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

[Sommers]

One more from region 7 & Montgomery Co... 

 

Clarksville area wrestlers shift their focus to one-on-one

 

Bruno Reagan looks to repeat as state champion

 Feb. 12, 2014   |   0 Comments

 

Written by The Great One...

George Robinson

Leaf-Chronicle

 

 

TSSAA State Wrestling Tournament

Where: At the Williamson County Ag Expo 

(in Franklin) 

When: Thursday-Saturday 

Montgomery County wrestlers participating: 28 

State Championship returnees: One (Burno Reagan: Clarksville High, 285-pound weight class)

 

 

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — Montgomery County will have 28 wrestlers put their seasons on the line when the 2014 TSSAA State Wrestling Championships begin Thursday afternoon at the Williamson County Ag Expo in Franklin.

 

Wrestlers from Clarksville High, West Creek, Kenwood, Northwest, Northeast, Rossview and Montgomery Central will look to find their way through the bracket to a state championship title match on Saturday.

 

Clarksville High’s Bruno Reagan returns as the defending state champion in the 285-pound, heavyweight division. Reagan is undefeated this season and is the state’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight. He’s already the favorite to repeat this weekend.

 

Wildcats’ teammates Kiel Russell (195 pounds) and Alan D’Alessandro (170) will be strong contenders in their weight classes to push for a state championship match.

 

But one of the city’s best state title hopes, outside of Reagan, will be Kenwood’s Hamza Yunis. Yunis has put together a stellar individual dual season. But that wasn’t exactly reflected in his sixth seed at the state championships. That should be extra motivation for the Knights star at 182 pounds.

 

West Creek had a strong dual season as a team and the Coyotes eight wrestlers in either the Region 7 championship match or consolation finals last week. Kevin Knier was the lone region title winner at 113 pounds and could make a run at the state final in that division.

 

Northeast has a pair of brothers in Delrico and Dominico Bowen that will compete Thursday and Friday as well. Delrico won his region title at 138 pounds while Dominico narrowly lost his region title match at 160 pounds.

 

Rossview’s Connor Gordon will be among the top contenders at 145 pounds. He took out Clarksville High’s Hunter Mabry in the region final last weekend.

 

The weigh-in Thursday will be at 1 p.m. followed by wrestling for Class AAA at 3 p.m. The round of 16 will follow Thursday with consolation bracket first and second round matches wrapping up the first day of the tournament.

 

Wrestling will begin Friday at 10 a.m. and will include the Girls Invitational that will start an hour later. The winner’s bracket semifinals for Class AAA, A/AA and Division II will start at 6 p.m. Friday.

 

On the final day, Saturday, wrestling will start at 10 a.m. with the consolation semifinals and finals. The state championships matches will start at 5 p.m.

 

George Robinson, 245-0747

[Sommers]

Mo throws out a little airtime where

Josh Peck could be compared to the 49ers Bill Walsh who was known for having had one of the NFL's greatest teams always building Toward the Finish, but then at the same time allowing his mentally and physically prepared team to relax a bit, be loose & have fun before the big dance...

 

THIS WRESTLER'S FASHION IS IN CLASS OF ITS OWN

 

12 Feb 2014 Written by  Maurice Patton | mopatton@tennessean.com Print Email Media 

 

Off the wrestling mat, Rex Shotts is all about enjoying himself.

 

Video:

http://lms.usatodayhss.com/nashville/articles/item/2037-don-t-underestimate-goofy-ravenwood-wrestler

On it, the Ravenwood 220-pound senior is all about winning.

 

Judging by some of his apparel and some of his accomplishments, Shotts has done a lot of both over the past two years.

 

"He makes some amazing fashion statements," Brentwood coach Joe Blair said of Shotts, who could make a run at the Class AAA championship.

 

The individual state tournament runs today through Saturday at the Williamson County Ag Expo in Franklin.

 

After winning Region 6 and placing third in Division I as a junior, Shotts repeated as 6-AAA champion last weekend.

