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5 hours ago, Sommers said:

Simpson marks first wrestling great enshrined in MTSU Hall

 
Simpson marks first wrestling great enshrined in MTSU Hall

Former MTSU wrestler Patrick Simpson will be the first inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in his sports on Saturday. MTSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

 

Gordon Connell had just been hired as the first ever head coach of the MTSU wrestling program, and he knew who his first call was going to be: Patrick Simpson.

The high school senior was just coming off a heartbreaking loss in the Tennessee State Tournament, falling in the final of the 122 pound division by just one point. But his performance had caught the young coach's eye, impressed with Simpson's relentlessness and raw talent on the mat.

"I figured that this guy has got a lot of fight," Connell said. "He didn't like to lose, he had that fighting spirit."

Simpson took a visit to Murfreesboro shortly thereafter, and signed to become one of the first varsity wrestlers in Blue Raider history. Wrestling primarily at 126 pounds, Simpson quickly established himself as one of the team's top threats on the mat, and wrestled his way to become the first Blue Raider to compete in the NCAA Championships, when he won the NCAA Regional in 1979. He remains the only MT wrestler to ever win a regional title in program history.

"Back in the beginning of the season, I beat a kid that placed fifth in the country the year before," Simpson said of his senior year campaign. "And that's when it kind of dawned on me that I better change my goals, and the goal should be to get to the NCAAs."

The path for Simpson wasn't easy. As a young program, MT was often competing against the top schools in the southeast for the dual meets. Connell compared it to a modern FBS football team facing a SEC or Big Ten squad every other game. An injury the season prior, a hyperextended elbow earned in competition, forced Simpson to miss the previous season as well, so he'd be fighting from a lower seeded position.

But he had some advantages too. Namely, assistant coach Mohammad Ghorbani, a world champion at 52 kg at the 1971 World Wrestling Championships from Iran, who moved to the U.S. shortly thereafter and ended up in Murfreesboro. After knocking on Connell's door one day and offering his help, Ghorbani and Simpson often sparred, given the two's similar size.

"Pat began to learn moves from him that were not used anywhere in the country," Connell said. "He was doing things ten years ahead of the rest of the country, as far as technique goes."

The off year meant Simpson entered the NCAA Regional at Notre Dame as the five seed in his weight class, meaning he needed to knock off three higher seeded opponents to claim the Regional title.

"I wrestled the three best matches probably of my career," Simpson said. "The guy I beat in the finals of the region ended up being a two-time NCAA champion. At the time, he was just a freshman."

Connell said two more MT wrestlers would go on to qualify for the NCAAs the next season, which would end up being the program's last as a varsity sport. Simpson, for his part, remembers the wrestling, but also the special memories he got to share his senior season with two of his brothers who joined him in the starting lineup for the Blue Raiders. Jim, just a freshman at the time, started at 134 pounds, while Frank, just a year behind Pat, started at 142 pounds.

For Connell, he's grateful that the Hall of Fame honoring Simpson's career will help honor the wrestling program as a whole, a program that many Blue Raiders have forgotten about in the decades since it was dropped.

"What Pat's induction is doing is it's at least saying that yes, Middle had a wrestling team, at one time," Connell said. "A lot of people have no recollection of it at all, but the fact that he's being inducted at least gives the program some representation."

Simpson went on to become one of the best wrestling coaches in the state of Tennessee's history, coaching for over 45 years at his alma mater, Father Ryan High School, where he won 20 state championships and was named Coach of the Year by the Middle Tennessee Wrestling Coaches Association numerous times. That Father Ryan connection is something that especially touches Simpson about his induction, beyond just the personal honor itself, in that he'll be joining his former Father Ryan teacher, Boots Donnelly, in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame.

"He was a student there, he came back and coached there," Simpson said. "I didn't play football because I was 100 pounds. But I love Coach Donnelly and to be able to go into the hall of fame that he's in, it's just an honor."

I feel that it’s safe to say that Pat Simpson has given back way more to wrestling than he ever received.  One of the few coaches that will open his practice room to any kid that wants to get better regardless of what school that wrestler attends and not charge a dime.

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4 hours ago, cbg said:

I feel that it’s safe to say that Pat Simpson has given back way more to wrestling than he ever received.  One of the few coaches that will open his practice room to any kid that wants to get better regardless of what school that wrestler attends and not charge a dime.

