The Pioneer wrestlers left no doubt about which team was best in District 7AA this year. Warren County crushed Coffee County 54-6 to secure the district title Tuesday.
Coach Matt Turner knew his young team had something special brewing in preseason workouts. Securing the title was the byproduct of the blood, sweat and tears the Pioneers have been putting on the mat since last summer.
"Winning the district title is a direct result of all the hard work from all the members of the program," said Turner. "Coach Ben Matheney at WCMS has been doing an unbelievable job with sending young men that are prepared and committed to the vigorous work of being successful wrestlers. Couple that with coach Robert Piche's skills and knowledge and you can produce a championship team that has no seniors.
"We're really excited about this year and where the goals will be next season."
Knowing a title was on the line, the Pioneers breezed by the Red Raiders. Sabastien Smith, Julian Ramirez, Seth Lindsay, Ethan Stanford, Zerek Keel, PJ Truax, Daniel Wright and JR Mares all won by pinfall for the Pioneers, while Aidan Lindsay picked up a forfeit win at 106 pounds.
Coffee County's lone win was a forfeit victory at 160 pounds.
Shortly after the victory, Turner reminded his team that there are bigger prizes in store for the Pioneers this season.
"The boys will continue to work hard and prepare for the upcoming region invitational tournament, sectional tournament and have the top goal of qualifying for the state championships," said Turner. "Anticipation is high and expectations are high for all members of the team."
Warren County has a number of individuals who could be top seeds in upcoming postseason tournaments, including Keel (39-2 this season), Aidan Lindsay (34-2, three tourney championships this year), Seth Lindsay (39-3, three tourney titles), Truax (29-10), Wright and freshman Xavier Simmons (21-8).