 

He could show up in his Hello Kitty stocking cap. Or his unicorn backpack. Or his Bowser backpack. Or his dinosaur head. Or ...

 

"I've had people tell me they remember me wearing dinosaur pants in elementary school," Shotts said. "I'm not sure how far back it goes. I just like having fun."

 

But don't underestimate him.

 

"If they do, it's a mistake," Blair said. "He's so comfortable with himself. I don't think he really cares what anybody thinks about him. He's goofy, and yet that allows him to be able to always enjoy what he's doing. He's a kid that's not going to get burned out, and that's a kid you're afraid of because you never catch him on a bad day."

 

With a 44-2 record this season that includes 26 pins, Shotts hasn't had many bad days at all on the mat. And while his personality might help him deal with his sport, it hasn't happened by design.

 

"Some of it's genetics," said Ravenwood coach Josh Peck, who coached Shotts' older brother, Logan Spencer. "His older brother was a little weird, his dad (Marvin) is a little weird. I may be partially to blame. They say a team takes on the persona of its coach, and I'm all about letting the guys have fun.

 

"But Rex has taken that to another level."

 

"Some of the stuff he wears, stuff he picks out that he wants for Christmas ... He'll want something he saw in a magazine, something goofy," said Kim Shotts, Rex's mother. "You'll ask why he wants it: 'Just because.'

 

"Rex is who he is. He's what you see. He could care less what anybody thinks. I want him to be himself, to be comfortable in his own skin."

 

Mission accomplished.

 

"He's a little bit different, very eccentric, but I think that's what people respect about him," Ravenwood athletics director Patrick Whitlock said. "He seems very well-liked. And he's a great wrestler. The wrestling program's been awesome and he's been a big part of that for four years."

 

Knowing when to get serious has never been an issue for Shotts, Peck said.

 

"When we're in practice and we're going, he's serious," Peck said. "The minute the whistle blows, he's back to goofiness."

 

Shotts' only loss this season at 220 came against Wilson Central's John Kramer, whom he also has beaten. He also has a pair of decisions over Cleveland's Koran Kennedy and two more over Franklin's Josh Filbey, all of whom are expected to be factors in the 220 tournament.

 

_____________________________________

Good questions to ask yourself... Are you mentally tough as a wrestler at the Big Dance? Can you step up to the starting line, shake hands and stay calm & loose, and focused enough to block out all those razzing fans, wrestlers & coaches who are desperately trying to get into your head? What kind of TD percentage do you get now? Want to dramatically improve it? Then don’t just practice physically. Start practicing mentally too. Getting that first TD is a good 90% mental. Learn to relax under pressure, focus on what’s important, block out distractions and let go of past matches, competitor's strengths & records.

 

Adapted from https://www.competitivedge.com/catalog/basketball

 

Great stuff for any coach: http://thehumansideofagile.com/

[Sommers]

Mo finds more fine human interest stories...

 

Two-school star grapples with an unusual schedule

 

Feb. 13, 2014 11:16 PM | 0 Comments

 

Video

 

Devers does double duty: Daniel Devers reached the 182-pound consolation third round of the Class AAA wrestling tournament for Lawrence County. Devers also plays basketball for Wayne County, where he is a senior.

 

Video

Beech High School's Landon Butler watches

Beech's Landon Butler, top, watches the clock during his matchup against Knoxville Halls' Calvin Giles atthe TSSAA Class AAA individual wrestling tournament on Thursday. / photos by Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

 

ADVERTISEMENT

FRANKLIN — Daniel Devers recorded Lawrence County’s first wrestling state tournament win in more than 20 years Thursday.

 

He could be on the basketball court for Wayne County in today’s District 12-A tournament.

 

Devers is a senior at Wayne County, which does not have a wrestling program and has a cooperative agreement with Lawrence County. He and his family moved to the area from Lake City, Fla., where he had wrestled, and he has become a two-sport athlete the likes of which have rarely been seen.

