Cleveland and Baylor continued the Chattanooga area’s wrestling dominance at Saturday’s TSSAA state duals, the Blue Raiders by winning their fourth straight Class AAA title and the Red Raiders with their third Division II championship in a row.
All three of Cleveland’s wins Saturday were at Independence High School in Thompson’s Station. The Blue Raiders beat Wilson Central 39-28 in the final after a 41-37 semifinal win against Summit and a 55-15 rout of Dobyns-Bennett.
The Blue Raiders (15-0), the state’s top-ranked team across all levels, were led by Logan Fowler (106 pounds), Benjamin Gray (195) and Army signee Trae McDaniel (138), who won all three of their matches by pin. Tetoe Boyd (185), Cody Chittum (145), Ashton Davis (220) and Bentley Ellison (113) also went 3-0 for Cleveland.
“This was special, especially for Trae McDaniel, Jackson Bradford and Cael Laxton, who have been with me since the start four years ago,” coach Joey Knox said. “Ben Gray is a senior and was a tremendous addition to our lineup. Jackson convinced him to come out to wrestle with us and end his senior year with us. These guys are all a part of history.”
Baylor, 4-0 under first-year head coach Rex Kendle, continued its run of titles with a 48-21 victory against Christian Brothers in the final, having won four decisions by two or fewer points while throttling Father Ryan 55-9 in the semifinals in D-II competition at Middle Creek Middle School in Nolensville.
Ronald Garriques (182) won both of his matches by pin, and he was joined in going 2-0 by teammates Omaury Alvarez (170), Jackson Bond (126), Nick Corday (113), Garrison Dendy (145), David Harper (195), Kade Hartline (106) and Elijah Turner (132).
“All of the guys are jacked up about winning another state championship, Kendle said. “This was a very strange season and we didn’t get a lot of matches, but we were just happy to be wrestling. You can’t point at just one person; our lineup has so many great wrestlers, and they all played a big part today.”
In the Class A/AA state duals at Nolensville High School, Signal Mountain beat Hixson 47-32 in the third-place match. In the semifinals of the four-team event, Signal Mountain lost 42-33 to Pigeon Forge, which then had its run of three straight state duals titles end with a 39-36 loss to Fairview. Hixson lost 44-31 to Fairview in the semifinals.
Trailing 26-24 in the third-place match, the Eagles (9-2) stormed back with a technical fall by Ethan Uhorchuk (106) and pins by Caleb Uhorchuk (113) and Noah Shriner (120) before three-time state champion Daniel Uhorchuk’s (126) second forfeit win of the day.
Signal Mountain’s Kevin Muschel (182) had two pins Saturday, when Brock Shipley (145) was 2-0 with one pin.
For Hixson (12-2), the trio of senior captains Trevor Lewis (126), Caleb Miller (132) and Parrish Pacetti (220) were all 2-0, Pacetti with two pins, Miller with a pin and a major decision and Lewis with a pin and by forfeit.
Bradley Central lost 37-33 in a Class AAA quarterfinal to Wilson Central.
