The Greeneville wrestling team wrapped up the regular season on Thursday night by collecting a pair of wins over Cocke County and West Greene, and in doing so earned the top seed from District 2-A in the upcoming Region 1-A Tournament.
“I thought we wrestled really well today. We took advantage of some opportunities, and its always nice to have a good showing on senior night,” Greeneville coach Atlas Fagundes said. “You always want to win the district. That’s step one. We preach state tournament and chasing state titles, I think that is what every sport at Greeneville High School is after. You don’t get there if you don’t take care of the district. It’s good to take care of step one, and I think it gives the guys confidence going into the next step.”
The Greene Devils got their evening started with a 59-12 win over Cocke County.
After a pair of forfeits Greg Tester (132) got things going with a pin of Cayden Byrd. Derrick Day (144) then earned a 17-2 technical fall over Colton Sane.
Mark Hall (150) pinned Andrew Jones, and Caleb Smith (157) pinned Jackson Brannon. Angus Harrell (165) kept his undefeated season going with a first-period pin of Daniel Price.
“Angus is getting better and better,” Fagundes said. “Last year he really built himself up and won some tough matches. This year he is kind of running away with things. He is having a phenomenal season, and I know in his last chance he really wants to medal at state.”
Greeneville’s Hayden Matthews (190) earned a pin of Austin Pressley. John Chapman (215) battled for a 7-6 decision over David Carpenter, and Brylan Rhodes (113) earned a first-period pin of Micah Williams.
Cocke County’s Conrad Morales (175) pinned Gideon Ellenburg, and Ean Caldwell (285) pinned Bentley Starnes.
The Greene Devils ended the night with a 71-6 win over West Greene.
Gabriel Oakley (126) pinned Tristan Martin, Gregory Tester (132) pinned Aidan Warren, and Michael Hurst (138) earned a 17-2 technical fall over Andrew Freshour.
Derrick Day (150) pinned Jeffery Hawk in the second period. Hector Sanchez (157) pinned Joe Reams in 50 seconds. Angus Harrell (165) then pinned Dakota Jackson in 57 seconds.
“Derrick is a guy that moved here from California two years ago and really wanted to be a good wrestler. He’s put in the time and has become a significant leader for us in a short amount of time,” Fagundes said.
Greeneville’s Gideon Ellenburg (175) earned a quick pin of Dillon Kleinknight, Hayden Matthews (190) pinned Peyton Hilton, and John Chapman (215) pinned Joey Ramiriz. Brylan Rhodes (113) earned a first-period pin of Blake Parman.
“John worked really hard to get down to 215 after wrestling heavy weight his entire career,” Fagundes said. “He wants to be a state qualifier and earn a state medal, and we thought that could happen at 215. He took on diet and working out really hard, and has done things the right way. That’s great for our young guys to see, and that kind of made him a natural leader for this team.”
West Greene’s Damion Sentell (285) pinned Bentley Starnes in 11 seconds.
In the first match of the evening Cocke County defeated West Greene 42-36.
Five of the first six matches were decided by forfeit and Cocke County’s Cayden Byrd (132) earned the first win of the day by pinning Aidan Warren.
West Greene’s Jeffery Hawk (150) pinned Andrew Jones in the second period, and Joe Reams (157) pinned Jackson Brannon in the third period.
Cocke County’s Daniel Price (165) pinned Dakota Jackson, and Conrad Morales (175) pinned Dillon Kleinknight.
For the Buffaloes Peyton Hilton (190) took down Austin Pressley in 58 seconds.
Cocke County’s David Carpenter (215) followed with a second period pin of Damion Sentelle, and Eian Caldwell (285) pinned Joey Ramiriz in 14 seconds.
For the West Greene girls Megan Hinkle (145) earned a second-period pin of Arriana Mendez of Cocke County.
Greeneville now looks ahead to the Region 1-A Tournament which will take place next week at David Crockett High School. David Crockett defeated Tennessee High 45-34 to claim the District 1-A championship.
“We’re a young team. We’ve had seven or eight freshmen in the lineup, and we took some lumps early. But coming out of Christmas break these guys have really locked in and I think they are peaking at the right time,” Fagundes said.
