The spacious Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Park is relatively quiet today.
Various folks are scurrying around making sure everything is in place and TSSAA workers are checking their lists to guarantee that all will be ready for action on Thursday afternoon.
But once that time arrives, this place will turn into a hub of activity as some 448 prep wrestlers will put their best foot forward in an attempt to win a Class AAA state wrestling title.
Oh, it’s one of those places where some dreams will be realized while others are smashed. There are 32 individuals in 14 weight classes and all are shooting to be standing at the top step of the podium on Saturday night when state champions will be honored and recognized.
Just which team is the favorite this weekend in the AAA division?
The Cleveland Blue Raiders are the three-time defending state champs and they will surely be in the thick of the race, but all hands are pointing to the Bradley Bears as the team to beat.
Soddy Daisy, Tennessee High, Wilson Central and Beech are all hoping to be challenging, but the Bears are the early favorites to add the traditional trophy to the State Duals title they took home two weeks ago.
There are a dozen returning medalists from Region 4, including six from Bradley, three from Cleveland, two from Soddy Daisy and one from Walker Valley.
Three of those young men are defending state champs and two of those are currently unbeaten. Bradley’s T.J.
Hicks is 39-0 and looking for a title at 113 pounds after winning at 106 a year ago. Teammate Knox Fuller is 38-1 and looking for his third straight state title, this time at 138 after winning at 126 last year and 120 in 2014.
Soddy Daisy’s Tucker Russo is unbeaten at 40-0 and will be looking for his third-straight title as well. He’s favored at 160 pounds after claiming titles at 145 and 138 the last two years.
But for a bunch of young men who have paid the price through hard work in the practice room and lots of days watching their weight, this is the end of the rainbow for the 2016 season.
“I’m always excited about the traditional tournament as it’s a fun time for everyone,” said Bradley coach Ben Smith, who earned his first state title as a coach two weeks ago.
“It’s fun to see these kids achieve their goals and to see others accomplish what they’re not sure they’re capable of doing, but I feel like we have as good a shot as anyone. We all know that anything can happen, but we should be in the middle of it.
“We have pretty good firepower up and down our lineup and a good group who should make the finals. If everyone else wins a match or two, we should be in pretty good shape. This has been a five-year process for us, but we have 13 qualifiers who have paid their dues. It should be a fun weekend,” Smith added.
While Hicks and Fuller are both defending champs, Brett Brown returns at 195 after finishing second and fifth at 182 the last two years. D.J. Adams is hoping to improve on last year’s third-place finish at 285 while Ryan McElhaney and Donnie Beyer are looking to improve on last year’s fifth-place finishes as they will be competing at 120 and 152 this weekend.
Other Bradley qualifiers are Bryson Bishop at 106, Joshua LaCoe at 126, Hunter Parker at 132, Austin Matthews at 145, Henley Headrick at 160, Ed Elkins at 170 and D.J. Gibson at 220.
The Soddy Daisy Trojans were runner-up to Bradley at the Region 4 tournament last Saturday. Coach Jim Higgins will have a dozen individuals wearing the blue and gold singlets and he feels good about their chances.
“I like our draws as we’re ready to go,” Higgins said earlier this week.
“I think we’ll be okay and I’m confident right now. If the same guys show up like they have been all season, the results will take care of themselves. The hay’s in the barn. Now is the time to reap the benefits of all our hard work,” he continued.
Russo and Chase Payne are the only two returning medalists for the Trojans. Russo is looking for another state title while Payne is back at 113 and hoping to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish.
“Tucker Russo is a special athlete and a pleasure to coach. He’s what we look for in a wrestler and it will be painful to see him graduate, but he’s one of the best we’ve ever had at Soddy Daisy.
“Tucker hasn’t been taken down all year and hasn’t allowed a single offensive point, so it’s been fun watching him compete,” praised Higgins.
Joining Russo and Payne as Soddy Daisy qualifiers are Landon Wheaton at 106, Jacob Kilgore at 120, Tony Wilson at 132, Emory Holcomb at 138, Conner Stiles at 145, Chase Rogers at 170, Ty Boeck at 182, Dylan Aslinger at 195, Dakota Ables at 220 and Trace McNew at 285.
Colton Landers was runner-up for Cleveland last year at 126 while Triston Blansit was third at 120 and Cody Matthews fourth at 106.
Coach Jake Yost will be taking eight total and he feels like they have the ability to make some noise before all is said and done.
“We have eight who can score a bunch of points and who will hopefully be on the podium Saturday night. We’ve had some great practices this week and we’re where we need to be for this time of year,” Yost expressed.
“There’s no pressure on us at all. This is a new team and a new year. We don’t talk about what we did in the past. All will have to perform their best and that’s possible, but we’ll need all eight in the medals for us to have a chance,” he added.
Additional qualifiers for the Blue Raiders are Bryce Pond at 106, Logan Whiteside at 120, Austin Sweeney at 145, Greg Wilson at 160 and Jack Hicks at 170.
Nobody is giving East Hamilton much of a chance in the team race, but coach Ryan Cooper is just thrilled that his team will be taking nine representatives after a previous high of four in years past.
“We’re glad to have as many as we have going, but we’re just excited about having the opportunity to compete. We just want to see if we can build on what we did last weekend,” Cooper suggested.
“They know what it’s like to be at the big show, but it’s still wrestling. We’ve competed with the best in the state all season in this region, but we’ll go up on Wednesday and look around a little. I don’t want them to be star struck when they walk in there on Thursday,” he added.
The nine Hurricanes include Cade Meeks at 113, Briar Potter at 120, Grant Lundy at 126, Matt Meeks at 138, Andrew Sturdivant at 152, Kirby Sailors at 170, Kevin Siniard at 182, Hiacham Yun at 195 and Blake Cason at 285.
Walker Valley has seven qualifiers while Ooltewah has five and Rhea County two.
Walker Valley’s include Chandler Davis at 106, Gatapun Jur at 113, Zane Smith at 126, Joseph Munoz at 132, Mikel Gregory at 152, Jaylon Martin at 182 and C.J. Schwark at 285.
Ooltewah’s five include Jordan Massengill at 145, Jordan Chafi at 160, Nick Lett at 182, Tyler Reid at 195 and Victor Bednarski at 220 while the two from Rhea County include Jay Graham at 152 and Garret Smith at 220.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)