Noise Makers for '13 & 14 - All Divisions...

[Sommers]

Who's Kaden?

 

I beginning to feel you are getting envious of my Record Setting Thread over the history of CoachT?!?! It must be said that Your threads have done well, and certainly deserves some merit.

[rlwest40]

Thanks for those posts guys, Tex especially, that along with another new article I shared on Collierville & CBHS wrestling,,, just put this record setting thread into 2nd place for All Time posts!!!!

 

Each article gets an average of 300-500 viewers within a span of 18 hours on average. This compared to 10-50 on the home page, if it even makes ot B-)

 

sitting around tournaments talk on the streets all that kind of thing can give us on official list but nothing really matters until we see it in the press or from a family member that knows which in this case you don't want to share

 

Gossip'n and meddlin' huh?

 

I'll just go ahead and tell you that there have been many options considered, some included in your list but the majority are not on your list. National Runner-up Newberry was the only D2 team considered, the rest were D1.

[rlwest40]

Who's Kaden?

 

I beginning to feel you are getting envious of my Record Setting Thread over the history of CoachT?!?! It must be said that Your threads have done well, and certainly deserves some merit.

 

Not all all, just busting your chops.

 

If I give you all the answers then you won't have anything to investigate and speculate.

[Sommers]

How many pull ups can you do, that's the real question?

[kilroyO]

How many pull ups can you do, that's the real question?

I have personally seen him do 11 pullups. Everyone of those was from an extended arm -- an extended arm. Not a wussy half arm. We would do pullups while the boys were running sprints after practice -- Love the good ole days -- miss them good ole days. The 4 horse men. Shout out to Mr. BullDog -- Good luck guy

[Sommers]

11? Not bad!!

[cbg]

11? Not bad!!

Did Sammy Krebs the official from Middle Tennessee not do 35 or 40 pullups at last years state tournament?

[Sommers]

Were you up for that? I believe you're right. Kyle Davis was right on his heels from what I hear. Hey, a little trivia, the ol Soms is quite old now (not as old as THE ANIMAL- who's going to nationals this year!, Reftn, GPWest, Clint Abbott, Buck, Tex, BCB, or certainly cbg), but some 34 years ago could a bit better than the previous poster suggested with one arm. Of course "the older I get, the better I was" has to be considered here.

[Sommers]

When should we plan to see the McCallie/Bayler rematch ...and experience those lively crowds?

[Sommers]

State Duals: Blackman wrestling battles past adversity

Jan. 30, 2014 11:00 PM   |   0 Comments

 

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Blackman's Tyler Garrison wrestles teammate Matthew Sells during a practice Tuesday. / HELEN COMER/DNJ

Written by

Tom Kreager

The Daily News Journal

 

FILED UNDER

Sports

High School Sports

 

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MURFREESBORO — It’s been a season of adversity.

 

But Blackman found a way to get back to its fourth straight TSSAA Class AAA State Wrestling Duals.

 

Blackman, the Region 5-AAA champion, wrestles Knoxville Bearden at 3:30 p.m. at the Williamson County Ag & Expo Center in Franklin in the opening round of the state duals, wrestling’s version of the team championship. But the Blaze lineup will look vastly different than the one that wrestled at state a year ago.

 

Injuries and transfers due to Stewarts Creek’s opening forced Blaze coach Ronnie Bray to retool his lineup.

 

State qualifiers Dylan Coggins, John Olivieri and Connor Helton all left when they were re-zoned for Creek. Tyler Barber, who just missed reaching state, also was re-zoned.

 

But that’s just the start.

 

State qualifier Tyler Sells has missed the entire season after tearing an ACL right after the football season ended. And fellow state medalist Josh Feuerbacher has missed a good portion of the season due to a hand injury.

 

Oh, and Bray was suspended from the team by school administrators until after the Christmas break after violating the TSSAA’s dead period rule.

 

Through all of that, Blackman flexed its muscles and went through the county untouched, winning the district and region titles along the way.