I've heard this for years, e.g., Angelo Giansante, LaVergne High's only state champion I'm thinking in the late 90's, really didn't have anyone in the room to push him, but Pat Simpson welcomed him in his room and the lone wrestler from Angelo's team to enter that iconic Ryan tournament to prep for the big upset final vs Bradley's undefeated finalist.

Angelo was one of those always grateful!

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  • 2 months later...

Wrestling: Fairview edges Page; Summit goes 3-0

  • Herald Sports  
    • Dec 8, 2021 Updated Dec 8
 
Wrestling – Page, Dickson County at Nolensville

Will Parcel 

Photo by Charles Pulliam @cspulliam 

The Fairview High School wrestling team scored a narrow 40-36 win against longtime rival Page Tuesday night in Fairview.

Boe Sanderson pinned Page’s Reese Olsen late in the second round in the 170-pound division to secure the victory for Fairview.

The Patriots had built a 36-24 lead when Josh Ward earned a fall at 152 in the third to last match of the dual. Fairview’s Malachi Bennett won by forfeit at 160 to set the stage for the dramatic finish.

In other area action, Centennial posted a 51-30 win over Overton and a 69-6 win against Northeast. Independence also defeated Northeast 66-12.

Both Ravenwood and Nolensville battled in a double-dual at Siegel as well. Ravenwood posted a 46-33 win over Siegel and a 69-9 victory against Smyrna.

Separately, Summit grapplers went 3-0 Tuesday with a 51-15 win over Dickson County, a 57-6 victory against Forrest and a 72-12 win over Antioch on a busy Tuesday that included the return of several football players to the lineup. 

Fairview def. Page, 40-36

182 – Will Parcel, PHS, dec. Marco Pukl, 8-7; 195 – Ken Curtis, FVHS, won by forfeit; 220 – Arie Donaldson, FVHS, pinned Caleb Meeks, 1:17; 285 – Allen Reynolds, FVHS, pinned Ronan O’Connell, 1:46; 106 – Jeremiah McDougall, PHS, won by forfeit; 113 – Cosmo O’Neal, PHS, dec. Hunter Mugnier, 6-4; 120 – Nathan Simpson, PHS, pinned Michael Maguire, 0:24; 126 – Thomas Brown, PHS, pinned Josh Helm, 1:45; 132 – Sam Frank, FVHS, maj. dec. Cannon Drake, 11-2; 138 – Grant Hawkinson, PHS, pinned Payton Mitchell, 3:18; 145 – Troy Sexton, FVHS, pinned Landon Williamson, 1:30; 152 – Josh Ward, PHS, pinned Jeffrey Anderson, 0:37; 160 – Malachi Bennett, FVHS, won by forfeit; 170 – Boe Sanderson, pinned Reese Olsen, 3:48.

Centennial def. Overton, 51-30

126 – Jose Stevens, CHS, won by forfeit; 132 – Elijah Weston, CHS, won by forfeit; 138 – Nathan Alcoch, CHS, pinned Avand Kahar, 0:49; 145 – Jamari Sanders, CHS, won by forfeit; 152 – Alton Cates, OHS, pinned Jackson Wynne-Dossat, 1:34; 160 – Ceron Campbell, CHS, pinned Julien Ayon, 2:52; 170 – William Clingan, CHS, dec. Azai Aremdula-Chavez, 9-6; 182 – Max Munson, CHS, pinned Ethan Wynkoop, 4:17; 195 – Olin Numan, OHS, pinned Maddox Gates-Fabbri, 1:11; 220 – Marquill Green, OHS, won by forfeit; 285 – Abdrahman Ali, OHS, won by forfeit; 106 – Elijah Lammis, CHS, won by forfeit; 113 – Isahia Ayon, OHS, won by forfeit; 120 – Elijah Benfield, CHS, won by forfeit.

