D1 AA Preview And Predictions

[Bump11]

120- #1 Bryson Terrell (Bradley) vs #2 Zac Bosken (Cleveland)

 

Cleveland vs Bradley. A tale as old as time. One of the greatest wrestling rivalries this state has ever seen gets the spotlight at 120 lbs.

Introducing first, representing the Bradley Central Bears..Bryson Terrell. Competing in his third straight state final,  and looking for his second straight title, the consensus #1 and imo one of the top P4P guys in the state, has pinned his way to the finals. His only loss this year is a 1 point decision to Carson Dupil at Knoxville Catholic, someone who has made waves on the national scene. Bryson deserves national recognition as well imo, and i can’t wait to watch him at the next level.

Introducing his opponent, representing the Cleveland Blue Raiders…Zac Bosken. Zac’s route to the final has been significantly different. Following an opening round major dec, he has survived 2 straight rounds of 1 point wins. While it doesn’t look pretty on paper, it does mean that he is battle tested and knows how to pull out the close ones. Here’s the thing though..in the whopping 5 times these 2 have met this year, Terrell is 5-0, with a combined winning margin of 29-4..including 2 straight shut outs in both the region and sectional finals. And while Bosken has found a way to get it done throughout the tournament, he hasn’t given us any reason to think that match number 6 will be any different. 

Prediction: Terrell by decision

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126- #1 Jarvis Little (Summit) vs #2 Bentley Ellison (Cleveland)

 

The only D1AA matchup of the day between 2 former state champs, so both have been here before and both know what it takes to get it done. Jarvis Little became Summits first ever state champ last year, now he looks to give Summit their first ever 2x champ..while Ellison looks to give Cleveland their 11th multi time champion. They’ve met twice this year, both razor thin decisions for Little. Both are flashy on their feet, both are hammers on top, and both are good enough defensively to keep the other at bay. In other words..what we have here is a chess match. Who makes the right moves, who makes the first mistake in a match where 1 mistake may be all it takes. Id expect another low scoring, pitchers dual of a match. My pre tournament pick was Little, i’ll stick with it. 

Prediction: Little by decision, possible OT. 

[Bump11]

132- #1 Ethan Lipsey (Bradley) vs #2 Damen Pullen (Collierville)

 

If i was a betting man, i’d bet that this is the first final that isn’t super close. Damen Pullen is a great story. As a junior, he’s already a 3 time region champ, but before this year he couldn’t translate that into state tournament success. He finally was able to breakthrough this year and give the Dragons their first state finalist since Kent Johnson in 2005, who by the way..beat a Bradley Bear to win that title. But this isn’t 2005, and i expect Ethan to be able to do what Hunter Randolph couldn’t, slay the Dragon. (see what i did there) Lipsey caps off his high school career by finally winning gold. 

 

Prediction: Lipsey by fall

Edited February 25, 2023 by Bump11

[Bump11]

138- #1 Landon Desselle (Summit) vs #2 Connor Warnock (Wilson)

 

The first all middle tennessee final of the day, a win here for Desselle would all but solidify Summit’s place as the team runner up. Sparty showed up in full force this weekend, and Desselle stands at the forefront. Can he deliver on the biggest stage, under the bright lights, and help inch Summit closer to their best ever team finish? If you’re not a Wilson homer, the answer is yes. And even if you are a Wilson homer, i think you know this is an uphill battle for Connor. Desselle has not only proven himself in the state, but he’s also proven himself on the national level, bringing home a medal from Beast of the East. When talking about Mason Jakob yesterday, the key term was “levels”. There’s levels to this, and Landon is on a different level. I’m a big fan of Warnock, big fan of Wilson as a whole. But even as a valiant and deserving challenger, I just don’t think anything he can throw at Landon will be enough. 

 

Prediction: Desselle by major

Edited February 25, 2023 by Bump11

[Bump11]

145- #1 Luke Belcher (Bradley) vs #2 Mason Sells (Blackman)

 

The upset alarm is still ringing. I haven’t flipped on any of my predicted champs, and i’m not starting now. Belcher has been consistently at or near the top of the sport since he entered high school. And there’s a reason for that. He’s extremely talented. Another top tier wrestler in the Ben Smith machine. Sells undoubtedly has what it takes to take him out. He’s shown that he’s on that level twice this year, and twice he has come up just short. The third time is the charm, and Mason becomes the second Sells brother to beat a Bradley Bear for a state title. 

