot. Going to the state duals has become second nature to us, but we still have to stay focused on the task at hand. We still have to turn the switch on and perform, but our plan is to win another title. We just have to make sure we take care of the little stuff,” he added. BRADLEY: The Bradley Bears are the other AAA team going and they may have the toughest match of all in the first round as they drew the Wildcats, a team currently ranked third behind Baylor and Cleveland. Wilson Central finished second behind Cleveland a year ago and have several runner-up finishes, but they have yet to win a championship match. Bradley coach Ben Smith knows that his team is the underdog in this first match, but he also admits that his team has won more state duals titles than anyone. He’s looking for a real Donny brook in Saturday’s first match. “Right now, we’re healthy and have had two really good days of practice. We just want to control what we can control and the guys are responding well to what we’re preparing for,” Smith said by phone shortly before lunch. “Wilson Central is the defending state runner-up and they’re pretty good. It should be a great first-round match, but I can tell you that nobody wants Bradley in the first round. We’ve won more than our share of state titles, so we expect to be there competing for a state title every year. Even though we have a younger team than normal, we aren’t lowering our expectations. “We have an uphill battle on paper, but we have some good kids too. We think we can contend with them, but we just have to have things fall our way and to get a few breaks. But I can tell you there’s no love lost between us and them,” Smith said, knowing that his team lost to Baylor and twice to Cleveland while winning 11 or 12 matches this season. SIGNAL MOUNTAIN: The Eagles finished second to Gibbs in 2018 at the State Duals and they were runner-up to Pigeon Forge at the traditional tournament a year later. They lost a tough match against Nolensville in the first round a year ago before being eliminated by Hixson, so there is a bit of unfinished business for coach Joe Jellison and his proud group of Eagles that features nine seniors in the starting lineup. The Eagles were 8-1 this winter with the only loss to Cleveland. Jellison is cautiously optimistic when talking about facing the Tigers in Saturday’s first match. “We’re getting there as we got the job done last Saturday to qualify,” Jellison began his phone conversation. “We still have room to improve, but it’s been a struggle not being able to wrestle all the matches on our schedule. However, we’ll go up there and give it our best shot and see what happens. “I think we match up pretty well with Pigeon Forge and I feel like we can compete with them. We just have to keep our fingers crossed as all of our guys are healthy right now. We’ve never wrestled them in a dual meet, but they have a winning tradition. I feel like we have the team that can beat them, but we just have to wrestle our match and have some things go our way. “You just never know what will happen. They are the top-seeded team, but we just need to get our momentum going early. We have the guys to go the distance, but we just have to put all the pieces together at the right time and to get bonus at every opportunity,” Jellison said with confidence. HIXSON: The Hixson Wildcats are also in the A-AA field after winning all 12 of their dual meets without a defeat. The state duals are important, but coach Garrick Hall and his team are in Alcoa today for their region tournament. They will turn their attention to Fairview when they get home late tonight. “I’m just trying to survive one more day,” Hall said while trying to take care of smaller details Wednesday afternoon. “Fairview is the state runner-up and they’ve had more than twice as many matches as we have, so they have much more mat time than we do. Without a doubt, they have more than their share of studs, but we’re just glad to be competing. Our focus right now is on the region and advancing as many individuals as possible to the state in two weeks, but we’ll worry about Fairview when the region is over. “We have a pretty good team this year, but in all honesty, I’m not sure we have enough bullets in our gun. We just have to get bonus points where possible and to stay off our backs. We have to have pins every chance we get, but it will come down to bonus points. Right now, we have a full lineup, so we’re excited to think about the possibilities for Saturday,” Hall added. BAYLOR: Rex Kendle is in his first year as Baylor’s head coach after Ben Nelson’s resignation following last season's championship runs. The Red Raiders won both of their dual meets with Bradley and McCallie, but this Covid situation has wreaked havoc with Kendle and his team’s training schedule. “I don’t think anyone is 100 percent this time of year, but we’ve done some serious training since we came back on Jan. 19 and I feel good about that. We know that Father Ryan has a tough team, but we’re expecting to be in the finals Saturday night,” Kendle said matter of factly. “We just need to be consistent in our performance and to score bonus points without giving up any. It’s been a crazy year and we know the target is on our back. Our lineup is intact and I feel like we’re ready for the challenge,” the energetic coach concluded. WHILE THE STATE DUALS are Saturday, Hixson’s region is today with the sole purpose of having time to get ready for traditional state if anyone should turn up positive. The other A-AA region will be next Friday and Saturday at Eagleville while the AAA region will be at Bradley on Friday. The D-II region is next Saturday at Knoxville Catholic. Hixson has been region champs for the last three years. The goal this year is to make it four in a row, scoring 265 points or more and to have at least nine champions. “We scored 264 points last year and we had nine champs while qualifying all 14 individuals. We hope to do it again on Thursday night,” said Hall. In addition to Hixson, other teams in the field include Upperman, Cumberland County, Central, Livingston Academy, Greenback, Tyner, Sale Creek, Polk County and host Alcoa. THE TRADITIONAL STATE tournament will be held at the Hamilton County Convention and Trade Center on Feb. 18-20 with the A-AA tournament being held on Thursday, the Division II competition on Friday and the AAA on Saturday. SATURDAY’S STATE DUAL PAIRINGS (All times are Central Standard) DIVISION II AT MILL CREEK MIDDLE Baylor vs. Father Ryan, 3:30 MBA vs. Christian Brothers, 3:30 Championship match at 6 A-AA AT NOLENSVILLE Pigeon Forge vs. Signal Mountain, 1:00 Hixson vs. Fairview, 1:00 Championship match at 3:30 AAA AT INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL Cleveland vs. Dobyns Bennett, noon Summit vs. Oakland, noon Semifinals, 2:00 AAA AT CENTENNIAL Science Hill vs. Collierville, noon Bradley vs. Wilson Central, noon Semifinals, 2:00 CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH AT INDEPENDENCE AT 5:30. (Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)