Blackman def. Franklin, 51-24

138 – Mason Sells, BHS, pinned Nicholas Campbell, 0:47; 145 – Brock Wittman, FHS, dec. Adin Heathcott, 6-1; 152 – JD Saulters, FHS, pinned Gavin Turner, 2:00; 160 – James Revell, BHS, pinned Durham Quinn, 2:59; 170 – Aiden Elmore, FHS, pinned Matthew Olivieri, 3:02; 182 – Jashua Chew, BHS, pinned Sawyer Robinson, 3:12; 195 – Colin Jackson, FHS, dec. David Wilkinson, 8-4; 220 – Miles Workman, BHS, dec. Dominic Green, 8-4; 285 – Drew Minge, FHS, pinned Ian Molina, 0:27; 106 – Sebron Colson, BHS, won by forfeit; 113 – David Bradford, BHS, won by forfeit; 120 – Isaiah Thephavong, BHS, pinned Hudson Minor, 0:59; 126 – Justin Bradford, BHS, Caleb Jay, 1:10; 132 – Grant myers, BHS, pinned Caleb Wien, 0:53.

Ravenwood def. Siegel, 46-33

195 – Connor Milhorn, SHS, won by forfeit; 220 – Will Parodi, RHS, tech. fall Chase Simpson, 16-0 (2:47); 285 – Caden Kellow, RHS, pinned Chase Hall, 0:34; 106 – Chase Creque, SHS, dec. Sachin Sashti, 6-4; 113 – Carl Montgomery, SHS, won by forfeit; 120 – Ammr Albarati, RHS, pinned Carter Hattrem, 0:37; 126 – Luke Summons, RHS, won by forfeit; 132 – Noah Creque, SHS, pinned Avin Eisenlohr, 1:01; 138 – Parker Miles, RHS, won by forfeit; 145 – Noah Kang, RHS, pinned Brody Ballou, 3:25; 152 – Alex Osborn, RHS, won by forfeit; 160 – Brandon Fogarty, RHS, won by forfeit; 170 – Quentin Groves, SHS, pinned Alex Fogarty, 1:18; 182 – Justin Frazier, SHS, pinned Arash Memory, 1:03.

Summit def. Dickson County, 51-15

160 – Finley Jameson, SHS, won by forfeit; 170 – Luke Shaffer, DCHS, pinned Cullen Whitefield, 1:01; 182 – John Campbell, DCHS, maj. dec. 12-2; 195 – Luke Justice, SHS, won by forfeit; 220 – John Sloan, SHS, pinned Noah Armstrong, 0:55; 285 – Ryan Smith, SHS, won by forfeit; 106 – double forfeit; 113 – double forfeit; 120 – Patrick Brew, SHS, pinned Chris Gardner, 2:23; 126 – Braylon Pelkey, SHS, won by forfeit; 132 – Brayden Leach, SHS, won by forfeit; 138 – Michael Posey, SHS, won by forfeit; 145 – Jayden Sutton, DCHS, tech. fall Daryl Watson, 17-2 (4:24); 152 – Justin Arrieta, SHS, dec. Grant Christian, 4-1.

Submit scores and results to [email protected]

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SMHS wrestling splits with Cookeville, Coffee Co; competes in Catholic tourney

 
SMHS Wrestler.JPG

It was a busy week for the Stone Memorial Panthers wrestling team as they traveled to Cookeville High School where they faced both the Cavaliers of Cookeville and the Red Raiders of Coffee County.

SMHS fought hard, but fell to the Cavaliers and prevailed over the Red Raiders to split the night this past Tuesday.

 

The Panthers then traveled to Knox Catholic to participate in an individual tournament. Competition was fierce with several returning State Champions and Medalists participating for their schools.

SMHS had multiple wrestlers battle through their matches, and Ryan King went 3-1 to place third and Aubrey Thompson went 2-2, placing fifth.

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Middle School Wrestlers Downed by McCallie
Middle School Wrestlers Downed by McCallie
Dec 9 2021

McCallie 60, Baylor 27. The Baylor Middle School wrestling team lost to McCallie 60-27 Wednesday. Bout winners for the Raiders were Tristan Wagner, Stone Caputo, Jackson Reisman, Triston Mouton, Levi Fraley, Hunter Rosser, and Boom Hatmaker.

Baylor, 5-6, competes in the TVWC conference championships and JV tournament this Friday and Saturday

Edited by Sommers
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The Ironman…  Powerhouse of a tournament going on up in Ohio, with a few Tennessee teams as well as union county Kentucky and other traditionally strong teams of course…

https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/the-2021-walsh-jesuit-ironman-is-underway/86045

Individual rankings

http://walshjesuitironman.com/2021-seeds/

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McMinn wrestling falls to Howard, Bradley Central

  • From staff reports
 

CLEVELAND – McMinn County wrestling lost twice Tuesday at Bradley Central High School.

