Seven Teenagers Chasing a Perfect Season

[bbb]

The 50th state high school wrestling tournament begins Thursday at 4 p.m. central in Franklin and seven teenagers will take the first step tomorrow afternoon towards their goal of an undefeated season.

 

These seven wrestlers must win five matches between Thursday afternoon and the championship finals on Saturday to reach that dream of perfection.

 

TSSAA State Tournament:

Thursday-Saturday; Williamson County Agricultural Expo in Franklin; Exit 61 on I-65;

Tickets: $10; Parking; $5

Thursday: D-I Round of 32 starts at 4 p.m. (central), followed by round of 16

Friday: 10 a.m. – noon; Championship quarters for D-I and D-II; 6 p.m. – D-I and D-II championship semis

Noon: Girls’ round of 16 and quarters; 5 p.m. – Girls’ championship semis

Saturday: 5 p.m. – championship finals for D-I and D-II

Girls’ medal matches and finals begin at noon.

 

The Seven Undefeated Wrestlers

 

*112 – BLAKE THOMAS (Sr., Brentwood, 2x state medalist) is 33-0 (160-23 for a career); picked up his 100th career pin in region finals; as the No. 1 seed, Thomas opens the tournament against Evan McCatchen (So., Bolton); past medalist Madison Martin (Red Bank) and No. 4 seed state medalist Kendall Kermick (Jr., Germantown) could meet in the second round in the top half of the bracket; Thomas’ last loss was to Dustin Gardner in the 2009 112-pound final;

 

in bottom half, No. 2 state medalist Nick Maxwell (Jr., Karns) and No. 3 state medalist Grayson Mullin (So., Notre Dame) could meet in the semis; but unseeded region champ Jericho Crutcher (So., Bradley Central) could spoil things and face Thomas in the final; Crutcher and Mullin could meet in the quarters.

 

*130 - LOGAN HENLEY (Jr. Signal Mountain) is 20-0; opens with Tim Mullins (Franklin County); could meet the Tyler-Schuch (Bradley Central)-Trent Williams (Seymour) winner in the quarters; top seed is Region 3 champ Marvin Lopez (Jr., Cleveland, 2x state medalist, 33-1) who was runner-up at 119 in 2009.

 

*135 – TREVOR HERRON (Sr., Bradley Central, 1x state medalist) is 30-0; he is the No. 3 seed and his first opponent is Blake Solomon (9th, Eagleville); Herron could meet state medalist Hayden Jordan (Clarksville) in the round of 16 and No. 2 seed state medalist Ethan Farinella (Sr., Farragut) in the semis; Herron did not wrestle in the 2009 state, but placed third at 125 in 2008, losing to eventual runner-up Tee Boone (Notre Dame), 2-1, in the semis;

 

Top half of draw has No. 1 seed Chad Penson (Sr., Cordova).

 

*171 – JOE PROCTOR (Sr., Cookeville; 2x state medalist) is 40-0; Proctor, who has signed to wrestle at UTC next season, is the No. 1 seed at 171 and the 160 pound champion in 2009; first opponent is Denzel Caldwell (Jr., Antioch); Proctor has no state medalists in his half of the bracket;

 

bottom half has No. 2 seed Jaleel Willis (Sr., White Station) who was 6th at 171 last year; No. 3 seed state medalist Cody Davis (So., Pigeon Forge) and unseeded state medalist Kyle Saunders (Sr., Smyrna).

 

*189 – MICHAEL KENNEDY (Jr., Blackman; 2x state medalist) is 33-0 (career is 124-10); Kennedy is the No. 1 seed at 189 and has not lost since Cameron Croy (Brentwood) beat him, 5-2, in the 189 finals in 2009; Kennedy opens with Marvin Mondesir (Sr., Antioch); Kennedy is only state medalists in top half of bracket;

 

bottom half is solid with Tyler Toon (Ooltewah), 2009 state medalist John Salada (Cookeville) and No. 2 seed state medalist Chip Norwood (Cleveland); Kennedy beat Salada in the region final this past weekend; Salada and Norwood could meet in the quarters on Friday.

 

*215 – CAMERON CROY (Sr., Brentwood; 3x state medalist) is 26-0; Croy is a two-time defending champion and has won 108 straight matches; last loss was to Chris Wolfe (Ravenwood) in the 2007 state tourney third place match; his first round opponent is Patrick Sloan (Sr., Lebanon); a possible second round match-up would be with region runner-up Isaiah Simpson (Sr., Walker Valley); Croy is the only state medalist in his half of the draw;

 

in bottom half is No. 2 state medalist Brett Jaeckel (Sr., Hendersonville) and No. 3 seed state medalist Trevor Bolton (Jr., Bradley Central).

