The Pioneers continue to see their hands being raised on mats all across Tennessee. Warren County wrestling showed out again Saturday, with four individuals claiming titles in their weight classes as the Ooltewah Invitational.
Brothers Aidan and Seth Lindsay, Zerek Keel and Xavier Simmons all navigated tough fields to win all their matches and earn top medals at Saturday’s event. Overall, Warren County finished the day with the third-most points of the 17 schools represented in Ooltewah.
The Pioneers piled up 135 pounds among their 12 wrestlers and had 20 victories throughout the day. Sabastien Smith (138 pounds) and Raul Manus (145 pounds) each added three wins, though they came up just short of top-three finishes in their respective brackets.
“It was a strong performance from our young team,” said coach Matt Turner, who saw two freshmen claim championships and has seen a team largely led by underclassmen start this season 4-1. “These guys seem like they get better every time they step on the mat. Their performances are already impressive and I still think we have a lot of room to grow as well.”
Aidan Lindsay wiped the mat with the competition at 106 pounds in Ooltewah. Facing a field of four in a round robin, Aiden finished all his three of his matches less than 100 seconds to win a medal. The freshman took down Maxwell Quarles (Ooltewah) in 46 seconds, pinned Jacob Blevins (Marion County) in 1:38 and needed just 1:29 to get Luke Deitch (East Hamilton) on the mat for good.
Seth Lindsay, the older of the two Lindsay brothers, was just as strong at 160 pounds. Seth, by virtue of entering the tournament at 7-0, was the top seed and received a double-bye into the winner’s bracket semifinals of a seven-person field. In the semis, Lindsay got a quick takedown of Barrett Whaley (Halls) in the first round and had an escape in the third round to win 3-1.
Winning in the finals was much easier.
Seth steamrolled Cayden Rivers (East Hamilton) in just 29 seconds to earn the championship in Ooltewah. It continued his run of dominant performances throughout this year, where he’s evolved into one of the top 160-pounders in the state.
Keel, a state qualifier last year who wrestled at 160 pounds as a freshman, also had a nice draw in the 182-pound bracket, though he needed to win three matches to claim his crown. The sophomore, who has beefed up in the offseason and bulldozed opponents, took down Ethan Hobbs in the third round of his first match.
Keel’s second match may have been the best of the day in the 182-pound bracket. Keel and Hayden West, a brawler from Bradley Central, went toe-to-toe for two rounds, with neither surrendering a point. Keel finally gained the upper hand early in the final round, earning a reversal after 19 seconds to go up 2-0.
West got an escape to make it 2-1, but Keel was able to keep his poise and position to hold off his opponent the final 40 seconds and make his two points hold up.
By the finals, Keel was up against East Hamilton senior Caleb Richardson, who entered the day as the top seed. Keel proved to be the best on the mat though, pinning Richardson with just nine ticks remaining in the second round after he had already taken the lead in points.
Simmons, another talented freshman on this year’s roster, was the team’s fourth wrestler to ascend to the top of the podium by the end of the day. He outlasted junior Tre’von Thomas from Howard for a 6-2 win to start the day and pinned Walker Valley junior Maddisen Santos early in the third round to make his way to the finals.
In his final match, Simmons beat the horn in the second round with a pin of Ooltewah junior Eli Eaves to take the top medal at 220 pounds. His 3-0 day kept the freshman undefeated this season, a huge boost for the youngster and his team.
Warren County will be back in action this Tuesday at Cookeville for a tri-match with the Cavaliers and the Cumberland County Jets. Action begins at 6 p.m.
Last week’s results
Warren County 70, Franklin County 6
Aidan Lindsay (Warren Co.) forfeit win – 106 pounds
Double Forfeit – 113 pounds
Christian Fravel (Franklin Co.) forfeit win – 120 pounds
Anthony Johnson (Warren Co.) forfeit win – 126 pounds
Matthew Cox (Warren Co.) forfeit win – 132 pounds
Sabastien Smith (Warren Co.) over Michael Vasenko (Franklin Co.) (MD 23-11) – 138 pounds
Raul Manus (Warren Co.) over Michael Vasenko (Franklin Co.) (Fall 0:37) – 145 pounds
Jesse Dodson (Warren Co.) over Cooper Stevens (Franklin Co.) (Fall 1:02) – 152 pounds
Seth Lindsay (Warren Co.) over Alexander Murphy (Franklin Co.) (Fall 0:16) – 160 pounds
Hayden Watts (Warren Co.) forfeit win – 170 pounds
Zerek Keel (Warren Co.) over Parker Thompson (Franklin Co.) (Fall 5:54) – 182 pounds
PJ Truax (Warren Co.) over SI Marin (Franklin Co.) (Fall 4:25) – 195 pounds
Xavier Simmons (Warren Co.) over Bennie McTier (Franklin Co.) (Fall 0:45) – 220 pounds
Gerardo Mares (Warren Co.) over Zaelyn Smith (Franklin Co.) (Fall 1:30) – 285 pounds
Warren County also beat Moore County last week, though scores were unavailable.