The Cherokees fell to Howard 42-36, mostly due to forfeits. Kyle Cooley, Jack Boggess, Joseph Douglas, Bryson Price and Kael Walden won their individual matches against Howard.

McMinn then lost 66-9 to hosting Bradley. Boggess and Cooley picked up individual match wins against the Bears.

The Tribe is back in action 9 a.m. Saturday in a tournament at Stone Memorial High School in Crossville.

https://www.dailypostathenian.com/sports/article_ad8809d2-593d-11ec-98a9-6fd3d8bd5c7e.html

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Top-Ranked Cleveland Wrestlers Rally To Win

Blue Raiders Trailed 21-11 Before Beating Father Ryan In 33-24 Thriller

Friday, December 10, 2021 - by John Hunt

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – It has become a tradition for Father Ryan and Cleveland to wrestle on the Friday night before the Al Miller Cleveland Duals as these two great teams don’t wrestle any other time.

It’s normally a great match between two well-coached teams and that was certainly the case on Friday at the Jones Wrestling Center.

Cleveland is ranked first in the initial state mat poll while the Purple Irish are sixth, but the Blue Raiders didn’t look like it as they had to come from behind to record the 33-24 victory.

Both teams won seven matches, but the difference was bonus points.

Six of Ryan’s seven wins were by regular decision with the other being a pin.  Cleveland won two regular decisions, but got bonus points with one major decision, one technical fall and three pins.

Cleveland remains unbeaten at 9-0 while Friday’s loss was the first for the guys from Nashville after five straight wins to start the season.

Cleveland coach Joey Knox is normally the most relaxed and laid-back coach you know, but that wasn’t the case on Friday as he did more yelling than ever before as he tried to motivate his kids to put forth more effort.

If you really want to get down to it, the Blue Raiders were lucky to win as they were clearly out-wrestled from the first match to the last.  Knox gave his team a “five” for their effort, but he knows as well as anyone that this one could easily have gone either way.

“Father Ryan definitely pushed us as they came ready to wrestle,” Knox said after a lengthy talk with his team at the end.

“We somehow found a way to win.  We still have a lot of room to improve.  There were a lot of questionable calls, but most just happened to go our way.

“Father Ryan is a really good team and they pushed us to a point where we were uncomfortable, but I’m just thankful we found a way,” Knox added.

Bentley Ellison got Cleveland off and running with a technical fall at 120 while Blake Randall added a first-period pin three matches later.

The Purple Irish countered with six wins in seven matches following the opener and had a 21-11 lead  following a pin by Joey Terry at 170, but that’s when the Blue Raiders got serious and started acting like they wanted to win.

Jax Ernest got a 5-4 decision at 182 to make it 21-14 before Tetoe Boyd got the Blue Raiders within a point following a first-period pin at 195.  Jared Canalas somehow pulled out a 3-1 overtime decision at 220 before Ashton Davis sealed the win with a pin in 40 seconds at 285.

Zach Bosken put a little icing on the cake with a major decision at 106 before Ryan's Joseph Calvin won the final match at 113 with an overtime decision.

Ryan coach Pat Simpson felt like the match was much closer than the final score might indicate.

“We lost two close matches by decisions that would have changed the outcome had we won both of them, but we just came here tonight hoping to compete and win a few matches,” Simpson said with a smile on his face.

“We have to be able to compete with teams like Cleveland if we ever want to beat Baylor, but those guys make you fight to the end.  I thought we looked good on our feet and I’m really pleased with our overall effort, but we had no room for error tonight as this was a real test for us,” he added.

Perhaps the best match of the evening took place at 145 pounds where Ryan’s Chancey Dean came from behind to record a stirring 8-7 victory over Cleveland’s Hagen Cooper.

Dean trailed 2-1 after the first period and was still behind 6-4 with two minutes to go.  Starting in the down position, Dean evened the score at 6-6 with a reversal before Cooper took a 7-6 lead with an escape.  Then with the match on the line, Dean scored the all-important takedown with 29 seconds left and was able to hang on for the win.

Another great individual battle took place at 132 where Ryan’s Calvin Eason rallied from a 7-5 deficit to beat Arlo Laxton, 9-7.

Both of these teams will be battling on Saturday and could possibly meet again in the finals as they’re in different pools.  

