cowcatcherII

You are correct GruncleD. It is truly amazing what they have accomplished!

I got this idea from an ESPN article and thought it would be interesting to start a conversation around what people view as the best programs around the state for all divisions. I have compiled data from the duals and traditional tournaments over the past 5 years and considered numerous factors such as recent success, current roster, coaching, tradition, middle school/kids club, expectations, facilities, support/resources, and how hard/easy it is to win. I categorized what I viewed as the top 20 programs in state based on these factors into 5 tiers… I will preface all this by saying that all the below is relative to success and winning at the team’s current classification. I by no means am trying to say I think Boyd Buchanan would beat a big school team that may not be included on the list for example. Tier I—The Perennial Powers: Cleveland, Baylor, Father Ryan, Bradley Central, Pigeon Forge, Signal Mountain Tier II—Proven Contenders: CBHS, Wilson Central, MBA, Blackman Tier III—Rising Stars: Summit, Dobyns-Bennett, Brentwood, Halls Tier IV—Sleeping Giants: McCallie, Soddy Daisy, Science Hill Tier V—Under the Radar Gems: Lakeway, Maryville, Boyd Buchanan My Top 20 programs in order… KEY Year (dual finish/traditional finish) DNQ—Did Not Qualify DNS—Did Not Score E8—Elite 8 for duals S16—Sweet 16 for duals 1. Cleveland The business model Allan Jones devised has been revolutionary and situates the Blue Raiders at #1 in these rankings. Cleveland is the only program in the state to have won both the duals and traditional tournaments in each of the past 5 years of data that I analyzed. Led by former NCAA qualifier Joey Knox, the Raider’s coaching staff is second to none. Josh Bosken’s success at the kid’s club level has paved the way for the program’s rein at the high school level. With the unbelievable backing and support that donors and the community show for this program, I do not expect this dynasty to slow down for the next 10-20+ years. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (1/1), 2022 (1/1), 2021 (1/1), 2020 (1/1), 2019 (1/1) 2. Baylor Baylor’s business model centered around recruiting and importing talent at the high school level may be the opposite of Cleveland’s but it has shown to be just as successful. The Red Raiders would have matched Cleveland in winning both the duals and traditional tournaments each of the past 5 years if it were not for Father Ryan’s historic upset over Baylor in this year’s state duals final. Baylor’s tradition is second to none and has the resources to travel and compete nationally. Three different coaches (Jim Morgan, Ben Nelson, and Rex Kendle) have won multiple state titles at Baylor in the past 20 years proving it will be difficult to derail this big red freight train. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (2/1), 2022 (1/1), 2021 (1/1), 2020 (1/1), 2019 (1/1) 3. Father Ryan Father Ryan has been the only team in the state to consistently challenge Baylor in DII. Pat Simpson is the longest tenured coach in the state and arguably the best, and he continues to produce top end talent year over year. Despite all his success, the Purple Irish had not won a title in the past 5 years until their recent upset over Baylor in the duals this year. The Nashville Catholic Wrestling Club has provided a powerful pipeline of talent. While Father Ryan remains the premier program in middle TN, it will be interesting to see where we will view them in 5-10 years from now with the emergence of other programs in the area that may potentially pluck some of that talent. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (1/2), 2022 (2/2), 2021 (4/3), 2020 (E8/4), 2019 (4/4) 4. Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge is led by Greg Foreman who I believe is best coach in the state behind the previously mentioned Simpson at Ryan. Foreman’s program has dominated the small school division since the big/small school split. Pigeon Forge won either the duals or traditional 6 of 7 years spanning from ’15-’21 and has failed to finish worse than 3rd in the traditional tournament under Foreman’s leadership. Before Soddy Daisy upset the Tigers this year, they had qualified for the duals every year since the big/small school split. I do think that the inception of Lakeway in 2020 hurt Pigeon Forge, but this is undoubtedly a top 5 program in Tennessee right now. