McCallie's River Henry, top, controls Patrick Henry of Christian Brothers in their Division II heavyweight championship semi-final. Henry won the match in overtime by a 3-2 decision to move on to the championship final Saturday night at the Williamson County Ag/Expo arena in Franklin, Tenn. Going in to the finals first place Father Ryan holds a commanding lead over second place McCallie, 184-153.5.
photo by Dennis Norwood
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – There’s just something about the traditional state wrestling tournament that brings out the best in the guys from Father Ryan.
The Purple Irish have won the last three team titles and they appear to be well on their way to a four-peat after advancing eight into Saturday’s championship finals. With 13 of 14 individuals having earned a medal, Father Ryan holds a commanding lead over second-place McCallie with 184 points.
The Blue Tornado is currently second with 153.5 points while Christian Brothers is third with 135.5. MBA and Baylor are fourth and fifth with 121 and 120.5 points, respectively.
Father Ryan coach Pat Simpson knows how to get his guys ready to compete at the end and this year is no exception as they beat Baylor two weeks ago to win another State Duals title. Simpson never openly admits that his team has the team title already secure as he knows too many crazy things can happen in the consolation finals.
“Our first round was perfect as we won all 12 of our matches and we were hoping for at least 11 in the semifinals, but we won eight and I feel pretty good about that,” he said while watching consolation rounds following the semis.
“I feel really good about three of our finalists, but we could easily have five champions. It was just an awesome day for us as we wrestled better than I expected,” he smiled.
McCallie coach Mike Newman watched his team advance six into Saturday’s championship round while still six more are alive in the medal rounds.
“Father Ryan had a great day and there’s no denying that,” Newman began.
“We had a pretty good day, but we let one or two slip away that we might should have won. Now it’s all about winning some matches in the consolation rounds as the day isn’t over yet. We need to get as many bonus points as possible, but overall, I felt like we wrestled well today,” he added.
Father Ryan’s finalists include Paul Killian at 106, Christian Simpson at 113, Raymond Eason at 126, Joseph Vogelpohl at 138, Eli King at 145, Anthony Hagey at 170, Andrew Wesnofske at 195 and George Hooker at 220.
Griffin Hubacker, Phillip Rogers, Nikita Kouzovik, Patrick Clements and John Hayes are still alive in the medal rounds.
McCallie’s finalists include Alex Whitworth at 106, Zach Ward at 120, Brock Herring at 132, Ethan Dendy at 152, Judah Duhm at 182 and River Henry at 285. Others in the consolation rounds include Eddie Suh, Evan Hughes, Thomas Sell, Russell Barry, Hayden Rowland and George Robinson.
Baylor had a tough day as the Red Raiders only won eight of 14 matches in the first round while going 4-4 in the championship semis.
Those in the finals include Mason Reiniche at 152, Connor Duffy at 160, Khamari Whimper at 170 and Riley Westlake at 182 while those still in the hunt for medals include Clayton Pettway, Porter Kaufman, Hayden Hartline, Austin Atchley, Alex Atchley, Sam Reynolds and Tyree Toliver.
D-II TEAM SCORES AND LEGEND FOLLOWING FRIDAY ROUNDS: 1. Father Ryan (FR) 184; 2. McCallie (McC) 153.5; 3. Christian Brothers (CB) 135.5; 4. Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) 121; 5. Baylor (Bay) 120.5; 6. Brentwood Academy (BA) 51; 7. Briarcrest (Briar) 22; 8. Battleground Academy (BGA) 16.5; 9. Memphis University School (MUS) 13; 10. Webb (Webb) 12; 11. Ensworth (Ens) 10; 12. Franklin Road Academy (FRA) 8; 13. Friendship Christian (FC) 6.
D-II CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL RESULTS
106 – Paul Killian (FR) dec. Charles Salvaggio (CB), 7-0;
106 – Alex Whitworth (McC) won by technical fall over Frank Perazinni (MBA), 5:43;
113 – Jackson Herring (CB) pinned Porter Kaufman (Bay), 1:44;
113 – Christian Simpson (FR) pinned Carlo Guinocor (MUS), :45;
120 – Zach Ward (McC) pinned Billy Brooks (BA), 3:00;
120 – Gabriel Elkin (MBA) pinned Conner Galvez (Ens), 1:22;
126 – Michael Elkin (MBA) dec. Hayden Hartline (Bay), 4-2;
126 – Raymond Eason (FR) pinned Tiy Reed (BGA), 2:55;
132 – John Michael Glover (MBA) dec. Phillip Rogers (FR), 7-6;
132 – Brock Herring (McC) pinned Conner Rasberry (CB), 1:42;\
138 – Joseph Vogelpohl (FR) dec. Austin Atchley (Bay), 6-4 in overtime;
138 – Trevor Brown (CB) major dec. Joseph Tarquine (MBA), 15-6;
145 – Eli King (FR) pinned Thomas Sell (McC), 1:04;
145 – Bryce Wittman (MBA) dec. Alex Atchley (Bay), 6-3;
152 – Mason Reiniche (Bay) pinned Perry Matthews (MBA), :57;
152 – Ethan Dendy (McC) pinned Nikita Kouzovik (FR), :14;
160 – Eric Hodge (CB) dec. Russell Barry (McC), 3-1;
160 – Connor Duffy (Bay) pinned Patrick Clements (FR), 1:23;
170 –Khamari Whimper (Bay) pinned Montana Doty (CB), 1:36;
170 – Anthony Hagey (FR) major dec. Thomas Butler (BA), 12-4;
182 – Riley Westlake (Bay) pinned Dominic Fisher (MBA), 2:24;
182 – Judah Duhm (McC) pinned Ian Tiatian (Briar), 1:06;
195 – Tommy Brackett (CB) dec. Ryan Kosson (MBA), 7-1;
195 – Andrew Wesnofske (FR) dec. George Robinson (McC), 5-2;
220 – Grayson Walthall (CB) pinned Joshiah Fahhoum (Briar), 5:21;
220 – George Hooker (FR) pinned Jordan McCoy (BA), 3:09;
285 – River Henry (McC) dec. Patrick Healy (CB), 3-2 in overtime;
285 – Airin Spell (BA) dec. John Hayes (FR), 5-2.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)