The Chattanooga Mocs had a near-perfect performance on the wrestling mat Sunday afternoon at Maclellan Gym.
It was Senior Day where six young men were recognized for their contribution and success of Chattanooga wrestling and it was also the final two home matches of the season. Those six included George Coleman, Fabian Gutierrez, Colton Landers, Franco Valdes, Matthew Waddell and Grayson Walthall.
And what a final day in Big Mac it was!
Facing conference foes VMI and Presbyterian, the Mocs improved to 7-10 overall and 5-2 in SoCon action with a couple of shutouts, the Keydets falling 47-0 in the first match while the Blue Hose fared even worse with a 49-0 shutout in the second one.
Add Walthall’s 4-1 decision in a 285-pound exhibition match in the middle and the Mocs batted a thousand by winning all 21 matches they entered.
UTC coach Kyle Ruschell was really happy with Sunday’s results, but he knows that the Mocs have much bigger fish to fry as they prepare for the upcoming Southern Conference tournament on March 5.
“That wasn’t bad at all, but we still have stuff to work on and areas where we still need to improve,” he began following the win over Presbyterian.
“We’re the underdogs in the tournament behind Appalachian State and Campbell. We have three weeks to make up the gap, but I can’t be upset with two shutouts today.
“We’re not sitting back and waiting as we attacked early, but we can’t let points go at the end of a period as you can’t get them back, but these guys have really been working hard in recent weeks and they were rewarded for their effort today,” he added.
Bonus points were a popular item for the Mocs as they earned them in 16 of the 20 matches, including eight pins, four technical falls and four major decisions. And to show just how aggressive Chattanooga wrestlers really were, they scored the first takedown in every match.
Brayden Palmer and Matthias Ervin both had a pair of pins while Lincoln Heck posted a pair of technical falls. Valdes had a major decision and a pin while Noah Castillo added a major decision and a technical fall. Waddell had a pin and a technical fall.
Gutierrez, Drew Nicholson, Carial Tarter and Thomas Sell also had two wins each as the Mocs put on a show. The only thing missing was the proverbial woodshed.
The Mocs conclude their conference competition with a match at Bellarmine on Friday before closing out their dual-meet season with a match at Indiana next Sunday. The conference tournament will be in Boone on March 5 with the NCAA tournament to follow.
CHATTANOOGA 47, VMI 0
125 – Fabian Gutierrez (Chat) pinned Cameron Chicella, 1:08;
133 – Brayden Palmer (Chat) pinned Patrick Maglathlin, :56;
141 – Franco Valdes (Chat) major dec. Freddy Junko, 14-3;
149 – Noah Castillo (Chat) major dec. Luke Hart, 14-2;
157 – Lincoln Heck (Chat) won by technical fall over Seth Fillers, 7:00;
165 – Drew Nicholson (Chat) major dec. Blake Showers, 11-1;
174 – Carial Tarter (Chat) dec. Jon Hoover, 10-5;
184 – Thomas Sell (Chat) dec. Max Gourley, 9-2;
197 – Matthew Waddell (Chat) pinned Tyler Mousaw, 1:52;
285 – Matthias Ervin (Chat) pinned Josh Evans, 4:58.
CHATTANOOGA 49, PRESBYTERIAN 0
125 – Fabian Gutierrez (Chat) dec. Benny Gomez, 5-0;
133 – Brayden Palmer (Chat) pinned Dominic Chaves, 4:32;
141 – Franco Valdes (Chat) pinned Khalid Brinkley, 2:33;
149 – Noah Castillo (Chat) won by technical fall over Reid Stewart, 7:00;
157 – Lincoln Heck (Chat) won by technical fall over Michael Ramirez, 4:25;
165 – Drew Nicholson (Chat) dec. Zach Phillips, 6-0;
174 – Carial Tarter (Chat) major dec. Sean Getty, 15-4;
184 – Thomas Sell (Chat) pinned David Bertrand, 3:37;
197 – Matthew Waddell (Chat) won by technical fall over Aiden Jean, 5:22;
285 – Matthias Ervin (Chat) pinned Will Pontoon, 3:29.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)