 

“These guys will scrap,†Bray said. “Some of these guys that haven’t gotten a lot of mat time, and haven’t wrestled a lot of varsity were forced to step in.

 

“They are doing their jobs, and doing what we need them (to).â€

 

Freshman Matthew Sells stepped in and has filled at 145 pounds.

 

Bray said the Blaze senior leadership has been a positive with the new starters. Past state qualifiers Jevon Brown and Austin Wells have provided leadership. And junior Tyler Garrison has led quietly. Garrison, who is ranked No. 1 in the state at 152 pounds and undefeated.

 

“We’re going to have to really pick it up,†Garrison said. “We have to overcome it, and improve on the mat.â€

 

That leadership will be crucial the rest of the season. Blackman lost five more wrestlers this past weekend to injury.

 

Four wrestlers were injured in a car wreck going to a junior varsity tournament at Ravenwood, including starters Brandon Pierce and Andre Bravo. And Cameron Tynes broke his hand at the tournament. All five are out for the year.

 

“You can add them to everyone else we’ve had injured,†Bray said. “By far, this is the toughest year we’ve had (with injuries).â€

 

Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kreager.

[Sommers]

With only a hand full of clicks, here's another copy/paste article that seems to put Baylor & McCallie tonight at 7:30

 

 

 

State Duals Wrestling Starts Friday In Franklin

Defending Champ Cleveland Seeded First In AAA

Thursday, January 30, 2014 - by John Hunt

The Williamson County Agricultural Expo Center is all quiet right now, but it will be the headquarters for plenty of excitement come mid-afternoon on Friday when the annual State Duals wrestling tournament begins a two-day stay.

 

A total of 32 teams will be in action on Friday in hopes of reaching the championship match on Saturday night, including 16 AAA teams and eight in both A-AA and Division II.

 

Every team in the state has the State Duals as a primary goal, but here we are at the end of January and those 32 teams are the only ones with a shot at winning.

 

 

All three defending champs are in the field, including Cleveland in AAA, Greeneville in A-AA and Christian Brothers in D-II.

 

Action begins at 3:30 (CST) with the eight first-round matches for the AAA teams while those quarterfinals are set for 7:30. The A-AA teams swing into action at 5:30 with semifinal matches also set for 7:30. The Division-II teams have the same format at A-AA with the championship semis at 7:30.

 

Cleveland and Soddy Daisy are the two AAA teams from the Chattanooga area while Hixson and Central are the A-AA representatives. As always, Baylor and McCallie are the two hopes in D-II.

 

The Blue Raiders finished as the runner-up in 2009, 2010 and 2012 before kicking the door down last year with a record-setting 78-4 romp over Wilson Central in the AAA championship match.

 

Coach Jake Yost will be the first to tell you that there have been plenty of times in recent weeks when his kids were a little rusty of maybe didn't look very good, but that's by design as they're firing on all cylinders at the end when all the chips are on the line.

 

The Blue Raiders enter Friday's round with a record of 23-3 and will face the Beech Buccaneers in the first round. The winner of this match will face the winner of Knox Halls and Bartlett at 7:30.

 

Yost has been involved at this level both as a participant and now as a coach. He's raring to go and he hopes that his kids are ready as well.

 

"We better be ready, but I think we're good to go," Yost said late Wednesday afternoon.

 

"We just want to keep getting better, but we're in good shape physically and everyone is healthy. That's a real blessing this time of year. There's only one team on our side of the bracket that we've seen and that's kind of nerve-racking, but I'm not worried about those unknown teams.

 

"I love this time of year when you get to see kids earn what they've been working all year for. And the fact that they get to do it as a team is really cool, but we believe in our process and we feel like we do things the right way. That's one reason we've been successful, but I hope we're the team to beat.

 

"I think that we're hard to beat when we're doing what we should be doing and I feel good about where we are right now. The key is for each young man to do the best they can in every match. It should be a great tournament and we're looking forward to it," Yost added.