 

“I don’t know if we’ve ever had someone that’s wrestled and played basketball in the same season,†Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association assistant executive director Mark Reeves said. “If we have, I don’t know about it. That’s pretty neat.â€

 

Devers, who admits he’s “not the best basketball player,†posted a 19-2 technical fall win over Seymour 182-pounder Ahren Burbage in the opening round of the Class AAA tournament, just before Lawrence County 195-pound junior Robert Beaulieu pinned Evan Rolla of David Crockett.

 

In the second round, Devers lost 2-1 to Franklin’s Gheorghe Meyer when his last-second takedown was ruled to have occurred after time had expired.

 

In the second consolation round, Devers rebounded with a first-period pin against Jonathan Jones of Hendersonville.

 

“I’m better at wrestling,†said Devers, who also played football at Wayne County. “But I like to be an athlete and compete at both.â€

 

The drive from Lawrenceburg to Waynesboro is about 45 minutes.

 

“It gets a little complicated at times, getting dressed in the car on the way to games,†said Devers, who wrestled in the Florida state tournament as a junior. “The coaches at Lawrence County are OK with it, and the coaches at Wayne County are OK with it because I was wrestling first.â€

 

Lawrence County revived its wrestling program last season after a 21-year hiatus. Garth Eledge, who advanced to the state tournament as a student, serves as a non-faculty coach.

 

“We had some guys move in from Indiana that wanted to wrestle,†Eledge said. “We’ve got a youth program and it’s just gone from there. We’ve got about 17 guys now.â€

 

Last season, two Lawrence County wrestlers qualified for the Division I tournament but both were eliminated after two matches. Devers and Beaulieu will wrestle in today’s consolations.

 

Wayne County hosts Loretto in the 12-A basketball semifinals.

 

“If I get done here in time, I could drive back and play,†Devers said.

 

Class AAA wrestling resumes at 10 a.m. today with championship quarterfinals, with the Class A/AA and Division II tournaments also beginning this morning. All semifinals are at 6 p.m.

 

Favorite disqualified: Blackman’s Tyler Garrison (36-0) was disqualified by a physician at weigh-ins.

 

Blackman coach Ronnie Bray said the doctor told him it was because Garrison had “a cut with a cold-sore-like activity under it.â€

 

“It’s just a cut,†Garrison said. “She wasn’t even sure what it is. So, she’s cost me my whole season.â€

 

Reeves said he was aware that a Blackman wrestler had been disqualified for a skin issue. He said he did not know the exact reason.

 

Reeves said a Blackman coach did present a doctor’s note “well after weigh-ins.†But Reeves said the rule book does not allow doctors notes after weigh-ins.

 

Reach Maurice Patton at 615-259-8018 and on Twitter @mopatton_sports. Contributing: Tom Kreager.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Sommers

[Sommers]

WC still hanging tough, but will not catch Cleveland without some strong consol finishes. Otherwise, it may widen to 20-30 pts. Let's go get that Minnesota Consol Magic!

 

 

Team Scores

AAA

1. Cleveland 113.0

2. Wilson Central 95.0

3. Bradley Central 87.0

4. Soddy Daisy 76.5

5. Heritage 75.0

6. Walker Valley 74.0

7. Cookeville 68.5

8. Ravenwood 68.0

9. Clarksville 59.5

10. Brentwood 58.0

11. Franklin 57.5

12. Blackman 46.5

13. Knoxville Halls 45.5

14. Collierville 43.0

15. Beech 42.5

16. Centennial 41.

 

Glad to see Bradley back in the thick of things. Soddy no surprise, Cookeville showing what a peaking performance it's all about Blackman would be up there with Ravenwood with Garrison, Heritage and Halls making a Knoxville area statement, WV and B-wood hangin around! Franklin & Centennial sayin we want some! Collierville saying region 1 still alive and kickin even without the usually tough Houstons, Germantowns, Bartletts, & Cordovas! Beech is saying, Hey Clarksville, what's up, you can't leave us too far behind, we beat you not looking ago!

 

Great stuff!