Woodland, Bradley, Summit and Cleveland JV join the Purple Irish in one pool while Rossview, Arlington, Gilmer County and Blackman join the Blue Raiders in the other pool.

Pool matches begin at 8:30 with the championship match expected to begin around 3:30 or so.

CLEVELAND 33, FATHER RYAN 24

(Match began at 120 pounds)

106 – Zach Bosken (Clev) major dec. Ethan Lampert, 14-4;

113 – Joseph Calvin (Ryan) dec. Daniel Sims, 5-3 in overtime;

120 – Bentley Ellison (Clev) won by technical fall over Brody Gobbell, 3:59;

126 – Cason Roark (Ryan) dec. Logan Fowler, 7-4;

132 – Calvin Eason (Ryan) dec. Arlo Laxton, 9-7;

138 – Blake Randall (Clev) pinned Patrick McGrady, 1:19;

145 – Chancey Dean (Ryan) dec. Hagen Cooper, 8-7;

152 – Matt Oberlander (Ryan) dec. Cy Fowler, 7-4;

160 – Ben Stigamier (Ryan) dec. Lucas Syzbroski, 7-2;

170 – Joey Terry (Ryan) pinned Dave Giraldo, 3:50;

182 – Jax Ernest (Clev) dec. Benjamin Marchetti, 5-4;

195 – Tetoe Boyd (Clev) pinned Tim Brunett, 1:57;

220 – Jared Canalas (Clev) dec. William McGrady, 3-1 in overtime;

285 – Ashton Davis (Clev) pinned Abraham Cromartie, :40.

(email John Hunt at [email protected])

Edited by Sommers
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LA Wrestling begins 2021 season
Pic

Members of the 2021 LA Wrestling Team are, from left, Bella Billings, Jacob Folker, Gabe Ford, Parker Billings, Troy Vaughn, Beau McFarland, Powwow Robinson, Noah White, Seth King, Kollin Weitzel, John Geist, and manager Emily Hill. Not pictured are Michael Baker, Dravin Childers, Aiden Cobianponce, Jeffery Moore Jackson Pedigo, and Abby Hix.

Livingston Academy Wrestling has officially begun their 2021-2022 season. They are all very excited for what is to come this season.

The team recently had matches against Watertown and Upperman on Friday, Dec. 10.


Coach Cody Newman shared, “I’m most excited about building a solid foundation. The future’s looking good. We beat Upperman. We haven’t done that in a long time.”
The final score against Watertown was 48-30 where LA faced a close loss. LA brought home a very exciting win against Upperman, 48-24.

“The boys team is very young. We have 11 out of 14 weight classes filled on the boys side. We have 3 out of 12 weight classes filled on the girls side. The girls team is great, I’m looking forward to what they might be able to accomplish individually,” Coach Newman stated.
The boys team is already facing one injury as the season begins of John Geist, a returning state medalist.
The county has recently started a middle school wrestling program to help prepare young wrestlers as they approach the high school level.
“We started a middle school program, which once again makes the future look promising,” Coach Newman added.
The team will compete in a match today, Tuesday, Dec. 14 at Stone Memorial High School.

https://www.overtoncountynews.com/sports/la-wrestling-begins-2021-season/article_8a83d95e-5d1e-11ec-a58d-038e549f409c.html

———————-

Union County's Stephen Little places fifth in Walsh Ironman Tournament

Union County senior Stephen Little placed fifth in the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament Friday and Saturday in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
The Ironman is considered to be one of the toughest folk-style national tournaments in the country.

Little, a two-time Kentucky state champion, was seeded 10th in the 190-pound bracket and finished 4-2 in the tournament. He lost to No. 2 seed Rylan Rogers of Coeur D`Alene, Idaho, in overtime 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Rogers has committed to the University of Michigan.

Little's other loss came to No. 5 seed Hayden Walters of Crescent Valley in Corvallis, Oregon in a tiebreaker in the consolation bracket.
Braves third at Ryle Rumble
The rest of Union County's varsity team finished third in the Ryle Raider Rumble in Northern Kentucky on Saturday.