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (DNQ/3), 2022 (3/3), 2021 (2/1), 2020 (1/1), 2019 (1/1) 5. Signal Mountain Signal Mountain has become synonymous with the name Uhorchuk, and I do think that the Uhorchuk name alone has made this a top 5 program over the past 5 years. I will be interested to see how they do once the brothers have all moved on, but for now, they still have two. The hiring of Houston Clements helped the Eagles finally get over the hump as they won the duals in ’22, and he’s done a good job developing a strong supporting cast around the Uhorchuks. Signal and Pigeon Forge may not be able to beat some of the DII and AA teams on this list, but it’s a lot easier to win a state title when you don’t have to go through Cleveland and Baylor every year. That said, Soddy Daisy is on the rise and could have a hold on the division for the foreseeable future. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (2/2), 2022 (1/2), 2021 (3/2), 2020 (E8/4), 2019 (E8/2) 6. Bradley Central There is no program more prideful in the state of Tennessee than Bradley Central. I would have this program/job higher on my list if it were not for the fact that their biggest rival is Cleveland. The expectations at Bradley are to win titles and their cross-town rival has made that an extremely difficult task to accomplish. Talent at Bradley has never been an issue, but they will need to put more of an emphasis on the development of their kid’s club (Pride) and middle school (Lake Forest) before they can truly challenge Cleveland for the crown. This is undoubtedly a top 10 job and has the potential to be a top 3 job, but new coach Bryant Blackmon will have his work cut out for him. Based on the current roster situation, the Bears are likely to take a step back next season and will undergo a rebuild. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (2/4), 2022 (2/2), 2021 (E8/3), 2020 (3/4), 2019 (2/4) 7. McCallie I was debating on whether to put MBA here, but although it has been a while, McCallie has a rich history of success in wrestling, and ultimately, I think they have more potential to challenge for a state title than MBA will going forward. McCallie has the same resources as Baylor and can “recruit” kids from all over the country as boarding students. The facilities are incredible. I see McCallie as a sleeping giant that has consistently failed to reach its full potential over the past 15-20 years. Jake Yost’s tenure has been disappointing to say the least. I thought this was a homerun hire at the time. Outside of 2019, the Blue Tornado hasn’t been a true contender since his arrival. Based on the information fed to me on this board, it sounds like the McCallie’s admin. is showing a renewed commitment to bringing in talent and Yost seems to be making the right moves in what will likely be a make-or-break season for him. Again, this program is a sleeping giant and it’s not a question of if they will be back on top, but when. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (DNQ/8), 2022 (DNQ/7), 2021 (DNQ/4), 2020 (3/3), 2019 (2/2) 8. Soddy Daisy A year ago, I would have considered Soddy Daisy a sleeping giant like McCallie. The Trojans have a long history of winning at a high level, and this entire community loves and supports wrestling. The move down to the small school division certainly makes this job much more attractive and elevates Soddy to a top 10 program in my mind. Following the retirement of legendary Coach Steve Henry, this program experienced a freefall that mirrored my Vols after Fulmer. But also like my Vols, Soddy finally found the right man for the job in Ulric Winesburgh. Winesburgh’s hiring of Shane Turner as an assistant was genius as well. Had it not been for some issues surrounding making weight, Soddy may have won both the duals and traditional this year. The Trojans return 13 of 14 starters and are the clear favorite to win Class A next season. Their middle school and kids club only trails Cleveland in my opinion. The bleached blonde boys from Soddy are back! Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (3/6), 2022 (DNQ/21), 2021 (DNQ/DNS), 2020 (DNQ/19), 2019 (DNQ/48) 9. Wilson Central Wilson Central is the only team in the top 10 on this list that has never won a state title. They remind me a lot of Signal Mountain a few years ago. They have consistently contended, and it just feels like a matter of time before they finally break through. The difference…the Wildcats won’t have the benefit of Cleveland taking even a small step back like Pigeon Forge did once Lakeway was created. John Kramer is as good of a coach as any and seems to be doing all the right things. His teams have finished no worse than 4th in both the duals and traditional tournaments the past 5 years. They would be higher on my list if it were not for the #1 ranked team standing in their way. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (4/3), 2022 (3/4), 2021 (2/2), 2020 (2/2), 2019 (3/2) 10. CBHS CBHS is the only team to have won a State Traditional title other than Baylor or Father Ryan since the public/private split…WOW! Although Memphis is not known for its wrestling, CBHS has the geographical advantage of having a firm grasp over all the top talent in the West-TN region. Houston and Collierville will occasionally produce, but when you think of wrestling in the western half of the state, your mind automatically goes to those classic retro purple and yellow warmups. Had Chris Lewis stayed longer, the Purple Wave might be higher on the list. Head Coach Derek Harrison has done a fine job filling some big shoes left behind by Lewis. Unfortunately, they will struggle finding ways to even the playing field as long as Baylor continues to recruit as such a high level. Dual/Traditional Finish Last 5 years: 2023 (4/5), 2022 (3/4), 2021 (2/2), 2020 (2/2), 2019 (3/3) 11. MBA: 2023 (3/3), 2022 (4/5), 2021 (3/7), 2020 (4/5), 2019 (E8/5) 12. Dobyns-Bennett: 2023 (3/5), 2022 (E8/7), 2021 (E8/4), 2020 (E8/5), 2019 (DNQ/12) 13. Summit: 2023 (E8/2), 2022 (4/6), 2021 (3/5), 2020 (DNQ/31), 2019 (DNQ/26) 14. Greeneville: 2023 (S16/4) ,2022 (2/1), 2021 (S16/ 3) 2020 (5/3) 2019 (3/3) 15. Science Hill: 2023 (DNQ/6), 2022 (DNQ/10), 2021 (4/35), 2020 (S16/6), 2019 (E8/3) 16. Lakeway: 2023 (2/4), 2022 (1/3), 2021 (DNQ/5) (11-16): Young talented coaches Patrick Simpson at MBA and Wes Idlette at DB have elevated their programs since taking over. MBA has a long-standing tradition but has always been on the outside looking in with Ryan, Baylor, and even McCallie until recently. DB and Summit are two programs to keep eyes on the next 5 years. I would expect both to be top 10/borderline top 5 programs/jobs in the next few years. Tony DeAngelo has done a remarkable job building Lakeway into an immediate contender and even won a small/private school duals title in the program’s second ever season. If they can fully overtake Pigeon Forge in that area, watch out! Randy Shelton has made Greeneville a great place and has arguably producer the four most successful wrestlers to come out of TN in the last two decades with the Dupill brothers, Kodiak Cannedy, and Hunter Mason. He was a proven winner prior to their arrival, but his program will enter a rebuild as it only returns one medalist, that being the youngest Dupill, Carson, a 2x State Champion. 17. Brentwood: 2023 (E8/8), 2022 (DNQ/15), 2021 (DNQ/37), 2020 (DNQ/9), 2019 (DNQ/9) 18. Knoxville Halls: 2023 (1/1), 2022 (DNQ/6), 2021 (DNQ/10), 2020 (S16/13), 2019 (S16/20) 19. Blackman: 2023 (DNQ/9), 2022 (DNQ/3), 2021 (DNQ/6), 2020 (4/3), 2019 (E8/5) 20. Maryville: 2023 (E8/6), 2022 (E8/8), 2021 (DNQ/17), 2020 (S16/29), 2019 (S16/35) Honorable Mention - Boyd Buchanan: 2023 (1/7), 2022 (DNQ/9), 2021 (DNQ/10), 2020 (DNQ/7), 2019 (DNQ/DNS) (17-20, HM): I really like what Damon Smith is doing at Brentwood. With so many quality teams in that general vicinity, this is a tough job, but this program appears to be on the up and up. Halls would be much higher on my list if they were not moving up to big school next year. Still, they have a great kids club and a lot of returning talent on their roster. Maryville will always be a football school, first and foremost, but they have been a mainstay for state duals appearances and will always have a pipeline of upper weight talent. They will need to find some studs in the lower weights if they ever want to become a true title challenger. If it were not for the black cloud and uncertainty surrounding the Blackman program, they would be higher on this list as well. I suspect the recent unfortunate developments at Blackman will take a toll on the program and turn kids away from the sport. It will be imperative that they make a good hire with a new coach that the kids can trust. Mike Sutherland showed that you really can win anywhere this year with his Buccaneers winning the DII small school duals. That program is overshadowed by the others in Chattanooga since it lacks history, but they have talent and do a great job developing kids from a young age. Please let me know what you think I missed. I would love to hear what others think! Enjoy!