 

The Soddy Daisy Trojans finished third a year ago after winning in 2012 and finishing as the runner-up in 2011. Last year's duals were a tough time for first-year coach Jim Higgins as he had to dismiss three starters for breaking team rules the day before the tournament began.

 

Higgins is sure that those problems have been solved and that his team will have a different outlook in 2014. They enter with a 19-4 record.

 

The Trojans open with the Heritage Generals with the winner of that match facing the Collierville-Brentwood winner in the quarterfinals.

 

"It's been a little different this week with all of the bad weather and school being out. We've only had one practice, but I feel like we'll benefit from the rest," Higgins said Wednesday evening.

 

"We're healthy and I'm pretty sure we're excited. I feel like this team has been tested this year, but I know that Heritage has some tough kids. I just want my guys to enjoy the experience and stay the course. We've got to believe in ourselves and our ability and I think we do," Higgins continued.

 

Bad things turned worse last year when the Trojans suffered a 39-31 loss to Wilson Central in the semifinals. Should Soddy Daisy and the Wildcats both win twice on Friday, they'd get a chance for a rematch on Saturday at 1 in the semis.

 

"We haven't seen them this year, but they say they're better than last year. We were a little shellshocked last year, but I'm sure that we're looking for a rematch. But we just need to take it one match at a time.

 

"This is a real test for these kids, but we all know that in the sport of wrestling, when the whistle blows, it's one man against the other and there's no place to hide," HIggins said.

 

Hixson and Central have experienced life at the top in A-AA with Central winning titles in 2011 and 2012 while Hixson was first in 2009 and 2010. Hixson lost to eventual champion Greeneville in the first round last year and eventually finished third while the Purple Pounders didn't qualify a year ago.

 

"I feel good about our chances if we show up and wrestle like we're capable," said Hixson coach Garrick Hall, who just celebrated his 200th dual-meet victory a week ago when the Wildcats beat Tyner.

 

"I'll be more excited when we get there, but I've been on the phone all day making sure everybody is where they need to be. We have such a young team with four freshmen in the starting lineup, but we just need to stay focused and take it one match at a time.

 

"That six-minute match is the only thing they can control, but we just have to act right and not have any drama with things like weight. I've told these guys that this is a business trip and not a vacation.

 

"I know that East Literature is really strong up top as they have some studs, but everyone's good when you get to this point," Hall said.

 

Hixson faces the 19-5 Eagles in the first round with the winner facing the Alcoa-Pigeon Forge winner in the semifinals.

 

While Yost, Higgins and Hall are all pumped about what's ahead, nobody is any more excited than Central coach John Lennon.

 

"I'm frustrated that we haven't been able to practice much this week, but I like the draw we got," he said when referring to his team's first match with Eagleville.

 

"I respect any team has has made it this weekend, but we're young and eager and have nothing to lose. We just have to let it go out there," Lennon said, the volume in his voice increasing as he talked.

 

"Our goal is to finish in the top four, but we have six freshmen starting and only two seniors. The future is bright, but we want it now. These kids have worked so hard and I couldn't be any more proud. I know that Alcoa and Pigeon Forge are both strong, but you have to beat the best to be the best," he continued, knowing that his team would face the Greeneville-White House winner in the semis.

 

"I can't promise you that we won't lose because we're out of shape. We're the toughtest in the third period. For some, they'll have to get pins when they can. For others, they'll have to do all they can to avoid getting piinned. Some will have to wrestle over their head, but it's all about bonus points.

 

"We only have 15 kids on our team, but we won the region and we're headed to the state tournament. Even though we have a small team numbers wise, we have something going on at Central. We are the most successful athletic team at Central and we take a lot of pride in what we're doing," Lennon added.

 

The D-II quarterfinals have McCallie facing defending champ Christian Brothers and Baylor tangling with Briarcrest. Those two winners would meet in the semis at 7:30 on Friday.

