CLEVELAND -- It's been a long, long time since anyone other than the Bradley Bears won a Region 3 wrestling tournament.
It's been 19 years to be exact, but the Cleveland Blue Raiders earned the title for 2012 as they crowned six champions while qualifying a dozen for next week's traditional state tournament in Franklin.
Cleveland's champions included Chris DeBien at 106, Austin Stevison at 113, Austin Oliver at 120, Brandon Strickland at 138, Josh Hamilton at 145 and Jesse Jones at 182.
The Blue Raiders finished with 255 points while Bradley was second with 201.5. Walker Valley was third with 136 while Maryville and Heritage were fourth and fifth with 129.5 and 125 points, respectively.
While Cleveland led the way with six champions, runner-up Bradley had three and Walker Valley two. Maryville, Heritage and William Blount all had one each.
Bradley's three included Jericho Crutcher at 126, Jacob "Pork Chop" Bailey at 160 and Patrick Benson at 285. Walker Valley's pair included Caleb Langford at 132 and Billy Raulston at 195.
Keegan Matlock was the winner for Heritage at 152 while Maryville's Jaron Brock was first at 170 and William Blount's T.J. Satterfield first at 220.
Cleveland coach Eric Phillips was looking for a lot of energy from his team after finishing second to Soddy Daisy in the AAA State Duals last Saturday night. The highly-motivated Blue Raider leader got what he was looking for.
"We had a lot of fight as we brought a lot of intensity and enthusiasm to the tournament this weekend. I think we're ready for next weekend," he began while the individual medals were being distributed.
"Putting 12 in the finals was a pleasant surprise. We only won six, but we were battling the whole time. Nobody lost with a sub-par effort. We were hoping to take all 14.
"It feels good to win this tournnament. None of my guys were even alive the last time we won, but our ultimate goal is to compete for a state title. Of course, I'd rather be region champions rather than region runner-up," he concluded with a smile.
The Bradley Bears are taking 10 to the state. The Bears finished second to Cleveland last year, but coach Ben Smith is hoping that other teams look past his group.
"We're taking 10, which is about realistic for us. I'm really happy for Jericho and Benson and Pork Chop for winning region titles. We also had three thirds.
"We'll make another run at it next week, but I like being the underdog. We've felt the wind at the top for a long time, so it's nice to be below the radar for once. Maybe we'll be able to sneak up on some folks," Smith suggested.
Walker Valley coach Alan Morris is happy to be taking seven, but he would have liked more.
"I'm glad we have seven, but I feel bad for those who didn't make it. I was hoping that we'd give Bradley a better battle, but we didn't do what we're capable of doing. Bradley rose to the occasion. We just have to learn how to show up when it matters the most," he nodded.
The 120-pound championship final was voted the Best Match for the tournament. Cleveland's Oliver recorded a tight 7-6 decision over Stone Memorial's Zach Heavilon.
The Outstanding Freshman award went to Cleveland's DeBien, who earned one of three pins in the finals with a fall at 106.
Outstanding Wrestler awards went to Bradley's 126-pound champ Crutcher for the lower weights and Heritage's Matlock at 152 for the upper weights.
All 14 top-seeded wrestlers advanced to the championship finals, but only 11 were victorious. All three who lost were from Cleveland, including Ezra Taylor at 126, Haden Hamilton at 132 and Seth Snyder at 220.
LEGEND AND FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Cleveland (Clev) 255; 2. Bradley Central (BC) 201.5; 3. Walker Valley (WV) 136; 4. Maryville (Mary) 129.5; 5. Heritage (Her) 125; 6. Stone Memorial (SM) 84; 7. Alcoa (A) 44.5; 8. William Blount (WB) 42; 9. Rhea County (RC) 26; 10. Greenback (G) 24; 11. Kingston (K) 18; 12. McMinn County (MC) 11; 13. Cumberland Co. (CC) 0.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
106 -- Chris DeBien (Clev) pinned Toribio Navarro (BC), 5:37;
113 -- Austin Stevison (Clev) dec. Dakota Ream (BC), 4-1;
120 -- Austin Oliver (Clev) dec. Zach Heavilonn (SM), 7-6;
126 -- Jericho Crutcher (BC) dec. Ezra Taylor (Clev), 7-4;
132 -- Caleb Langford (WV) dec. Hayden Hamilton (Clev), 3-1;
138 -- Brandon Strickland (Clev) dec. Skyler Boring (Her), 8-2;
145 -- Josh Hamilton (Clev) pinned Robbie Clark (BC), 5:09;
152 -- Keegan Matlock (Her) dec.Tyler Schuch (BC), 4-2;
160 -- Jacob Bailey (BC) dec. Chad Solomon (Mary), 4-3;
170 -- Jaron Brock (Mary) major dec. J.C. Bobe (Clev), 15-4;
182 -- Jesse Jones (Clev) major dec. Skylar LaRue (Her), 12-4;
195 -- Billy Raulston (WV) dec. Oleg Stukanov (Clev), 3-2 in overtime;
220 -- T.J. Satterfield (WB) dec. Seth Snyder (Clev), 3-2;
285 -- Patrick Benson (BC) pinned Jordan Hines (Clev), 3:30.
CONSOLATION FINALS FOR THIRD PLACE
106 -- Nick Crawford (Her) pinned Cody McCarl (SM), 2:24;
113 -- Walker Murphy (A) pinned Pedro Rivera (Mary), 2:32;
120 -- Dakota Bromley (BC) dec. Tyrus Hamrick (WV), 8-1;
126 -- Alan Frisco (Mary) dec. Dakota Ray (A), 5-4;
132 -- Anthony Giattino (SM) major dec. Tres Markham (Mary), 13-2;
138 -- Gene Lewis (Mary) dec. Cody Caruthers (SM), 1-0;
145 -- Nathan Wilson (Mary) dec. Lawrence Cotton (WV), 9-3;
152 -- Micah Langford (WV) pinned Cory Glover (Mary), 3:46;
160 -- Travis Reed (WV) pinned Christian Bain (K), 3:56;
170 -- Tait Rakestraw (BC) pinned Joel Payne (Her), 4:19;
182 -- John Adams (SM) dec. Clay Strawn (Mary), 13-7;
195 -- Devin Carroll (BC) dec. Joshua Bain (K), 3-1;
220 -- Zack Miller (WV) pinned Jeb Davis (Her), 4:01;
285 -- Joey Evans (Her) dec. Robert Wright (Mary), 6-2.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)