This is staggering. We might as well rename the divisions rich and poor LOL. I can't believe there are that many families that can afford these schools. So Bob and others that understand how the financial aid thing works in the rich division, do you think McCallie's problem has been that their administration just hasn't been on board with giving recruits the full amount of financial aid that they qualify for in comparison to Baylor and Father Ryan for instance? By and large, what percentage of the roster of these good rich division schools do we think receives some sort of aid? Just curious. I have no clue.

Very informative. Thanks, Bobby!

Great interview! Rocco is a great human being. Well done young man. I look forward to seeing more!

Fair point. We can trash them all we want, and I know I have because I do not think it's necessarily fair the way the rules are designed, but as long as it's within the rules, it's hard to knock on Baylor or McCallie for "recruiting." And you definitely cannot fault anyone for wanting to send their kids to one of these schools if you have the opportunity to go for a discounted tuition fee. I have been very critical of Yost and McCallie with my previous posts, but I will say again, that I do hope they turn it around. Wrestling in TN and especially DII is better when McCallie is a contender and thought of as the EBE. As to my point about the rules not necessarily being fair, I just don't see how it can be realistic for Father Ryan, CBHS and MBA to consistently challenge boarding schools like Baylor and McCallie year over year when they can offer substantial financial aid to kids from all over. To me, it seems like Baylor and McCallie could finish #1 and #2 interchangeably every year if they really wanted to considering the resources both have. Baylor has essentially committed to that already. To Ryan's credit, they have managed to compete somehow (I guess through the Nash. Cath. WC) and it seems like MBA is headed down the right path. Maybe someone who knows more than me can speak to the specifics regarding the TSSAA rules. Is there something in place that restricts the amount of financial aid/scholarship money that a team in D2 can employ? For instance, D2 feels the way college football used to feel before there was a rule that you could only have a max. number of scholarship players on your roster. D2 is essentially a two horse race every year between Baylor and Ryan with CBHS occasionally challenging. A rule comparable to college football's might help even the playing field for other teams to consistently compete, which I think would help make the division more fun and competitive. 2022 was a great example of what I am talking about... no one wants to see a Baylor dual meet in the state finals. I think they had like 11 finalists that year?

I would agree as well. When you weigh the positives and negatives of the Yost hire at McCallie, bringing Pitts in was about the only net positive I can see to this point in his tenure. Had McCallie hired Pitts for the head job, I doubt we would even be having this conversation. All in all, the facts speak for themselves... McCallie is a far cry away from what they used to be when we referred to them as the EBE (Evil Blue Empire) on this board during the Connell era. At a place like McCallie, you just can't lose to schools like CCS and fail to have a single state finalist. Yost will be entering year 7 or 8 I believe and will be coaching for his job next season. If you're a McCallie backer, you would like to see some upward progression, and it's been downward regression the past few years. It sounds like Yost is making the right moves though going into a make or break season if the rumors are true regarding the recruits.

Spot on. Quite frankly, I am surprised that McCallie has still employed Yost. His results have been abysmal. To say McCallie has the best staff in the state like durdon claims is just ludicrous. I get that he is loyal to the coaches that trained his son, and I respect that, but the McCallie program has become a joke in D2 under Yost's leadership. From what I have seen, there seems to be a lack of engagement between he and his wrestlers. Rarely does he even coach his wrestlers at tournaments. I still see Newman, Connell, and the other muscular guy coaching most matches. Yost films which I find extremely odd from a head coach. I don't know if it's a lack of interest or what, but McCallie honestly deserves better when you're paying $30-60k to go to school there.

What a weekend for the Fowler family and Cleveland wrestling. Congratulations to the program and coaches!

I knew these schools were expensive but wow that is insanely expensive...more than most colleges! I did do some research and found that it costs $32,880 to be a day student at McCallie. It costs $33,500 to go to MBA. Maybe the Blue Tornado needs to take a page out of MBA playbook. They have found success with equal or higher academic/tuition standards than McCallie's. To you point durdon, it certainly helps when you can give scholarships like Baylor has. Yes, Baylor was obviously super successful during the Jim Morgan era, but their national success over the past 5 years definitely seems like it has been shopped for and bought $$$. When you think about it, it really makes what Cleveland and Father Ryan have done all the more impressive.

