Going for gold will be the goal for seven WCHS wrestlers starting Friday in the TSSAA state tournament. Fields of 16 wrestlers in each weight class will be whittled down to just one champion by Saturday and all of Warren County's top grapplers want to be standing at the top of the podium when the final matches are over.
Coach Matt Turner has been ecstatic about the rise of his program, which has established itself as one of the top ones in the Midstate, and is ready to see how the group fares at Williamson County Expo Center.
"This has been an amazing thing - getting seven wrestlers qualified under the new format of just 16 making it to state is incredible," said Turner. "We keep loading up with talented kids and it was great to see them really rise to the occasion in sectionals and be at their best at the right time.
"I think we have good draws for everybody and I'm hopeful we're bringing back lots of medals this weekend."
The group making its way to state this week includes Zerek Keel, JR Mares, PJ Truax, Brayden McKinley, Jakoby Odineal, Allison Sweatman and Marley Harris.
Keel, wrestling at 175 pounds, may be the best shot at a champion for the Pioneers, though all will have their chances. Keel, a rare 100-match winner at WCHS, is coming off region and sectional championships and has two years of experience wrestling at state. His bracket does feature last year's 170-pound champion - Green Hill senior Jake Staley - as well as three-time medalist Charles McTorry, but Keel wouldn't see either until the semifinals. His first match will be against Knox West's Cooper Etheridge.
Winning the first match is something Turner has stressed to his entire team as they head to state.
"When the field was 32, it was always a huge deal to get those first two wins. Our group already did most of that work in sectionals. Now, you want to make sure you get that first victory and it really sets you up to be on the podium. Win the first two and you're in the semifinals and going home with some kind of medal," said Turner.
McKinley (144 pounds) may have gotten the toughest draw for the Pioneers in the first round. McKinley will face last year's sixth-place finisher Riddeck Romano from Independence and could meet last year's fifth-place finisher Max Landrum (Rossview) in the second round, but nobody is counting out the scrappy senior.
"Brayden is so athletic and attacks in ways they don't expect. He's unorthodox and tries things that you can't predict. I think he's got a great shot," said Turner.
McKinley is one of six Pioneers who will be making their debut at state. Odineal, a freshman, and Mares, a sophomore, are youngsters looking to make big first impressions on opposite ends of the scale. Odineal has been doing damage wrestling at 106 pounds, while Mares is a standout in the heavyweight division.
Odineal will face Karns senior Sky Gillette in his first match Friday and Mares is set to take on Brentwood junior Jackson Ard in his state debut.
"They've been tested plenty this season wrestling in our district and region," said Turner about his youngest two qualifiers. "At sectionals, the top programs in the state were there and grabbed bids. They can hang with the best of the best - they've already proven it."
Truax joins McKinley as the lone seniors who qualified for state for Warren County. Both have been leaders on the team and Truax's growth over the last two years has been something that has stuck with his coach.
"PJ is one of the many success stories we have in our program. He's a resilient kid, works hard and keeps coming back better," said Turner. "It was a proud moment last week to see him come back in the third-place match at sectionals and beat the same kid who beat him earlier in the day. He just keeps improving."
Truax will be wrestling in the 190-pound bracket and faces Cordova junior Ashton Boswell in the first round Friday.
In the girls brackets, Allison Sweatman will face Kirkwood freshman Janiya Johnson (152 pounds) in the first round and Marley Harris drew Forrest sophomore Danika Mealer (165 pounds) as an opening opponent. Both have former medalists in their respective brackets, but wouldn't face them until the semifinals.
"It's great to see Allison and Marley qualify and represent Warren County in the girls tournament. There's a proud tradition of female wrestlers at our school that dates back a few decades and they're doing a good job of rekindling that tradition," said Turner.
Over 5,000 matches will be completed over two days at the Williamson County Expo Center. Matches will begin at 10 a.m. Friday with championship bracket semifinals set to start at 6:30 p.m.
Champions will be crownded starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Times could change depending on length of matches throughout the day.
Tickets are $12 per day if purchased on GoFan. Cash gates will be $15 per day at the event.