[Sommers]

Cleveland, Hixson Leading D-I State Wrestling

 

Friday Night Championship Semis Critical For All

 

Friday, February 14, 2014 - by John Hunt

FRANKLIN -- Cleveland finally caught and passed Wilson Central in the AAA division while Hixson is trying to run away with the A-AA competition here at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Center in the second day of the TSSAA State Wrestling Tournament.

 

Cleveland trailed the Wildcats by three points following Thursday's action, but the Blue Raiders took charge during the quarterfinals on Friday morning by winning seven of eight matches while Wilson Central could only win three of seven in the championship round.

 

 

At the break on Friday afternoon following the third round of consolations, Cleveland has 113 points while Wilson Central has 95.  Bradley and Soddy Daisy are third and fourth, respectively, with 87 and 76.5 points.  Heritage is fifth with 75 while Walker Valley is sixth with 74,

 

While Cleveland has seven in the championship semis, Heritage has four while Wilson Central, Bradley, Soddy Daisy and Walker Valley all have three.

 

In the A-AA tournament, Hixson advanced nine to the championship semis and holds first place with 82.5 points.  Pigeon Forge is a distant second with 61.5 while Alcoa is third with 48.

 

East Ridge is fourth with 42.5 while Chattanooga Central is fifth with 32.  Red Bank and Signal Mountain are tied for sixth with 29 points while Notre Dame is eighth with 28.5.

 

Story will be updated following the championship semis on Friday night.

 

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@Comcast.net)

[WrestlingGod]

Glad to see Bradley back in the thick of things. Soddy no surprise, Cookeville showing what a peaking performance it's all about Blackman would be up there with Ravenwood with Garrison, Heritage and Halls making a Knoxville area statement, WV and B-wood hangin around! Franklin & Centennial sayin we want some! Collierville saying region 1 still alive and kickin even without the usually tough Houstons, Germantowns, Bartletts, & Cordovas! Beech is saying, Hey Clarksville, what's up, you can't leave us too far behind, we beat you not looking ago!

 

Great stuff!

Wow, that was idiotic..I almost miss the copy and paste... Edited February 14, 2014 by WrestlingGod

[texas23]

Wow, that was idiotic..I almost miss the copy and paste...

Laugh out Loud......this entire thread is like that.....

[fooseball96]

4 of the top 6 from region 4

[rlwest40]

Ever see an old man sitting alone talking to himself? Give him a keyboard and a coacht pass and you get Soms.

[fooseball96]

Coacht needs to delete this long watered out thread

Edited February 14, 2014 by fooseball96

[Sommers]

I'm over by those February Father Ryan folks right now, but will gladly come over and witness those dozen or so pull ups you promised me.

 

That Sweet February Radish Pie will be delicious, huh?

[Sommers]

Coacht needs to delete this long watered out thread

Allow me to freshen this up for you two...

 

Wilson Central Leading Cleveland By Three After First Day Of State Wrestling

Bradley, Walker Valley Follow; Soddy Daisy Sixth

 

Thursday, February 13, 2014 - by John Hunt

FRANKLIN -- It's still a close race after the first day of the TSSAA AAA State Wrestling Tournament being held here at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Center.

 

Wilson Central, a team that finished second to Cleveland in the State Duals two weeks ago, holds a slim lead with 73 points after the first two championship rounds and two rounds of consolation matches were held.

 

The two-time defending champion Blue Raiders is right on the heels of the Wildcats with 70 points. Both have 11 wrestlers still competing with Cleveland sending eight into Friday morning's quarterfinals while Wilson Central has just seven.

 

 

"We're doing pretty good as we won the ones I thought we'd win. Everybody on our team won matches today and that helps. We still have 11 alive in the tournament, so I'm really happy with the way things stand now," said Wilson Central coach John Kramer.

 

Cleveland coach Jake Yost had similar feelings.

 

"We have eight in the quarters and that's big, but everyone has scored. We need to bring everyone back and that will be big as well, but we've done a great job so far," Yost added.