Logan Fowler, JoJo Uhorchuk, and Max Norman are national champions! Congratulations!!! Way to represent the state of Tennessee!

I can appreciate your support of your team, durdon! That staff has underperformed mightily though... and that program has been a complete dumpster fire. If the the staff is the best in the state, they shouldn't need to get all the kids that Baylor has been getting into school. One would think the "best" coaches would develop the talent they have... I have seen the opposite. They were out-coached and out-performed by a Chattanooga Christian who beat them in '22 and took them to the wire in '23. That should provide evidence of how far this once proud program has fallen off into obscurity. Having said this, I do hope they turn it around. Tennessee wrestling is better when McCallie can compete.

Freshmen -JoJo Uhorchuk and Mason Jakob both will wrestle in the finals tomorrow at 106 and 113 respectively -Ryder Smith will wrestle for 3rd place at 195, and Titus Norman will wrestle for 7th place at 132 Sophomores -"Mad Max" Norman will wrestle in the finals tomorrow at 160 -Ethan Uhorchuk will wrestle for 3rd at 120 and Cy Fowler will wrestle for 5th at 160 Juniors -Logan Fowler will wrestle in the finals at 145lbs -Jarvis Little (126) and Rob Atwood (220) will wrestle for 5th while Garrett Crowder wrestles for 7th Seniors -Ethan Lipsey will wrestle for 5th at 132, and Bentley Ellison (126) and Logan Heckert (170) will wrestle for 7th Congratulations to our 13 All-Americans! Dobyns-Bennett: 4 Cleveland: 3 Signal Mountain: 2 Bradley Central, Trousdale County, Sycamore, CCS: 1 Best of luck to these young men tomorrow!

Freshmen -JoJo Uhorchuk, Mason Jakob, Ryder Smith all advance to the semis -Titus Norman is our only other wrestler still alive in the consis Sophomores -Ethan Uhorchuk and Max Norman advance to the semis -Chase Walker, Casen Roark, Brayden Leach, Brody Casto, Cy Fowler, Lucas Szymborski, and Tyson Russell all in consis

Juniors -Jarvis Little (126), Logan Fowler (145), Rob Atwood (220), and Garrett Crowder (220) all into the quarters -Other notables: Joe Calvin (120), Hunter Heflin (126), Spencer Reep (126), Arash Yazdani (132), Damen Pullen (138), Aidan Howard (182), Jake Stacey (182) all in the consis -4 in quarters, 18 in consis Seniors -Bentley Ellison (126), Ethan Lipsey (132), and Logan Heckert (170) all into the quarters -Other notables: Caleb Uhorchuk (120), Caleb Gumlick (138), Finley Jameson (152), Aidan Brenot (170), Wyatt Gibbs (170), Kendrick Curtis (195), all in the consis -3 in quarters, 14 in consis Looking at the brackets, I see that Caleb Uhorchuk injury defaulted 25 seconds into his first match. Anyone have an update on him or know what happened? In total, 16 of 68 wrestlers from TN in the quarters. Not bad at all!!! Cleveland with 3 of those. Very impressive!

It looks like Freshmen and Sophomore divisions are done for the day. We have 9 in the quarters between the two divisions. Solid showing so far! Freshmen -JoJo Uhorchuk (106), Mason Jakob (113), Titus Norman (132), and Ryder Smith (195) all into the quarters -Other notables: Jose Cordero, Tanner Tran, and Samuel Comes all in the consis at 106, Ayden Hood at 138 -4 in quarters, 16 in consis Sophomores -Ethan Uhorchuk (120), Casen Roark (126), Brody Casto (152), Cy Fowler (160), Max Norman (160) all into the quarters -Other notables: Chase Walker (113), Cole Gumlick (120), Zac Bosken (120), Ethan Lampert (120), Brody Gobbell (126), Brayden Leach (145), Wyatt Howard (152), Jackson Davis (152), Lucas Szymborski (170), Tyson Russell (195) all in the consis -5 in quarters, 20 in consis

"subpar" is being generous. McCallie has been atrocious under Yost the past two years. If they do not have a significant turn around next year, I suspect we will all be discussing who his replacement will be this time next year. I could be mistaken, but I do not think McCallie has beaten Baylor in the past 20 years or Father Ryan in the past 15. While they have had some good individuals from time to time, I don't think anyone has taken them serious as a team in that division in quite some time. Might I add, ZERO state team titles since Connell's crew won the duals in '06. I also do not believe Connell or Newman ever lost to a team like MBA in their tenures. MBA put a drubbing on Yost and the big blue.

