A snowstorm shutting down athletics couldn't have come at a worse time for WCHS wrestling. The Pioneers were on fire on the mat before snow halted all activities last week.
Warren County defeated Rockvale and Shelbyville in a tri-match Jan. 9, toppled Riverdale in an instant classic Jan. 11 and then saw six grapplers earn medals at the Franklin Admiral Invitational last Saturday.
"It's been a great season and we're looking forward to getting back to work and continuing with the success," said coach Matt Turner. "Our lineup has really shaped up as the season has progressed, everybody is stepping up and coach (Josh) Harris has our girls doing tremendous things too."
Rockvale and Shelbyville provided little resistance for the Pioneers, with Warren County winning 65-16 and 58-15, respectively. Of the 31 points the Pioneers surrendered in the tri-match, 18 came from forfeits where Warren County didn't have a wrestler available in the weight class.
When points had to be won on the mat, the Pioneers dominated. Against Rockvale, Jakoby Odineal, Jaylen Clayton, Brayden McKinley, Sabastien Smith, Raul Manus, Zerek Keel, PJ Truax, Xavier Simmons and JR Mares all won by pinfall (Cash Stephens and Matthew Hicks won by forfeit). It was the same crew doing major damage against Shelbyville as Clayton, McKinley, Smith, Manus, Keele, Truax and Mares were again winners by putting their opponents down for the count. McKinley, a senior, had one of the most impressive outings as he needed just 36 seconds to earn a pin.
Hicks dominated to earn a 21-9 major decision, while Odineal didn't face a challenger in the 106-pound division.
Carrying a wave of momentum into a matchup with Riverdale, Warren County was able to take control at the last moment to win a see-saw battle.
Mares started the match off with a bang, winning a heavyweight battle to get Warren County up early. Odineal, a scrappy freshman picking up steam this season, followed by going up 17-2 early in the third round of his battle and earning a technical fall win.
Stephens, McKinley and Smith made sure Warren County wouldn't fall behind in the middle of the match, with each winning one-point battles. Stephens defeated Gavin Jesse 5-4, McKinley took down Andre Ourk 6-5 and Stephens was able to withstand a late rally to hold back Gabe Cooke 10-9 in a wild back-and-forth battle at 150 pounds.
By the time Keel and Truax earned pins late, Warren County had piled up enough points to keep the Warriors at bay and continue to stay atop District 7-AA.
Allison Sweatman highlighted the team's big weekend in Franklin, winning the 152-pound female division at the Admiral Invitational. Marley Harris, McKinley and Mares all fought for the title before taking second last weekend and Keel and Simmons got on the final podium with third-place finishes.
"We finished sixth overall as a team and had a lot of kids there at the very end," said Turner about the team's showing in the Admiral Invitational. "We were really rocking and rolling before this break. We'll get back at it as soon as possible and continue to battle into the postseason."
Warren County had to postpone matches against Coffee County and Oakland - both pivotal district battles - last week. Turner is still working on make-up dates for the matches. The Pioneers are scheduled to be at home Tuesday, Jan. 30 against Franklin County. It will be senior night and should start at 6 p.m.
