Bump11

182- Favorites: Aiden Brenot (Clarksville) Bracket Busters: Aiden Thompson (Brentwood), Nikolas Burke (Dobyns), Zerek Keel (Warren) Predictions: 1. Aiden Brenot (Clarksville) 2. Dean Carrion (Houston) 3. Hayden Sinner (Nolensville) 4. Knox Watson (Bradley) 5. Jens Schreiber (Summit) 6. Nikolas Burke (Dobyns) One Match Away: James Robinson (Jefferson), Zerek Keel (Warren) First Round Matches To Watch: Brenot vs Thompson, Keel vs Martin

170- Favorites: Wyatt Gibbs (Brentwood), Lucas Szymborski (Cleveland) Bracket Busters: Aiden Enters (Farragut), Sam Griggs (Wilson), Henry Tate (Houston) Predictions: 1. Lucas Szymborski (Cleveland) 2. Wyatt Gibbs (Brentwood) 3. Spencer Kon (Indy) 4. Michael Colligen (Maryville) 5. Sam Griggs (Wilson) 6. Aidan Enters (Farragut) One Match Away: Wade Brooks (Bradley), Henry Tate (Houston) First Round Matches To Watch: Dempsey vs Brooks, Tate vs Ehrlich

160- Favorites: Max Norman (Dobyns) Bracket Busters: Jack Stein (Clarksville), Camron Isabel (Wilson), Matthew Schutt (Hillsboro) Predictions: 1. Max Norman (Dobyns) 2. Cy Fowler (Cleveland) 3. Tre McTorry (Nolensville) 4. Jack Stein (Clarksville) 5. Jacob Barlow (Coffee Co) 6. Camron Isabel (Wilson) One Match Away: Matthew Schutt (Hillsboro), David Cantrell (Walker Valley) First Round Matches To Watch: Cantrell vs McMillan, Alvarez vs Isabel, Barlow vs McTorry

152- Favorites: Logan Fowler (Cleveland), Finley Jameson (Summit) Bracket Busters: Coen Myers (Beech), Nate McKee (Heritage), James Beck (Science Hill) Another weight with anywhere up to 9-10 or so guys who could realistically be standing on the podium come Saturday afternoon. There’s 5 returning medalists, 3 of which are multi-time medalists. But only one is a former state champ. Only one has climbed the mountain and stood at the top. That young man is Logan Fowler. And in a bracket filled with experience, my money is on Logan to climb that mountain again. He just seems to have a leg up on the rest of the field, and in typical Cleveland fashion, i fully expect him to shine the most when the lights come on Saturday afternoon. Jameson managed to be the only returning medalist on the top half, while the other 4 have to go through each other just to make the final. And while there’s some big time talent up top with him, i expect him to navigate his way to the final. I believe Fort is the best of the rest by a decent margin, and then it just comes down to the draw. Predictions: 1. Logan Fowler (Cleveland) 2. Finley Jameson (Summit) 3. Riley Fort (Wilson) 4. Chase Mayes (Nolensville) 5. Coen Myers (Beech) 6. Ethan Cunningham (Northwest) One Match Away: James Beck (Science Hill), Clark Vaughn (Brentwood) First Round Matches To Watch: Cunningham vs Taylor, Myers vs Lindsay, Vaughn vs Beck

145- Favorites: Luke Belcher (Bradley), Mason Sells (Blackman) Bracket Busters: Jack Anderson (Bartlett), Cannon Mullins (Dobyns), Jazarius Ellis (Gallatin) Luke Belcher is the top guy here. He’s been tested but has passed every major test to this point. Sounds like a typical “until proven otherwise” story, and idk who’s gonna be the one to prove it otherwise…. *Lee Corso voice* NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! Sound the (not so large) upset alarm! The gap between Luke and Mason Sells has gotten smaller and smaller. They’ve wrestled twice this year, 2 very close matches, and Mason inched ever so much closer to pulling it out last weekend. I think the third time is the charm. Give me Sells! Elsewhere..Leach, Wittman, Myers, and Robles are the safest of bets to round out the podium. It’s just a matter of figuring out what order to put them in. With all of my knowledge and research, i think (hope) i got it right! Predictions: 1. Mason Sells (Blackman) 2. Luke Belcher (Bradley) 3. Brayden Leach (Summit) 4. Brock Wittman (Franklin) 5. Wendell Myers (Wilson) 6. Seth Robles (Clarksville) One Match Away: Cannon Mullins (Dobyns), Jazarius Ellis (Gallatin) First Round Matches To Watch: Belcher vs Anderson, Prewitt vs Myers