Jayden Raney (106), Jordyn Raney (113) and Corithian Seales-Portee (215) won their weight classes. Hunter Jenkins was the runner-up at 120, while Paxton Ervin finished third at 175.
Union County's other placers were Davis Pike and Jeremy Ray, fifth; Luke Thomas, seventh and Glen Mayes, eighth.
Union County will host Father Ryan of Nashville in a dual Saturday at 11 a.m.

https://www.thegleaner.com/story/sports/2021/12/14/union-countys-stephen-little-places-fifth-walsh-ironman-tournament/6506392001/

————————

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7255456

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7265110

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7255456

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7262995

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7262858

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7261854

https://www.flowrestling.org/events/7248613-walsh-ironman-2021/videos?playing=7263300

Edited by Sommers
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The previous list has Tennessee ahead of Ga?!?!?

 And here’s another…

Top HS wrestling states based on college performance… gotta hear what people think. Here’s one:

Top 5 (can change by year):
Iowa
Pennsylvania 
Illinois 
California 
Oklahoma

Honorable mentions:
Rest of Midwest 
Arizona
New York

This is what you see the most at the collegiate level which is what most people base it from. Also collegiate level goes further than D1.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WrestlersOnlyGroup/permalink/4761847750579016/

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Here’s Some Exceptional Mid-Tn Coverage…

Wrestle like a Bruise Brother’: Springfield wrestling returns to winning ways

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Springfield High School's wrestling team celebrates with the Robertson County Cup.

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Springfield High School poses with the Robertson County Cup.

 
 
 
 
 

Hayden Reynolds puts Nathaniel Slough in a headlock.

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Springfield coach Christopher Holzer celebrates after his team scores.

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Owen Rawls battles with Greenbrier's Ethan White.

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Springfield coach Christopher Holzen (right) looks on during a match against Greenbrier.

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Springfield's Anson Dickerson tries to bring down Will Kolb.

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Joseph Gregory lays atop of Greenbrier's Brian Rankhorn

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Members of Greenbrier's wrestling team shout instructions.

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Connor Reeves is brought down by Israel Martinez.

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Gavin Price is pinned by Greenbrier's Joseph Bullock.

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Brody Parnell and Jurgen Sanginez face off in a match.

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Nathaniel Slough grabs hold of Hayden Reynolds.

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Kyle Watts improved to 11-1 on the season with a win over Neil Baldwin.

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East Robertson's Cason Goostree and Mason Hawk battle for positioning.

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Greenbrier's Makenzie Dean is brought down in a match against Springfield.

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The Bruise Brothers are back.

At least that’s what Springfield wrestling coach Christopher Holzer hopes.

The Yellow Jackets – also known as The Bruise Brothers on the wrestling mats – picked up three wins against county foes on Friday, Dec. 17. It helped them win the second annual Robertson County Cup at White House Heritage.

“Our goal up to this point so far is to show the county that Springfield is back,” Holzer said. “That’s what we did tonight. We showed the county that Springfield’s back, and we plan on continuing to show the county that we’re here.”

The Jackets won all three of Friday’s matches against East Robertson, Greenbrier and Heritage by an average of 43 points. In the championship match, Springfield had eight pins in a 54-24 win against the Patriots.

“The score showed,” said sophomore Joseph Gregory. “I think that’s just how we work in practice. We are a very physical group, (and) we’re very competitive. We’re willing to work hard to get what we want, and that’s what we want.”

Their skull and crossbone singlets serve as reminders of what the Bruise Brothers once were.

It’s far more than a simple slogan or team logo; it’s a way of competing that’s lasted in the city for almost 50 years.

It originated with coach Randy Thomas in 1976. Thomas worked as the head football and wrestling coach at the time and led the Jackets to their only state football championship in 1993. He was also inducted into the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in October.

Thomas embraced a physical style of play in both sports. For wrestling, that meant emphasizing pins and takedowns over three-point wins. His teams’ toughness on the mats helped them finish as the state runner-up for three consecutive seasons (1992-1994).

“It’s something that they’re embodying,” Holzer said. “We’re telling them they have to wear that with pride. They have to wrestle with pride.

“They have to wrestle like a Bruise Brother to be able to wear that.”

The program had recently fallen on hard times, but Holzer is helping the Jackets turn things around. They went winless as a team in 2020 but have won 11 of their first 16 matches this winter.

Gregory, one of 13 sophomores on roster, is helping with their growth on and off the mats. He handled all three of Friday’s individual matches with ease and leads the team with a 15-4 record in the 220-pound weight class.