Nationally ranked wrestlers competing this weekend... https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/10776785-all-the-ranked-wrestlers-at-2023-nhsca-high-school-nationals Shout out to the following guys from Tennessee for being mentioned! JoJo Uhorchuk - #9 at 106lbs Tanner Tran - HM at 106lbs Gabe Moore - HM at 182lbs Ethan Uhorchuk - HM at 120lbs Casen Roark - HM at 126lbs Max Norman - HM at 160lbs Jarvis Little - HM at 126lbs Logan Fowler - HM at 152lbs Caleb Uhorchuk - HM at 120lbs Aidan Brenot - HM at 170lbs Surprised that Mason Jakob wasn't on the list. Hopefully he and some of the others on this list join JoJo in the top 20 after the weekend. I predict the following (in order) have the best chance of finding the podium... 1. JoJo Uhorchuk (Fr.) 2. Mason Jakob (Fr.) 3. Max Norman (Soph.) 4. Casen Roark (Soph.) 5. Caleb Uhorchuk (Sr.) 6. Logan Fowler (Jr.) 7. Jarvis Little (Jr.) 8. Aidan Brenot (Sr.)

I do not believe so. My friends at BC tell me that Blackmon was the choice all along. It turns out that my list appeared to be more of a wish list from some of the parents and a few alumni close to the program. The community is very supportive of Blackmon and believes he will do a great job. They will need to give him some time though. As rasslinking said previously, the Bears graduate 8 quality seniors. That star studded senior class couldn't beat Cleveland this year. I expect Cleveland to be even better next year, so it's hard when you're Blackmon coming in and a lot of people will assess you based on how you do against Cleveland. I do believe this is a critical juncture for the Bradley Central program. Historically, when you look at proud programs like Soddy Daisy, McCallie, Baylor, CBHS, and Hixson, the transition from a longtime impressive coach to someone new is monumental. Soddy Daisy slumped significantly after legendary coach Steve Henry retired. It's taken them close to 10 years to finally rebound. To their credit, they gave Ulric Winesburgh time and their patience was rewarded once they found the right guy. To all of my fellow Vol fans, think about the tough times following the Fulmer era. McCallie hasn't been the same since Gordon Connell retired and neither has CBHS since the departure of Chris Lewis to MUS. Hixson completely fell off the map this year following the retirement of Garrick Hall. What I like about this hire for Bradley is the parallel between this and the path Baylor took following Jim Morgan's long and impressive tenure. Baylor had Ben Nelson succeed Morgan who had previously served as an assistant, and Rex Kendle then took over after Nelson moved on, and he also had served as an assistant. I expect Bradley's path after Logsdon's retirement with Ben Smith and now Bryant Blackmon to prove beneficial. I may be wrong but keeping it within the family seems like a safe and likely wise move. I would give this hire a solid B+/A- but time will tell. Rasslinking is certainly right. Blackmon must make the kids club and middle school a top priority if he plans on contending with their cross-town rival.

LOL!!! In all seriousness, Cougar's head and heart are in the right place. Unfortunately, I think it boils down to the fact that the general masses are not as interested in women's wrestling right now as they are compared to men's. That is why with this event, for example, you had a donor willing to fund the gear for the boys, but not the girls. Simply put, that is where we are right now. That is a theme with all sports at all levels. Take the NBA v. the WNBA. If you offer a random person courtside seats to watch the Lakers play the Celtics or the LA Aces v. the Chicago Sky, I don't know many people that wouldn't pick the NBA game. Why? The level of play is so much higher watching Lebron James than it is at a WNBA game. These are just facts. Can women's wrestling still grow and become popular in Tennessee? Of course, and I think it will! While the general UFC fan is still more interested in watching two men battle it out in the octagon, the emergence of individual stars and rivalries like Rousey v. Tate/Holm, Shevchenko, Nunes, etc. have helped it grow into the mainstream. You just have to give it time. Women's wrestling in Tennessee is still a very new concept to most.

