3 Tennessee guys Big 12 starters...

[legman]

Challenge matches for the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma State took place over the last several days. There's some good news from our boys.

 

Rusty Blackmon earned the starting spot at 197 lbs. for OSU. He defeated his first opponent 10-0 and earned his starting position with a 9-4 decision in the finals.

 

Matt Keller defeated a 4X Iowa finalist and 2X State Champion in his first match, then defeated 3 year Senior starter Joey Malia in the finals, 16-13.

 

Kevin Ward won his first match by a 7-3 score, then defeated Johnny Hendricks of Oklahoma in the finals by a 3-1 OT score. Hendricks was a HS National Champion.

 

How 'bout those Tennessee boys ??

[delaWarr]

Congratulations to these guys,to their parents, to their scholastic programs, and, big time, to their scholastic coaches. The NCAA has just taken on much expanded dimensions for the Tennessee Wrestling Community.

[sly]

That's great news. Congratulations to Coach Henry and Steve Logsdon, you guys helped make them what they are today. I wish them all the best of luck this season and look forward to keeping up with their season.

[tophat]

Just like the commercial says, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW! TSSAA WRESTLING it's on the move.

[sundancer]

It is wonderful to see our TN boys doing well in OK & NE! Oklahoma is a true 'hot bed' of wrestlers. In the last few years we have cranked out some great guys that are out there wrestling at the NCAA levels. TN needs to keep producing this level of athlete. Remember the saying, 'If you build it, they will come." Well, I can hear them coming!

[CloudDrakan]

Thats great! Man when I was in middle school all I ever heard out of my older brother(Brian Massengale from Hixson 2001 grad.) was about this awesome wrestler who pinned him in like 15sec, and must of told me a million times about it, "Yeah I was like a sophmore and Rusty Blackmon just spanked the crap out of me, now there was a good wrestler, he is gonna do some great things." Well to this day he still tells that story, so its nice to see him doing good in College and I wish himthe best of luck down the road. =)

[Swirl]

Ive worked with Ward over the summer a while ago and he was awesome...i too am glad that our boys are wrestling hard and letting everywhere else know just what tennessee wrestling is all about...i have a great feeling that our state is going only going to get better...

[wrestlingfan]

Well, UTC isn't one of the big 12 schools, but it does have 3 middle tennessee guys, Dillon Jennings & Jason Pennington from Clarksville, and Ian Thornhill from MBA. Pennington is starting for UTC.

[Hamm]

Also look for Soddy Daisy graduate Jake Yost to push for the starting spot at 157 for UTC and Red Bank graduate Josh Ward to start at either 174 or 184

[sly]

The Mocs also have former Bradley State Champs Adam Rains and Dustin Catlett. Good luck to the Mocs this year.

[BuckLateral]

Since we have moved this post from Big 12 to other conference news, David Wipperman from Franklin Road Academy and a freshman at the Citadel, is on the Citadel team and recently wrestled in the Keydet Invitational, an annual open wrestling tournament hosted by VMI, held on Nov. 1. He went 1-2 at 174 lbs.

 

Citadel entered a bunch of wrestlers in the West Virginia Open this past weekend. Don't know if Wipperman was one of them. However, Citadel's No. 1 guy at 174 is a junior who is ranked 19th nationally and is team captain.

 

I'm not sure ( and anyone who knows differently please fell free to correct me) but I don't think Tennessee high schools have produced an NCAA D-I champion since Bill Harlow, who wrestled at St. Andrews Military Academy on Monteagle, won an NCAA title for Oklahoma State at 191 in 1966. But as Tennesse schools produce more Simpsons, Kellers, Wards and Blackmons that dry spell is hopefully going to end soon.

[sly]

Also, Michael Creagan/Bradley State Champ is wrestling for Duke. He recently finished 2-2 at the VMI tournament. Good luck Michael.