“It’s just desire and motivation to be where you want to be,” Gregory said. “It’s not an easy sport at all; you have to come to practice, you have to work hard, you have to do what you want to do and that’s how it is.”

Cooper Richards was the last Springfield wrestler to reach the state tournament as an individual, but the Jackets haven’t made a team appearance since 2005.

Holzer thinks a trip to the Williamson County Expo Center in February could bring back the Bruise Brothers for good.

“We’ve been telling our guys all year long, our goal is to get the team back to the state tournament,” he said. “We want to get back to what Coach Thomas did in the past.

“It’s an individual sport but also a huge team thing. With us being the Bruise Brothers, we want to get the Bruise Brothers back to state.”

RESULTS:

White House Heritage 54, East Robertson 24

Springfield 48, Greenbrier 10

Springfield 66, East Robertson 6

White House Heritage 48, Greenbrier 27

Greenbrier 45, East Robertson 24

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By the looks of things, UC was happy...

https://www.facebook.com/402142266507326/posts/4618715171516660/?d=n

Here's an update...

https://forums.kentuckywrestling.com/index.php?/topic/14933-union-county-vs-father-ryan-tn/

Sam Bacon dec. 7-2 over Simpson (120).. Union 12-0
Payne Carr Maj. Dec 9-0 over Madson (126)...Union 16-0
Saul Ervin dec. 5-1 over Eason (132)... Union 19-0
Bryce Sheffer pin L. Marfone (138)... Union 25-0
Chance Oxford Tech. Fall F. Marfone (145)... Union 30-0
Father Ryan forfeit 152... Union 30-6 (Micah bumped up to 160 for the dual)
Micah Ervin pin Crouch (160)... Union 36-6
Matthias Ervin dec. 8-3 over A Hagey  (170)... Union 39-6
Avery Buckman pin Clements (182)... Union 45-6
Father Ryan Forfeit 195... Union 45-12
Wesnafske pinned Hicks (220)... Union 45-18
Hayes pinned Snyder (HWT)... Final score Union 45, Father Ryan 24

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Champs win; Vikings start wrestling program

Jackson Harris of the Vikings wins a decision over his opponent from Lawrence County and claims the first victory in Community wrestling history.
Jackson Harris of the Vikings wins a decision over his opponent from Lawrence County and claims the first victory in Community wrestling history.
T-G PHOTOS BY RICKEY CLARDY
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  • 20211217-102934-Jackson%20Harris%20action.jpg
  • 20211217-102950-Jackson%20Harris-coach.jpg
  • 20211217-102919-Alex%20Stanley.jpg
  • 20211217-102850-David%20Bass.jpg
  • 20211217-102903-Dylan%20Warren.jpg
  • 20211217-102816-Hayden%20Dowell.jpg
  • 20211217-102959-Landon%20Kling.jpg
Posted Saturday, December 18, 2021 12:05 am
By RICKEY CLARDY - Sports Writer

The Cascade Champions won twice while the Community Vikings competed in their first wrestling competition in a tri-match Thursday night at Cascade.

The Vikings started the night with a match against the Lawrence County Wildcats.

Community made history off the bat as Jackson Harris won the first match in Viking history with a 13-4 decision over his opponent. Despite the Wildcat 42-10 win, another highlight was Alex Stanley pinning his opponent in the last class of the match.

The Champions came out strong in their initial appearance in match two and finished with a 45-16 victory over Lawrence County. Cascade had nine winners in the match as Landon Kling, Vayden Moore, David Bass, Hayden Dowell, and Dylan Warren were victorious via pins over their opponents. Chase Sutter, Isaiah Smith, and Waylon Napier were also victors while Isaac Chapa won on a forfeit.

The experience of the Champions showed in the final match of the evening as the Champs blanked the Vikings 66-0. Michael Martin, Taylor Dowell, Bass, Hayden Dowell, Chapa, Warren, and Kling won on pins while Moore, Sutter, Smith, and Napier recorded wins by forfeit.

———————

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://heraldcourier.com/sports/bobby-bates-wrestling-classic-fortuner-leads-rural-retreat-to-second-place/article_ce8d177a-607d-11ec-825f-830548811561.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTcwNDkxNDc4MTU1NzU2OTM3MzIyGmQ4ODQ3ZGNkYWExYTg4NGU6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNFFnAkVXxxaIvkfodyUJX-pM8y6fA

Edited by Sommers
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