 

Listed below are the first-round pairings for all divisions:

 

AAA ROUND OF 16

 

Cleveland vs. Beech

 

Knoxville Halls vs. Bartlett

 

Science Hill vs. Maryville

 

Cookeville vs. Ravenwood

 

Heritage vs. Soddy Daisy

 

Collierville vs. Brentwood

 

Blackman vs. Bearden

 

Jefferson Co. vs. Wilson Central

 

A-AA QUARTERFINALS

 

Greeneville vs. White House

 

Eagleville vs. Chattanooga Central

 

Hixson vs. East Literature

 

Alcoa vs. Pigeon Forge

 

DIVISION II QUARTERFINALS

 

Father Ryan vs. Brentwood Academy

 

Montgomery Bell Academy vs. St. Benedict

 

Christian Brothers vs. McCallie

 

Briarcrest vs. Baylor

 

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)

[Sommers]

State duals contenders deal with weight issues

 

by Ward Gossett

 

Tennessee state duals schedule

(All times EST)

 

Today

 

Gates open, 2

 

Weigh-ins all divisions, 3

 

AAA round of 16, 4:30

 

Division II, A/AA quarterfinals, 6:30

 

Semifinals all divisions, 8:30

 

Saturday

 

Gates open, 7:30 a.m.

 

Weigh-ins, 8:30

 

Consolation rounds, 10 and 12:30

 

AAA semifinals, A/AA consolation final, 2

 

AAA consolation semis, DII consolation final, 5

 

AAA consolation final, 6

 

Championships all divisions, 8

 

The Hixson wrestling team arrived early in Franklin for the TSSAA state dual championships that begin this afternoon, but the Wildcats and the rest of the Chattanooga-area contingent have had to overcome weather issues and school closings.

 

"We met at school yesterday and left from there," Hixson coach Garrick Hall said Thursday.

 

Hall plans to have his guys up early this morning to check their weights prior to the official weigh-ins.

 

"The weight thing is a huge concern," he said. "If kids can't work out, what are they supposed to do? A couple of kids here and there were two, three pounds over when we left, and that's a problem."

 

His plan was to use the hotel treadmills for those who needed to drop pounds to meet their weight requirements.

 

Schools being closed the past few days due to weather conditions caused problems for all the area's duals title contenders -- including also Central, Cleveland, Soddy-Daisy, Baylor and McCallie.

 

"There were a lot of teams that were hit in East Tennessee," Hall said. "Science Hill [in Johnson City] got hit pretty hard; we got hit pretty hard; Pigeon Forge and Greeneville got some bad weather. But I don't see anybody getting any weight allowances because of it."

 

Cleveland coach Jake Yost opened the Blue Raiders' wrestling building Wednesday and said parents would bring most of the wrestlers, so his team wasn't in as bad a predicament. They went to Franklin on Thursday as planned, and Yost had made arrangements for a practice facility there in the afternoon.

 

"Weight [management] is what it is and you deal with it, and the kids are responsible enough to take care of it or get an extra workout in if they need it," Yost said.

 

Baylor and McCallie were able to practice Thursday.

 

"We usually go up on Friday anyway. The kids can at least get in a couple of classes Friday morning before we leave," McCallie coach Mike Newman said.

 

Soddy-Daisy changed its plans to go Thursday to Franklin, opting to leave this morning. The Trojans haven't practiced since Monday.

 

"The practice thing is more psychological than anything by this time of year," coach Jim Higgins said. "You want to make sure the guys are fresh, and that is a lot more of a positive than any anxiety about weight. We'll be ready to rock and roll."

 

If Soddy-Daisy has weight issues, they'll be addressed on the trip up.

 

"There's always that five-mile run along a country road," Higgins said. "Or we'll stop by a cow pasture and have some folks chase cows. That's what we did in my day. We'll figure something out. Several guys called or texted. I'm sure they're concerned about their weight, but they'll man up and take care of business because this is a driven bunch of guys."

 

The duals are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. EST with the Class AAA round of 16. The Division II and Class A/AA quarterfinals will start at 6:30, and all will have semifinals at 8:30. Saturday's championship meets are to begin at 8 p.m. EST.

 

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.