 

Prediction: Sells by decision

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152- #1 Logan Fowler (Cleveland) vs #2 Finley Jameson (Summit)

 

Cleveland vs Summit Round 2. And yet another 1 vs 2. Logan Fowler, like his teammate Bentley Ellison, will also try to become the next multi time champ of the Cleveland dynasty. And also like Ellison, a Summit Spartan stands in the way.  The only difference is, i believe Logan gets it done. Finley has been an anchor for this Summit team all year, and while i would love to see him go out on top, my gut says it won’t happen. He has already faced one Fowler brother this year, going 1-1 against Logan’s younger brother Cy. I’m confident in saying that after tomorrow, it will be Fowler’s- 2 Jameson- 1. 

 

Prediction: Fowler by decision

Edited February 25, 2023 by Bump11

[Bump11]

160- #1 Max Norman (Dobyns) vs #2 Tre McTorry (Nolensville)

 

No offense whatsoever to Tre, he’s a 2x medalist for a reason, and i fully believe he will become Nolensville’s first 4x medalist next year. But i’m gonna keep this short, sweet, and to the point…All Norman, all day. 

 

Prediction: Norman by major, on his way to MOW Award. 

[noonesfool]

1 minute ago, Bump11 said:

160- #1 Max Norman (Dobyns) vs #2 Tre McTorry (Nolensville)

 

No offense whatsoever to Tre, he’s a 2x medalist for a reason, and i fully believe he will become Nolensville’s first 4x medalist next year. But i’m gonna keep this short, sweet, and to the point…All Norman, all day. 

 

Prediction: Norman by major, on his way to MOW Award. 

Being a sophomore would Norman not be the next 4 time AA Wrestling champ before Jacobs.

[Bump11]

170- #1 Wyatt Gibbs (Brentwood) vs #2 Lucas Szymborski (Cleveland)

 

This has all the potential to win Beat Match. Both can score at will, but both are also very good at the feeling out process, biding their time and finding the right openings to strike. Both are very calculated and neither makes a move with no thought behind it. There’s no winging it, and no throwing caution to the wind. These are probably 2 of the best technical wrestlers in the upper weights. And i cannot wait to watch them lock horns. 

Prediction: Szymborski by decision

[Bump11]

12 minutes ago, noonesfool said:

Being a sophomore would Norman not be the next 4 time AA Wrestling champ before Jacobs.

yep! you are correct.  it’s way past my bedtime and i spaced on Norman being a  sophomore lol. my bad, ill fix it

[Bump11]

182- #1 Aiden Brenot (Clarksville) vs #3 Knox Watson (Bradley)

 

The first non 1v2 final comes all the way at 182lbs. Senior Aiden Brenot will try to become Clarksville’s 5th 2x state champ, and their 4th back to back state champ of the last decade.. following in the footsteps of Bruno Reagan, Bradley Williams, and Christian Isbell. Knox Watson on the other hand, also a senior, is looking to close his career out with his first medal, and he’s trying to make it gold. Brenot hasn’t lost a match to someone from Tennessee in 2 years, almost exactly to the day. He’s had a level of dominance that you rarely see get broken up. It’s gonna take something special and an inspired performance from Knox to end that streak. Brenot was one of the biggest favorites to win a title coming into the tournament, and amongst the top 3 highest odds to win MOW. While he will have to battle with the likes of Max Norman and Landon Desselle amongst others, for that MOW, getting his hands on a second straight gold medal should be a little bit smoother. 

 

Prediction: Brenot by Fall

[Bump11]

195- #1 Devon Medina (Science Hill) vs UR Tyson Russell (Cleveland)

 

The only final featuring an unranked wrestler, Tyson Russel has taken the metaphorical world by storm, knocking off James Green and Luke Justice on his way to the 195lb championship match. I’ve learned over the years to not be surprised if someone from Cleveland goes further than they’re theoretically supposed to. That room is full of studs, and even when one isn’t on the radar, they still have the talent and ability to make a deep run like this. Toeing the line across from him, trying to keep this Cinderella story from having a happy ending, is last years runner up at this weight, Devon Medina of Science Hill. Medina has had a dominant year and has kept a stranglehold on #1 all year. Going into this weekend, the gap between Devon and the rest of the field was a decent size. And while i love a good underdog story, I don’t see Russell being the one to close that gap. 

 

Prediction: Medina by major

Edited February 25, 2023 by Bump11