On Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. in Father Ryan’s gym, a pair of heavyweights – most likely Baylor and Father Ryan – of the prep wrestling world will go toe-to-toe for the TSSAA Division II state duals wrestling title.

On the adjacent mat, another pair of D-II schools with smaller enrollments than their counterparts across the gym, will also compete for an invitational title.

“For all intents and purposes, the two small schools are wrestling for a state title, it’s just not called a official state championship by the TSSAA office,’’ said MBA assistant coach Jay Jenkins who has worked on this idea for the past four years. “But if this tourney goes well, and many feel it will, this could become a sanctioned state event down the road.’’

The TSSAA D-II two-day tournament which starts this afternoon, consists of eight large enrollment schools, while the invitational has eight private schools with smaller enrollments.

The D-II large school event includes defending champion Baylor along with Brentwood Academy, Christian Brothers, Father Ryan, McCallie, Memphis University School (MUS), Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) and St. Benedict.

The invitational field has Battleground Academy, Briarcrest, Ensworth, Harding Academy, Knoxville Webb, Pope John Paul II, St.Andrew’s-Sewanee and St. George’s.

“I think the invitational is great for the small, private schools, because it gives the team something to shoot for,’’ said St. Andrews-Sewanee coach Dan Barry. “We don’t have the numbers to compete with the Christian Brothers, Baylor’s and Father Ryan’s, but we can do well at our level.’’

The invitational also offers a post-season event for all D-II wrestlers between the regular season and the state traditional (Feb. 14-16) in Chattanooga.

‘‘Before this year, wrestlers at small private schools were without any competition for three weeks prior to the state traditional and that isn’t good for the sport,’’ said Barry.

Ensworth (10-5), with five returning state medalists from 2007, is the odds-on favorite to win the inaugural event, having beaten BGA, Webb, St.Andrew’s-Sewanee and Pope John Paul II (twice) in regular season matches.

“This tourney is super for the small enrollment schools and our mind set is that this could be Ensworth’s first state title in any sport,’’ said coach Johnny Rich who was a 1998 state champion under coach Frank Simpson at MBA.

Ensworth’s state medalists are Vernon Taylor (119), Thomas Grant (135), Duke Deloache (152), Watson Sweat (215) and Alex Baldwin (285).

Pope John Paul II coach Billy Whitaker said great value in the invitational.

“I see the invitational as a great thing for the DII small schools,’’ said the first year head coach. “It is very hard to compete with the larger schools when you have holes in your line-up. The invitational allows teams of similar strength, the opportunity to compete with one another. With the TSSAA state duals going on at the same time, it should be a great atmosphere.’’

PJPII, (11-8) with wins against Webb and SAS, is led 2007 state medalist Chad Hooker (189, 28-6 record) and Thomas Garbarino (112, 28-7 record).

Knox. Webb coach Ryan Welch is also supportive of the invitational concept.

“The invitational gives the smaller enrollment schools the opportunity to see success as as a team, and not just on the individual level at the traditional tourney,’’ said Welch.

The Young and the Old: Ensworth is in its second year of varsity wrestling, while PJPII is in its fourth … SAS stands on the other end of the spectrum with a 50+ year mat history.

Results of all the state duals tournaments this weekend can be found on www.tssaa,org.

Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

Other wrestling articles:

Division II:
Baylor, Father Ryan Advance in D-II State Duals
D-II Wrestling Breaks New Ground With Invitational
Baylor, Bailey Whitaker Look to Duals Title

Class AAA
Bradley Rolls in AAA State Duals Wrestling
Bradley Ready For State Duals Challenge

Class A/AA
Notre Dame Looking For Wrestling’s Three-Peat

Girls Invitational:
Girls Wrestling Title On The Line In Round Robin Format