 

While Wilson Central and Cleveland hold down the top two spots, Bradley is third with 63 while Walker Valley is fourth with 55. Cookeville is fifth with 53.5 while Soddy Daisy is currently sixth with 51.5.

 

Bradley only won six of 13 matches in the first round, but the Bears bounced back to win five of six in the round of 16. The Bears also have five battling in the consolation rounds.

 

"I think we got all excited when we qualified 13, but people forget that a bunch of those guys are on the back side of the bracket and faced either region champions or runners-up in today's first round. We lost to some really good kids. We have some studs in the lower weights, but I feel like we're where we should be," said Bradley coach Ben Smith.

 

"We have five in the championship quarters. Last year we had only seven in the entire tournament. It hasn't been as bad a day for us as it looks on the front end," he added.

 

Walker Valley won eight of 11 first-round matches and added six more wins in the second round. The Mustangs have eight still battling for medals.

 

"Not bad," said Walker Valley coach Alan Morris.

 

"I'm happy with some and disappointed with others, but I expected those guys to win that won. Ryan Hager had a tough match against a really good kid, but we just have to come back through in the consolation rounds," Morris added.

 

Soddy Daisy looked good in the first round as they prevailed in eight of 10 matches, but the Trojans hit a bump in the road as they got beat in five of those eight second-round matches. Soddy Daisy came back strong in the consolation rounds as six Trojans kept their medal chances alive.

 

"Crazy things happen in a tournament like this, but I'm happy with the fight we've shown and the effort we've put forth. I would love to see some different results, but we showed a lot of heart and that's what I'm most proud of," said Soddy Daisy coach Jim Higgins.

 

Cleveland's eight quarterfinalists include Triston Blansit at 113, Christopher Debien at 126, Austin Stevison at 132, Ezra Taylor at 138, Aaron Oliver at 152, Josh Hamilton at 170, Ethan West at 195 and Koran Kennedy at 220. Those three Blue Raiders still battling in the consolation rounds include Taylor Bishop at 120, William Haas at 145 and John Gaither at 285.

 

Bradley's five alive in the championship round include Ryan McElhaney at 106, Toribio Navarro at 113, Knox Fuller at 120, Nathan Adams at 170 and Zach McFarland at 195. Those in the consolation rounds for the Bears include Hunter Parker at 126, Stephen Scott at 138, Caleb Adkins at 145, Brett Brown at 182 and J.J. Johnson at 285.

 

Walker Valley's six include Drake Haney at 106, Tyrus Hamrick at 145, Lawrence Cotton at 160, Billy Raulston at 182, Ric Kennett at 195 and Zach Miller at 285. Ryan Hager (152) and Xzayvier Beckingham (220) are still alive in the consolations.

 

Soddy Daisy's three championship hopefuls include Tucker Russo at 138, Gage Richmond at 145 and Austin Williamson at 152. Other Trojan medal hopefuls include Mason Blevins at 113, Jacob McClure at 120, Garrett Alexander at 160, Tyler Hixson at 170, Hunter Maynor at 182 and Christian Dean at 195.

 

East Hamilton is tied for 32nd place with 19 points while Ooltewah and Rhea County are knotted in 60th with five points.

 

Briar Potter advanced to the quarters for the Hurricanes with a pair of pins at 106 while Matt Meeks won his first match by decision and his second with a pin at 120.

 

Jacob Keltch was the only Ooltewah wrestler to win a match as he won twice, both by regular decision at 285.

 

Daniel Cochran won his first match for Rhea County at 220 before losing in the second round. He's still alive as he bounced back to win his consolation match.

 

Friday will be a big day for all involved as the quarterfinals will be followed at 7 p.m. by the championship semis, which always promises to provide some of the best matches of the tournament.

 

The A-AA and Division II teams also join the action on Friday. The tournament ends with the championship finals on Saturday at 5 p.m. (CST)

 

All results are listed on trackwrestling.com)

 

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)

 

 

Hey, I know, it's yesterday's news, but still historic nonetheless!