138- Favorites: Landon Desselle (Summit) Bracket Busters: Ben Tucker (Dobyns), Max Landrum (Rossview), Riddeck Romano (Indy) No offense to anyone else in this bracket whatsoever, but let’s be honest, it’s Landon Desselle, and then everyone else. The Fargo All-American and 2 time returning medalist hasn’t lost a match in the state of Tennessee all year, and hasn’t even really come close. His closest in state match this year was a 5-0 win over Lakeway’s Caleb Gumlick in the Johnny Drennan semis, and even that wasn’t as close as the score would make you think. Landon has been operating on his own level all year and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks there’s any reason to believe that’s gonna change this weekend. Now the rest of the podium is a different story. You have a returning medalist, plus 6 others who have been in or around the rankings at some point this year. Warnock and Yazdani seem to be makeshift leaders of that pack chasing Desselle, and should they meet in the semis, i’d expect another close, exciting match, in a rematch of the GP West final. Rounding out the bottom of the podium was tough, so i wouldn’t be shocked at all if i’m 100% wrong. Predictions: 1. Landon Desselle (Summit) 2. Connor Warnock (Wilson) 3. Arash Yazdani (Brentwood) 4. Jaxsen Nieuwsma (Oakland) 5. Grant Myers (Blackman) 6. Noah Creque (Siegel) One Match Away: Christian Wilson (Walker Valley), Max Landrum (Rossview) First Round Matches To Watch: Desselle vs Wilson, Romano vs Nieuwsma, Yazdani vs Myers

alright i’m gonna get the predictions part in as quickly as possible, and then i will do my best to go back through and edit in as many previews as i can before 230. 132- Favorites: Ethan Lipsey (Bradley), Damen Pullen (Collierville) Bracket Busters: Gavin Armstrong (Dobyns), Lucas Prewitt (Anderson), Landon Beasley (Oakland) So Ethan Lipsey is the clear favorite here, but there’s a few guys that have the skill set to beat him if he isn’t on top of his game. Pullen and Posey (Sounds like a law firm) are both potential future state champs if you ask me. Pullen is now a 3 time region champ, but has struggled to turn it into post season success. Posey came out of nowhere this year, after a very underwhelming freshman campaign. His only in-state losses are to Pullen, Bentley Ellison, and Caleb Uhorchuck…none of those are bad losses. All 3 are potentially state champs or finalists this year. He’d be on my shortlist for “Most Improved”. Then you have Judson Jarrett, who is coming off of back to back 3rd place finishes (and also got screwed by the bracket for not winning his region). Can he move up a step or 2 on the podium this year? This weight should be one of the most fun of the weekend. Based on the talent in this bracket, i’d say it’s P4P, from top to bottom, one of the best brackets as far as total talent involved. Predictions: 1. Ethan Lipsey (Bradley) 2. Damen Pullen (Collierville) 3. Michael Posey (Summit) 4. Judson Jarrett (Brentwood) 5. Gavin Armstrong (Dobyns) 6. Jacob Geiser (Houston) One Match Away: Landon Beasley (Oakland), Kaden Rice (Cleveland) First Round Matches To Watch: Rice vs Armstrong, Robinson vs Prewitt, Geiser vs Miller

thank you. i appreciate that

i have done exactly that in years past, but getting up at 4am for work now makes that alot harder lol

I’m gonna go ahead and apologize. I totally forgot the tournament started tomorrow and i now realize i started these way too late. I will do everything i can to atleast get predictions for each weight, but i don’t think i will have the time to go in-depth. I’m sorry y’all.

