Running off a nine-match streak, Soddy-Daisy rallied from a six-point deficit and strolled to a 52-18 wrestling victory over probable Region 2 power William Blount on Tuesday.
It was power from 106 pounds through 160 that provided the bulk of the points for the Trojans, who scored six pins and a major decision. Five of the pins came in first periods.
"It's the first match of the year. I think (the performance) is probably par for the course - shake a little rust off," Soddy-Daisy coach Jim Higgins said. "We've been wrestling each other in the room, but it is not the same as a live matches. Guys have to acclimate."
There were enough positives to keep him from a post-meet rant.
"I was fairly pleased," he said. "I thought the effort was there, the teamwork was there and the intensity was there."
William Blount bolted to a 12-6 lead, pinning in two of the first three matches. James Hartgroves and Kris Ramsey, with first-period pins, sandwiched a fall by the Trojans' Dakota Ables at 220.
Soddy-Daisy wrestling coach Jim Higgins yells instruction to one of his men Tuesday night at home against William Blount.Perhaps feeling a sense of urgency, the Trojans began turning the screws at 106 with Jacob Pratt's pin coming in 1:48. Landon Wheaton gave them their first lead with a 9-6 decision over state medalist Calvin Martin, and Chase Payne wheezed his way to a 14-5 major decision after leading 13-0.
"Those, we have to finish what we start," Higgins said.
That was one of several notes compiled by Higgins and assistant coach Brad Laxton.
"We found out a lot that we need to work on, which is the best thing," Higgins said. "We have to work on positioning and match awareness. We have a long way to go, but we have plenty of time because we're wrestling for February."
Soddy-Daisy's Slater Daniel pinned in 0:59 at 126, and Tony Wilson fought back for a 9-8 decision over Brandon Nanney in a pivotal match that could have swung momentum.
From there, though, the Trojans ended any debate with pins from Emery Holcomb, Conner Stiles, Hunter Rogers and Tucker Russo. By the time defending state champ Russo had pinned his man in 1:26, the score had rocketed to 52-12.
The Governors' other winners were Dawson Satterfield (171) and Nolan Kennedy (182).
William Blount, a state duals participant last season, has beefed up the schedule this year, seeking out the competition with the idea of improving its program.
"We didn't take this one lightly. We knew that a lot of their guys wrestled freestyle and Greco-Roman all summer," Higgins said.
"You don't want to get beat, but the heart of our kids showed tonight. We kept fighting," Governors coach Tim Satterfield said. "We're building, and if we have one match go the other way we could've been right in this thing. I knew they were going to bring it. I thought we gave it everything we had. We're still learning."
Several of the Trojans are up a weight class from where they may wind up for the postseason, and Higgins noted that several possible starters hadn't even been able to challenge yet because they're currently restricted because of weight descent rules.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.