Bradley Central Hosts Cleveland Tonight at 7

[bbb]

Wrestling fans from Cleveland and Bradley Central point to one year – 1993.

 

That’s the last time Cleveland beat Bradley Central in a wrestling dual match.

 

Tonight at 7 at Jim Smiddy Gym on the Bradley Central campus, the Blue Raiders of Cleveland will look to end an 18-year drought and the host Bears will look to make it 19.

 

It's the defending state duals champ (Bradley Central) hosting the defending state traditional champ (Cleveland).

 

Cleveland’s last win was Jan.26, 1993 at Cleveland (31-30) and the last win at Bradley for the guys in the Blue and Red came the previous year – Jan. 23, 1992 – 39-26.

 

Also important to the Bears is an impressive home record of close to 140 wins one tie and one loss for two decades. The tie came against Hixson (33-33) in December 1994 and the first home loss since 1992 was to Soddy Daisy, 33-28, last year – Jan. 29. 2011.

 

The series started in 1974 as the Blue Raiders of coach Duane Schriver pitched a shutout (69-0) at home, while the Bears under coach Turner Jackson (now the school’s athletic director) posted their first win in the series, 45-19, in 1983 in the Blue Raider gym.

 

Here are a few highlights in the 28-year mat rivalry.

 

First Meeting: Jan. 25, 1974 (at Cleveland) … Cleveland 69, Bradley Central 0 … according to the Cleveland Daily Banner story, when the assigned official did not show up, the match was called an exhibition and Cleveland wrestling alum Allan Jones served as the official for the match.

 

The match was fund raiser for Mike Hodnett who was a wrestler and was injured earlier that season in a match. The funds went to help play medical bills.

 

 

Notes on the Season: Bradley did not have a mat, so Cleveland coach Duane Schriver loaned them a blue mat – how significant that the Black and Gold of Bradley originally had a “Cleveland Blue" mat – to get their season started.

 

“We practiced together much of that first season in our gym to help them get started,†said Schriver.

 

First Bradley uniforms: “Our first uniforms were a three-piece outfit as the top was gold with a black B on the front and the bottom tights were also gold and the short pants were black,†said current Walker Valley coach Alan Morris who wrestled in the 100 pound weight class for the Bears in that first season.

 

“Our first mat did arrive later that first season, but we originally practiced on a Cleveland mat.â€

 

Black and Blue Club: In the mid-1970s, both teams formed a summer wrestling club called the "Black and Blue" club and travele to tournaments together.

 

Thirtysomething years later, the Higher Calling Wrestling Club was formed in Jan. 2006.

 

Second Match: Jan. 20, 1975 (at Bradley) …. Cleveland 48, Bradley Central 12 …. Alan Morris put Bradley up 3-0 with his win in the 100-pound class - the first win by a Bradley Bear in this long series – but the Blue Raiders went on to post a big win.

 

Bradley’s First Win: Jan. 29, 1983 (at Cleveland) … Bradley Central 45, Cleveland 19 ... led by senior Steve Logsdon’s 7-3 win against Craig Morrow, coach Turner Jackson’s Bears gained their first triumph in the series.

 

Starting with the 1983 victory, Bradley won seven of the next nine regular season meetings, including a 46-9 win at Cleveland in Jan. 1991.

 

Last Cleveland Win at Bradley Central: Jan. 23, 1992 … Cleveland 39, Bradley 26

 

Coach Al Miller’s Blue Raiders won the opening two weights for a 12-0 lead (pins by Tyson Constant and Thomas Dyer), survived a six-match Bradley run between 119 to 145 and won the final five weights for the victory. At 140, Israel Heil had a pin in a Bradley school-record time of 11 seconds.

 

Bradley had built a 26-12 lead after Jason Kazy posted a regular decision at 145, but pins by Corey Pendergrass (152), John Hendrix (171) and Andrew Thompson (275) secured the win. It was a Cleveland school-record ninth consecutive victory and tied the 1986 squad’s record of 18 wins in a season.

 

Last Cleveland Win in the Series: Jan. 27, 1993 (at Cleveland) … Cleveland 30, Bradley Central 29

 

It was No.2 Cleveland vs. No.3 Bradley Central … Blue Raider Tyson Constant opened with a pin at 103, and Cleveland led 15-8 after five weights, but then fell behind 17-15 when Bradley’s Blake Arnett (135, pin) and Wes Eshenbrenner (140, decision) both won.

 

Bradley won three of the next five bouts and led 29-24 going into the heavyweight match. Cleveland’s Andrew Thompson needed a pin for the team win and got it, stopping Brandon Forrester in 3:29. Cleveland’s win streak was now at 33.

 

Bradley’s First Win in Current Streak: Jan. 25, 1994 (at Bradley) … Bradley Central 40, Cleveland 23

 

The top two teams in the state met as No.1 Bradley hosted No.2 Cleveland … Cleveland led 14-9 after five weights, but consecutive pins from Travis Adams (135), Heath Eslinger (140) and Scott Shubert (145) gave the Bears a 27-14 lead and never looked back.

 

This was the first of 18 straight regular season dual wins for the Bears, who have also won a handful of region and state duals meetings with the Blue Raiders since 1994.