126- Favorites: Jarvis Little (Summit), Bentley Ellison (Cleveland), Hunter Heflin (Arlington) Bracket Busters: Tyler Hix (Cookeville), Ben Mayberry (Rossview), Coen Lovin (Maryville) 126 is one of the toughest weights to gauge in my opinion. You have 4-5 kids who all have a pretty legitimate shot at winning it all, including 4 returning medalists, and another stud freshman from Kingsport. Throw in Dy, Rubio, Lovin and Barbee..who have all been ranked at some point this season, not to mention any potential sleepers, and all of a sudden you have a “spin the wheel” situation for the bottom half of the podium. For the kids, it will probably be a stressful few days, but for us that get to watch, it’s gonna be a lot of fun! I struggled a lot with placement here. I think i had 3 different potential podiums before i finally settled on something. This weight also gives me deja vu. Last year at 120 lbs…the podium was, 1. Little 2. Heflin 3. Ellison 4. Mercante could we be seeing the same podium again? Or can Norman, Dy, Rubio, and Co. crash the party? You know what they say, history has a weird way of repeating itself Prediction: 1. Jarvis Little (Summit) 2. Hunter Heflin (Arlington) 3. Bentley Ellison (Cleveland) 4. Nick Mercante (Wilson) 5. Titus Norman (Dobyns) 6. Tyler Hix (Cookeville) One match away: Coen Lovin (Maryville), Ashton Dy (Hendersonville) First Round Matches To Watch: Dy vs Rubio, Hix vs Barbee, Hardoin vs Lovin Full disclosure: Before anyone says anything, yes, i do believe Norman should be 4, ahead of Mercante. But the way the bracket was drawn, Mercante has a much simpler path to the 3rd place match, while Norman in all likelihood would see Ellison or Heflin in the consolation semis. It’s a tough draw for Titus, but being that he’s only a freshman, i fully believe he will have his time at the top of the podium.

Next is 120! Favorites: Bryson Terrell (Bradley), Zac Bosken (Cleveland), Russell Ford (Indy) Bracket Busters: Zach Little (Summit), Chase Smalling (Science Hill), Kennedy Watterson (Dobyns), Jacob Hammond (Beech) We have 6 former/returning medalists here, but the top of the list consists of Terrell, Ford, and Bosken, who have 5 top 3 finishes between them. My not so bold prediction is that they add 3 more top 3 finishes between them this weekend. Terrell leads the pack as the only state champion, and in my opinion one of the top guys currently in the state P4P. But then it gets interesting. Bosken and Ford are very close, i almost flipped a coin on that matchup. And while we’re talking about that potential matchup, can i just say how much of a shame it is that it will happen in the 2nd round. The consensus #2-3 guys shouldn’t meet before the semis. But that’s a whole different argument involving T$$AA that i won’t get into. Beyond those top 3, it’s all about consistency and who can get hot at the right time. There should be a lot of very good matches at this weight, and where the dominos fall will depend heavily on who steps up and wants it more. I saw someone say this in a different thread, and i had a bit of an “ahhhhh mannn” moment because someone beat me to the punch, but Smalling and Watterson have both been sneaky good and i think they can compete with just about anyone, outside of maybe those top 3, but both are freshman and will only get better, and both are names that you will want to remember for the next 3 years. Prediction: 1. Bryson Terrell (Bradley) 2. Russell Ford (Indy) 3. Zac Bosken (Cleveland) 4. Trent Houston (Cookeville) 5. Zach Little (Summit) 6. Chase Smalling (Science Hill) One match away: Kennedy Watterson (Dobyns), Aslan Nadeau (Blackman) First Round Matches To Watch: Hammond vs Little, Bouma vs Smalling, Nadeau vs Watterson

just a former high school wrestler who loves the sport and enjoys watching it grow! I was never all that great, but i love the sport! i’ve been in and around it for over 15 years and have built up a good amount of knowledge. I wrestled at Beech under Coach Roberts and then spent a year at Hendersonville. I started contributing on these here boards when my younger brother was in school, and i’ve just been keeping up with it ever since! Just don’t ask @werazzlin about MatMaster LOL