Thank you CoachBosken for an insightful post that actually added substance to the conversation. Cougars130 just sounds like one of those angry liberals that likes to complain about everything. LOL!

From what I am hearing from those close to the program, Blackmon seems to be the front runner but others are being considered. Here are the names that I am hearing... all very highly qualified candidates! First 3 in the family Bryant Blackmon · 2004 State Champion at Bradley under the Godfather, Steve Logsdon, finished 2nd in 2003 · Brings head coaching experience from serving as the head coach at Ooltewah HS and Greenback HS · Wrestled with his brother, Rusty, at Oklahoma State for a year under legendary Cowboy coach John Smith on the 2005 National Championship team · Spent time as an assistant at Walker Valley HS and most recently under Ben Smith at Bradley Heath Eslinger · 2x SoCon Coach of the Year (2011, 2013) at UTC · Led Mocs to 6 regular season SoCon titles and 5 SoCon tournament titles · #2 in UTC history for career head coaching wins with a 101-61 dual meet record · One of the drivers to the start of Cleveland’s historic run as their head coach prior to UTC · Assistant at UTC under legendary Terry Brands from 2002-2004 · 3x SoCon Champion and 3x NCAA qualifier · 2x State Champion at Bradley · https://gomocs.com/sports/wr/roster/coaches/heath-eslinger/500 Shawn Cordell · 3x Tennessee State Champion at Bradley in 2001, 2002, and 2004 · Coaching tree includes wrestling under the Godfather, Steve Logsdon and at UTC for 3x World Team member and National Champion Chris Bono · Assistant under Ben Smith Other 3 outside the family... Chris Dieben · Current Baylor School assistant under Rex Kendle where they have won 2 State Traditional titles and 1 Dual title · 4x Tennessee State Champion · HS National Champion · Could likely add his father, Eric Phillips, to the staff · 2x SoCon Champion and 2x NCAA qualifier at UTC · https://www.baylorschool.org/directory/profile/~const-id/62106 · https://gomocs.com/sports/wr/roster/chris-debien/6831 Houston Clements · Current Signal Mountain head coach · 2022 State Duals Champions · 2nd in Traditional in 2022, 2023, and 2nd in Duals in 2023 · 2x All-American at Baylor School, wrestled collegiately at North Carolina · https://goheels.com/sports/wrestling/roster/houston-clements/5862 · Would the Uhorchuks follow him to Bradley??? Greg Foreman · 5x State Dual Champions (2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) · 4x State Dual Runner-Up (2012, 2013, 2016, 2021) · 6x State Traditional Champions (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021) · This one seems the least likely given Foreman and his family would have to move cities Prediction - I think they are going to try to convince Eslinger to take it, he'll turn it down, and they will keep it in the family with Blackmon. I hear a lot are high on the idea of Clements or Dieben though. I still think Blackmon will end up being the guy. Should have an announcement soon.

They better fly Cael Sanderson in if they want to have a shot at beating Cleveland. I wonder if there's any chance Logsdon would come out of retirement? It seems like more and more retired coaches have the itch to get back into it these days. Heath Eslinger? Plenty of great options. I suspect this will be an extremely highly sought after job. If they keep it in the family, I think the most likely candidates are Bryant Blackmon and Shawn Cordell. If they expand the search, I would look at giving Greg Foreman a call at Pigeon Forge. With his son being gone now, he might be ready for a change. He would bring a ton of experience and is a proven winner. If you go after one of the up and comers, I think your list has to include Pete Miller at Summit, Ed Holland or Chris Dieben at Baylor, Houston Clements at Signal, and Ulric Winesburgh as Soddy.