 

*285 – HUNTER ALLEN (Sr., Mt. Juliet, 1x state medalist) is 47-0 (career is 118-19); last loss was to Caleb Leonard in 2009 quarters and then placed third (has won 51 straight over two seasons); Allen opens with Josh Mackey (So., Silverdale); a second round strong opponent would be the Dylan Mills (Sr., walker Valley)-Michael Perry (Sr., Clarksville); Bradley Central’s Region 3 runner-up Patrick Benson (So.) could be a dark horse;

 

bottom half has Taylor Bain (Sr., Warren County) as the only returning medalist; Allen beat Bain for third in 2009 state tourney at 285, but Bain might have to beat Region 3 champ Tyler Dailey (Greenback) in the second round to have a shot at Allen.

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

[cbg]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

[2blLeg]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

While I agree, that who and what you wrestle all year can determine the ability to have an undefeated season, I don't think that saying it isn't a HUGE accomplisment is fair. These kids have no choice in who and when they wrestle. All that is decided by the coach and the school. I promise you this, the ones I do know on this list would jump at the chance to wrestle Baylor's schedule.

[coachknepper]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

Yeah, winning the So. High School Nationals is so overrated....(Kennedy)...he probably wouldn't even place at Div. II (heavy sarcasm).

 

Each of these undefeated wrestlers are OUTSTANDING in their own right and deserve the respect an undefeated season demands--period. D-1 or D-2. Baylor is a great program. These kids had great years for teams that don't have the ability to AFFORD the kind of schedule that Baylor has...with the exception of Brentwood and Bradley Central.

[cbg]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

Yeah, winning the So. High School Nationals is so overrated....(Kennedy)...he probably wouldn't even place at Div. II (heavy sarcasm).

 

Each of these undefeated wrestlers are OUTSTANDING in their own right and deserve the respect an undefeated season demands--period. D-1 or D-2. Baylor is a great program. These kids had great years for teams that don't have the ability to AFFORD the kind of schedule that Baylor has...with the exception of Brentwood and Bradley Central.

Remember that "NO ONE" said that these were not good wrestlers, just that a wrestlers schedule has alot to do with an undefeated season. Was it not Dan Gable that said as a coach it was his job to wrestle a difficult enough schedule where everyone had a loss before the national tournament? The Cleveland Duals & Collins Hill Duals are close enough for any team in Tennessee to attend. Since 50% of the undefeated wrestlers are from Bradley Central & Brentwood High School are you saying that 50% of Tennessee's undefeated wrestlers could afford to wrestle a schedule as demanding as Baylor?

[REPH45]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

Maybe you need to take the chip off your shoulder. The article was not intended to, nor does it, bash Baylor or anyone else with a loss. It simply recognizes these young men for what they have accomplished. You should have stopped typing after, ....great seasons.

[In Hoc Signo Vinces]

Great points CBG, part of the job of a TN high school wrestling coach is to get his guys to the best tournaments, so they can face the best competition. It can not be disputed that the upper tier teams in D-II (Father Ryan, Baylor, CBHS, McCallie) do this, but even though D-I guys may have to wrestle more locally in season (do to budget restraints or whatever it may be) their coaches are not in control of the number and quality of matches they are able to get in the offseason (which is why guys like Cameron Croy and Blake Thomas are as successful as they are).

 

Coach Knepper, NHSCA Sophmore National Tournament is a good national tourney, with good competition, it is not comparable with NHSCA Jr. or Sr. tourneys, or Fargo, where more often than not the brackets are loaded with 64 + wrestlers, not to take anything away from Kennedy, but this tournament is simply not as loaded as the other ones. Perhaps he will win the Jr. form of the tourney next year (which would be great for TN, I think Kelly Felix won Jr. nationals his year)

 

GHouse, is Mr. Bauke not undefeated, if not where was this loss at and who to (obviously a stud)?

[cbg]

Great points CBG, part of the job of a TN high school wrestling coach is to get his guys to the best tournaments, so they can face the best competition. It can not be disputed that the upper tier teams in D-II (Father Ryan, Baylor, CBHS, McCallie) do this, but even though D-I guys may have to wrestle more locally in season (do to budget restraints or whatever it may be) their coaches are not in control of the number and quality of matches they are able to get in the offseason (which is why guys like Cameron Croy and Blake Thomas are as successful as they are).

 

Coach Knepper, NHSCA Sophmore National Tournament is a good national tourney, with good competition, it is not comparable with NHSCA Jr. or Sr. tourneys, or Fargo, where more often than not the brackets are loaded with 64 + wrestlers, not to take anything away from Kennedy, but this tournament is simply not as loaded as the other ones. Perhaps he will win the Jr. form of the tourney next year (which would be great for TN, I think Kelly Felix won Jr. nationals his year)

 

GHouse, is Mr. Bauke not undefeated, if not where was this loss at and who to (obviously a stud)?

Hoc,

 

We both know that some individuals like to duck & dive the best competition and use excuses as to why they can't do XYZ.