Next up, 113: Favorites: Chase Walker (Cleveland), Mason Jakob (Dobyns) Bracket Busters: Kyler Groves (Bradley), Nick Collins (Rossview), Michael Johnson (Mt. Juliet), Nate Graham (Station Camp) 113 is a bit more complicated than 106, with 4 returning medalists, and an additional 4 guys that have been either ranked at some point this year, or atleast in the conversation. What that means is that there will be some very good, very deserving kids that will miss out on the podium. Outside of the 2 favorites and the other 3 returning medalists (S. Miller, Creque, Baltz)…Groves, Collins, Johnson, and Graham, as well as Connatser and Ferrer, could all make some noise and make their way onto the podium. While i think everyone expects a Walker vs Jakob final, the blood and medal rounds at this weight are going to be fireworks! Speaking of the final…Chase Walker is good. Chase Walker is very good, heck some might even say he’s borderline elite. And Chase Walker i think is head and shoulders above anyone else at this weight…except 1. Enter freshman phenom, Mason Jakob. I had the pleasure of watching Mason wrestle for the first time at state duals, and everything people say about him is true. Chase Walker is one of the very best in the state, but Mason is knocking on the door of being one of the very best in the entire country. I will not count Chase out for a second, don’t take this as a “Mason will run through him”, because that’s not what i’m saying. I think Chase puts up a good fight, but at the end of the day i just don’t see anyone being on Mason’s level. Prediction: 1. Mason Jakob (Dobyns) 2. Chase Walker (Cleveland) 3. Colby Baltz (Houston) 4. Stiles Miller (Science Hill) 5. Nate Graham (Station Camp) 6. Chase Creque (Siegel) One match away: Brock Connatser (Walker Valley), Kyler Groves (Bradley) 1st Round Matches To Watch: D. Miller vs Graham, Groves vs Collins, Creque vs Johnson

Starting at 106- Favorite: Jose Cordero (Cleveland) Bracket Busters: Reed Loeffel (Brentwood), Bryce Pulitzer (Dobyns), Aiden Lindsay (Warren Co.), Nick Moore (Houston) So theoretically this should very well be the Jose Cordero show. He’s proven to be the top guy at this weight ever since entering the lineup for the Blue Raiders. That being said, Rincon (Bradley) has wrestled him very close this season, and Colson (Blackman) holds a decision win over him this year..meaning that he is not unbeatable. Lucky for Jose, he wouldn’t face either of them until the final, after they likely have to go through each other in the semis. I think these 3 are the consensus top 3 for a reason and fully expect them to go 1 2 3 in some order. I would also expect whoever does come out of that bottom half, to absolutely bring it and throw everything they have at Jose, which should make for an exciting final. Prediction: 1. Jose Cordero (Cleveland) 2. Sebron Colson (Blackman) 3. Miguel Rincon (Bradley) 4. Chase Fisher (Wilson) 5. Reed Loeffel (Brentwood) 6. Blaise Masi (Summit) One match away: Nick Moore (Houston), Bryce Pulitzer (Dobyns) 1st round matches to watch: Fisher vs Lindsay

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages..Bump11 proudly brings to you…his 2023 T$$AA state championship tournament previews and predictions! I will do my very best to go a little in depth at every weight class and give you my personal predictions, as well as some potential bracket busters (guys who are not currently ranked, even if they had been ranked previously) and matches to watch. It will take me a couple of days to get them all up but i will try to do a couple here and there as i have time Disclaimer: These are solely my opinion on the brackets. And while i will stay unbiased, being in middle TN, i only get to watch guys around here for the most part, outside of the top guys elsewhere. If i miss someone that could be a dark horse from the west or east, it is simply because i do not have as much knowledge on the lesser known commodities outside of Middle TN. With that being said, please bear with me if i miss anyone! And as always, if you don’t like it, feel free to give your own personal predictions!

i know. that’s irrelevant to the question i was answering though. the question was, “when was the last time someone other than cleveland or bradley won?” 2012 is the last time someone other than cleveland or bradley won.

the lack of true seeding is glaring. a few finals will happen before the final. and a few medalists will medal solely because of draw.

Soddy in 2012. However to find a champ other than those 3, you have to go all the way back to 2000 when Clarksville won it

none of these are upsets

Ryan holds a .5 point lead on Baylor going into the finals. Ryan has 5 in the finals, Baylor has 6. They face off at 106 and 145, two very crucial matches that likely will determine who wins the team title.

we absolutely should

Well the award isn’t “Best Wrestler”. It’s “Most Outstanding Wrestler”. And it’s solely based on the state tournament, not the season as a whole. Which means it’s based on who was the most impressive at the state tournament. That’s not always the P4P best guy pinning everyone in the first period like he’s supposed to. Every year there are multiple kids deserving of MOW. Nobody is ever going to unanimously agree on who it is though. If you wanna do a straight up “Best Wrestler” award, then there should be a “Wrestler of The Year” award given before the state tournament that coaches and media access the state can vote on. And make a rule where you can’t vote for your own kids, or even from your own region, to minimize any bias.

Posey wrestled Ellison very close at duals. Kid is forreal. After that match he became #2 in my eyes.

Region 6AA at 152 Coen Myers of Beech dec Ethan Cunningham in the region final.