With another great season behind us, I wanted to post my annual Class (A) Way-Too-Early Top 5 for next year. #1 Soddy Daisy Returning Starters: 13/14* I am including 106lber Micah Hilton as a starter since he was there and did well all season prior to Dyer’s arrival, and 113lber Tyson Flavin. Returning State Qualifiers: 7 Returning State Placers (6): Elijah Turner (2nd), Braylen Cosper (3rd), Drew Lewis (3rd), Charles Duncan (5th), Logan Rawlinson (6th), Tucker Ross (6th) Key Losses (2): Cole Dyer, William Whalen (State Qualifier—SQ) Notes: I believe this has a chance to be one of the all-time best teams to come through since the big/small school split. On paper they remind me of the ’21 Pigeon Forge team that qualified 13 and placed 9. I expect Turner, Cosper, Flavin, and Duncan to all be contenders or favorites to win their weight classes next season. I have Signal as my 2nd best team, and I don’t see them coming close to the Trojans next season. This Soddy team will be special! Winesburgh has done a great job restoring the glory to this proud program. #2 Signal Mountain Returning Starters: 7/14 Returning State Qualifiers: 5 Returning State Placers (4): JoJo Uhorchuk (Champion), Ethan Uhorchuk (Champion), Jackson Davis (3rd), Luke Higdon (5th) Key Losses (4): Caleb Uhorchuk (Champion), Jacob Winchester (6th), Jackson Owens (SQ), Daniel Odom (SQ) Notes: One less Uhorchuk…we can all take a sigh of relief LOL! Signal will definitely have some question marks to going into the year, but with 4 returning placers and 2 Uhorchuks, Signal will rack up the points in a tournament quickly. I do remember thinking Signal would take a step back after they lost all of those seniors in ’21 on the team that finished 2nd behind Pigeon Forge, and then they brought Clements in and they won the state duals that next year so maybe they will surprise me, but I just don’t see any way they can beat Soddy. For the first time in a long time, it feels like it might be a battle for 2nd place in Class A. #3 Pigeon Forge Returning Starters: 10/14 Returning State Qualifiers: 5 Returning State Placers (3): Aiden Howard (2nd), Ayden Hood (3rd), Wyatt Howard (5th) Key Losses (3): Caleb Wolfe (Champion), Andy Cable (2nd, 2x Champion), Aiden Littles (2nd) Notes: After winning 6 state titles in 7 years from 2015-2021, Pigeon Forge will have an uphill battle to get back on top, but this roster returns plenty of talent. Both Howards should be favorites to win their weight classes next year. I thought Wyatt underperformed this year in the state tournament, but I expect him to rebound in a big way. This group returns 10 starters, and this program has a reputation for doing a fantastic job in developing talent. As long as Coach Foreman is at the helm, you can expect the Tigers to remain at the top. #4 Anderson County Returning Starters: 11/14 Returning AA State Qualifiers (3): Evan Prewitt, Josh Bingham, Ayden Derry Returning AA State Placers: 0 Key Losses (2): Gabriel Dietlin (SQ), Lucas Prewitt (SQ) Notes: As much as I love the Single A division for its parity amongst the teams in comparison to D2 and AA, I was reminded how much of a talent gap there is between A and AA when I was watching the state tournament this year. I believe the Single A champions could hold their own or beat many of the champions in AA and D2, but outside of that, there is a substantial difference, and I think Anderson County (coming down) and Halls (moving up) will show that. AC returns a super experienced team and should be great in duals. As a matter of fact, if these rankings were based on duals, I might have them at #2. While I do not expect them to beat Soddy, I will note that they edged Soddy out this year at the Maryville Invitational. #5 Eagleville Returning Starters: 11/14 Returning State Qualifiers: 6 Returning State Placers (2): Brody McLemore (2nd), Thomas Solomon (6th) Key Losses (1): Zachary Lewis (SQ) Notes: While they only return 2 placers, Eagleville returns 11 starters and 6 qualifiers that will make them a formidable test for anyone outside of Soddy in my opinion. This 5th slot could have easily gone to any of the 4 teams I have listed below on the waiting list, but I think Eagleville’s depth sets them apart. Waiting List Gibbs, Fairview, Green Hill, Tullahoma My one burning question for the off season Where does Greeneville go from here? I have grown so accustomed to seeing them in the mix that it almost feels weird not having them in there. Outside of Carson Dupill, they may not have a single placer next year. I have also heard Dupill may be on his way out to team up with Mason Jakob at DB...?

If you don't understand 1-0 scores, you must not watch much high level wrestling at all. I encourage you to watch the NCAA tournament in a couple weeks.