Challenge Cup Scores

[BuckLateral]

Just had a call from someone at the Challenge Cup. 7th/8th grade team beat Georgia 41-22. The team was trailing 22-14 until Aaron Bateman at 155, with a first period pin of his opponent, started a string of 4 straight pins by Team Tennessee. They wrestle Michigan next.

[BuckLateral]

7th/8th grade team lost to Michigan a short while ago. Score ( my caller thinks) was 46-22. Highlights for team Tennesse were another pin by Coffey from Heritage (he has two) and tough, close wins by Doster and Bateman. North Carolina is next.

[BuckLateral]

7th/8th grade team lost to North Carolina and Alabama on Saturday. Don't have final team match scores-----wrote them down but lost paper they were on----but they were not close, though there were a number of individual matches that were close or decided in the last seconds, which all seemed to turn against Team Tennessee. Not bad calls-----just either did not hold a lead or could just not seem to pull off the move at the end that would have won the match.

By an informal count of a dad who was at all the GA, MICH, NC and AL matches, there was a total of 20 matches decided by 4 points or less-------Tennessee's record in those matches was 3-17. So I guess it is a question of whether you prefer to look your glass half full-------kids wrestled well but lost some close matches that could have gone the other way and maybe the final team outcome would have been different-----or half empty------we didn't wrestle so good and lost some close ones that we should not have given the team that was on the mat.

 

Despite the team losses, there were several bright spots. Baucke from Memphis wrestled well-------won three matches and lost a close one, 6-4. Kelly Felix was dominating in easily winning three matches, losing only to Mich. Aaron Bateman won three matches and was within 18 seconds of winning a fourth----got reversed by his NC opponent and lost 3-2 in a physical match between two strong kids that saw the NC kid's front tooth get knocked completely out when he drove his head into Bateman's shoulder in a lock up. But the high light was the Coffey kid from Heritage Middle School in Williamson County who wreslted 220. He won all four of his matches by pin in the first or second round. Clearly the best 220 there. Against Alabama, he was on top and his opponent was trying to get out of bounds. Coffey pulled him by one leg back into the center circle, let him go and then took him back down again. This kid is strong, quick and athletic. Mark down his name. If he sticks with wrestling in high school and picks up some more technique through coaches and off season work, he looks like one we could be reading a lot about in the future.