 

The High School Senior Nationals will no longer be the best tournament. Flo Nationals have been endorsed by the top NCAA D1 programs & the Top Tier (Blair Academy, Saint Edwards, Apple Valley, SP Graham, etc...) high school programs in the country. The end result is the best kids are now going to attend Flo Nationals in Cleveland, OH and not the high school nationals in Virginia.

[cbg]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

Maybe you need to take the chip off your shoulder. The article was not intended to, nor does it, bash Baylor or anyone else with a loss. It simply recognizes these young men for what they have accomplished. You should have stopped typing after, ....great seasons.

I have no chip on my shoulder as I am just telling the cold hard facts. If you don't like the facts then move on to another thread.

[daytime6]

what about the two bad ####e$ from soddy Campbell Lewis who is undefeatd and shouldn't have a hard time. plus billy swanson who is looking to upset bradleys tucker bolton in the quarters. notre dame's Jack Boone hasn't lost a match in his qualifying weight of 119. i'm also picking young gun Austin Woods from Franklin to upset Marvin Lopez on the top side of there bracket. Another upset will most likely be blake Henry over Ethan Henry at 160

[REPH45]

All of the above mentioned wrestlers are tough and have had great seasons. However, going undefeated has as much to do with the teams schedule as anything. What great out of state competition have these young men faced this season. Have they wrestled a schedule like Baylor where they have faced Brandon, Collins Hill or some of the top teams in the USA @ The Clash? Other than maybe Cameron Croy I don't see any of these undefeated athletes wrestling Baylor's schedule and not having a minium of one loss.

 

Maybe you need to take the chip off your shoulder. The article was not intended to, nor does it, bash Baylor or anyone else with a loss. It simply recognizes these young men for what they have accomplished. You should have stopped typing after, ....great seasons.

I have no chip on my shoulder as I am just telling the cold hard facts. If you don't like the facts then move on to another thread.

 

 

Stating my opinion of your take on the article. You seem to take offense that anyone would recoginze these young men. I've come to realize that CBG must stand for "Can't Be Good", you obviously have a bias toward DII which is fine, just try to use it in a positive way. And if you don't like someone calling you out on negative posts you should move on to another thread.

[ghouse]

Great points CBG, part of the job of a TN high school wrestling coach is to get his guys to the best tournaments, so they can face the best competition. It can not be disputed that the upper tier teams in D-II (Father Ryan, Baylor, CBHS, McCallie) do this, but even though D-I guys may have to wrestle more locally in season (do to budget restraints or whatever it may be) their coaches are not in control of the number and quality of matches they are able to get in the offseason (which is why guys like Cameron Croy and Blake Thomas are as successful as they are).

 

Coach Knepper, NHSCA Sophmore National Tournament is a good national tourney, with good competition, it is not comparable with NHSCA Jr. or Sr. tourneys, or Fargo, where more often than not the brackets are loaded with 64 + wrestlers, not to take anything away from Kennedy, but this tournament is simply not as loaded as the other ones. Perhaps he will win the Jr. form of the tourney next year (which would be great for TN, I think Kelly Felix won Jr. nationals his year)

 

GHouse, is Mr. Bauke not undefeated, if not where was this loss at and who to (obviously a stud)?

 

In Hoc,

 

Daniel Baucke has one loss this year to the young wrestler from Collins Hill at the Cleveland Duals who's name escapes me at the moment. Baucke was hoping for a rematch the next weekend at the KCI Toshiba Midwest Classic. Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be as Baucke went on to win the tournament (a feat in itself) where the wrestler from Collins Hill didn't hold up his bargain and ended up finishing somewhere around 5th (I can't look it up to check where I am). From my viewpoint, Baucke wrestled a bad match at the wrong time and dropped a match to a good wrestler, this happens sometimes and is part of what makes an undefeated season impressive when you have faced solid competition. I am fairly sure that the loss still bothers him a little, esp since he didn't get a chance to avenge it. However, as many have stated we (as coaches) would rather see those levels of competition and take our losses before the state tournament. He has a state tournament to get through now and a college career to look forward to and that is what I know most around him are most proud of!

 

I also tend to agree on winning / placing at the underclassman nationals. It is impressive and a good feather in your cap but especially at the upper weights that field is much tougher when you add in the upper classmen. Take nothing away from the guys that have done it, like Kennedy who is still showing his capabilities in TN, but much tougher when multiple grades are in the mix (Fargo, Fila Juniors & Cadets, etc.).

 

Cbg,

 

Not sure I am sold on FloNationals yet, going to have to wait until they have it at least once. I personally hope that it proves to be what it is billed as but time will tell. Tournaments like junior and senior nationals do not seem to be quite what they have in the past but they are still very good (esp. seniors). I think this is due to the preponderance of national level tournaments available out there now.