In 17 seasons as Hixson's wrestling coach, Garrick Hall took the program to a higher level.
So as he steps down from that job at his alma mater, where he will remain dean of students, there is plenty to reflect on regarding his leadership of the Wildcats on the mat.
When Hall became head coach in 2005, the program had one team state championship and 13 individual champions since 1971. Under his guidance, the Wildcats posted 401 victories in dual meets, won three TSSAA team state titles and had five individual state champs.
Some of his fondest memories: Landon Goforth pinning his opponent in 47 seconds to become Hall's first Hixson wrestler to win a state title in 2016; Trevor Lewis reaching four straight state finals from 2018-21; Nick Alemany's improbable run to a second-place finish at state; Cederick Harris and Truman Ross winning individual titles in 2017; and Dylan Bargerstock making it to the state finals with a 90% torn labrum.
Hixson won back-to-back Class A/AA duals titles in 2009-10 to triple the program's total for team state championships, then won the state traditional tournament in 2014 despite not having an individual champ.
"The first state championship we won in Clarksville against a very talented Notre Dame team was unforgettable," Hall said. "The feeling of joy for the kids who had worked so hard and bought in to what we were doing will never be forgotten. Then the next year when we won the duals title in Franklin, the kids all lifted me up on their shoulders and celebrated."
Parrish Pacetti won Class A/AA's 220-pound title for the Wildcats in 2020, the last state hardware in Hall's tenure, which included region titles numbering in the double digits.
"You cannot have the success that Hixson has had without surrounding yourself with great people," Hall said. "This school owes a great deal of its success to Todd Worley. He was able to feed the high school with kids that knew how I wanted things done before they stepped in my room. They came here hungry for that next state title and Hixson pride. It has been said that if you cut me or Todd, we bleed black and gold."
Hall is thankful for every moment.
"I am just sitting here thinking about all the kids I coached, even as an assistant at East Ridge, Hixson Middle and High," he said. "Watching the kids work hard and accomplish goals, to me, is what it is all about. I hope the Hixson community feels what we have done and people give back to a program that has given so much to many."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.
Staff photo / Garrick Hall, standing left, coaches as 189-pounder Alex Mitchell, bottom, and 215-pounder Todd Worley drill together during a Hixson Wildcats wrestling practice in January 2008.