 

Cleveland went on to win the state traditional tournament in February with no individual champions, but did have six medalists to edge Father Ryan who had five medalists, including two champions.

 

Bradley Rallies to Win By One: Jan. 6, 2005 (at Bradley) … Bradley Central 31, Cleveland 30

 

Cleveland led 19-8 after six matches for its largest lead of the night, but the teams had four lead changes in five matches for a Cleveland 29-28 advantage going in to the final match at 135.

 

Bradley’s Ryan Ensminger posted a major decision (four team pts.) against Jesse O’Dell, 14-5, to secure the win for Bradley coach Chad Laxton and the 12th straight regular season win against Cleveland.

 

Last Year: Jan. 2011 (at Cleveland) …. Bradley Central 39, Cleveland 15

 

With the match starting at 171, Bradley sprinted to a 15-4 lead after four weights … Cleveland pulled within five at 15-10 on an Austin Stevison pin at 103, but Bradley ran away and hid with four straight wins for a 27-10 lead after Jericho Crutcher’s regular decision at 130.

 

The Lopez brothers posted back-to-back decisions for Cleveland at 135 (Marvin) and 140 (Aaron), respectively, but Bradley won the final three weights including Jacob Bailey’s 6-5 win against Isaiah Nichols at 160 to end the match.

 

Bradley Central would go on to defeat Cleveland 26-24 in the region duals and win the state duals, while at the 50th anniversary of the state traditional in February, Cleveland rallied past Bradley and Soddy Daisy to capture the most exciting state tournament ever.

 

So at 7 tonight, before a couple of thousand rabid wrestling fans wearing Cleveland Blue and Red and Bradley Central Black and Gold, 14 wrestlers on each side of the gym will meet for city and county supremacy and bragging rights at least until the region duals.

 

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

Edited January 12, 2012 by bbb

[StarRaider]

The summer wrestling club in the mid 70's was called the "Black and Blue" club because both teams worked out and attended summer tournaments together.

 

Thanks for that write up B.B.

[bbb]

The summer wrestling club in the mid 70's was called the "Black and Blue" club because both teams worked out and attended summer tournaments together.

 

Thanks for that write up B.B.

 

 

thanks will add that . and the first match kin 74 was a benefit for Mike Hodnett who was injured in a match earlier in that month. need to add that to the story.

 

b.b.b.

Edited January 12, 2012 by bbb

[StarRaider]

thanks will add that . and the first match kin 74 was a benefit for Mike Hodnett who was injured in a match earlier in that month. need to add that to the story.

 

b.b.b.

 

Yes thanks for that reminder that it was a benefit for Mike... the gym was packed with people, I don't think there was an empty seat in the building. Alan Morris probably would have won that first year except he had to take on a blonde-headed Tasmanian devil by the name of Jeff Howard.

[Da Bears]

Good luck to both teams.

[legman]

Nice job, B.B.... You really did your homework for this one! StarRaider is right about the old Black and Blue Wrestling Club, except that it went at least into the 1980's. I remember many practices in the old Cleveland wrestling building when I was in H.S... "Johnny" Lennon would come back from wrestling at UT and was kind enough to show me the lights. Believe it or not,... good memories!

[StarRaider]

Good to know the "Black and Blue" kept going that long!

[rasslinlite]

Is there any webcast of the match ?

[texas23]

Is there any webcast of the match ?

 

 

thankfully not. 51-11. wow......

[StarRaider]

thankfully not. 51-11. wow......

 

From a reliable source I assume? That is unbelievable.

 

So it goes SBG

 

(big gap)

 

Cleveland

 

(big gap)

 

TBSFMAW / The Hill

[Da Bears]

Cleveland 51 – Bradley Central 11

 

170 – Jaun Bobe (Cle) dec Tait Rakestraw (BC) 4-3

182 – Oleg Stulanov (Cle) dec Austin Roderick (BC) 3-0

195 - Jesse Jones (Cle) dec Devin Carroll (BC) 6-4

220 – Seth Synder (Cle) pinned. Zachery McFarland (BC) 1:39

285 – Patrick Benson (BC) maj Jordan Hines (Cle) :12-3

106 – Chris Debein (Cle) pinned Torbio Narro (BC) 3:21

113 – Austin Stevison (Cle) pinned Dakota Reams (BC) 4:45

120 - Austin Oliver (Cle) pinned Dakota Bromley (BC) 4:48

126 - Erza Taylor (Cle) dec. Jericho Crutcher (BC) 7-6

132 – Joel Simpkins (Cle) dec. Taylor Kazy (BC) 5-3 OT

138 – Hadee Hamilton (Cle) pinned Caven Rogers (BC) 1:03

145 – Brandon Strickland (Cle) pinned Robbie Clark (BC) 5.54

152 - Tyler Schuch (BC) pinned Josh Hamilton (Cle) 9-3

160 - Jacob Bailey (BC) maj. Chuck Norwood (Cle) 12-4

[texas23]

From a reliable source I assume? That is unbelievable.

 

So it goes SBG

 

(big gap)

 

Cleveland

 

(big gap)

 

TBSFMAW / The Hill

 

 

Yep....a good source. Been a long time coming my friend.