McCallie wins its 35-team wrestling tournament

McCallie's Ethan Dendy, top, pins Baylor's Connor Duffy during their prep wrestling meet at Baylor School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
McCallie's Ethan Dendy, top, pins Baylor's Connor Duffy during their prep wrestling meet at Baylor School on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

McCallie School's wrestlers felt right at home on their mats this weekend, as the Blue Tornado won the annual McCallie Invitational tournament Friday and Saturday. The hosts collected 209.5 points for a 16-point win.

Woodland High from Cartersville, Ga., challenged McCallie with 193.5 points and climbed within six points of the lead at one point during the finals.

"We made a lot of strides this weekend," McCallie coach Mike Newman said. "This was exam week, so there's a lot going on and you never know what you're going to get. Our guys did a great job of managing everything and making improvements since the Cleveland Duals."

The Blue Tornado made their mark with three finalists, two champions and seven medalists in all. Alex Whitworth won the 126-pound championship with a dominant 16-0 technical fall, and River Henry won the 285 final 1-0 over Cass's Seven Richards in what was selected the best match of the tournament.

Runner-up Jack Braman (106 pounds) was McCallie's other finalist, and Emory Taylor (113), Mason Hughes (138), Thomas Sell (170) and Walker Robinson (195) also medaled.

"This is kind of a culminating deal with exams and everything right before the break," Newman said. "We had 35 good teams from around the Southeast. We always hope everyone can come get some great matchups and leave healthy with a great experience."

In the large field, other area teams had some highlights of their own Saturday, led by Sonoraville's sixth-place team finish with 153 points. The Phoenix had four medalists and two champions, Tyler Hunt (132) and Trevor Burdick (138).

Soddy-Daisy followed in seventh with 128 points and three medalists. Football star Ty Boeck stayed undefeated in his wrestling season by winning the 220-pound championship.

Dalton's four medalists led the Catamounts to 110 points and a 10th-place finish. Notre Dame tied with Southeast Whitfield for 24th with 58 points but had two finalists.

Union Grove's Justin Ruffin won his third award as most outstanding wrestler after winning his fourth McCallie Invitational title with a pin in the 152-pound final.

Georgia schools mostly filled the top 10. North Hall (166 points), West Laurens (155.5) and Union Grove (155.0) battled for third through fifth place, and Cass (125.5) took eighth. Oak Mountain (120) from Birmingham, Ala., finished ninth.

Other area schools competing were Ridgeland (18th, 72 points), Chattooga (T-19th, 71), Heritage (T-19th, 71), Ringgold (21st, 67), Northwest Whitfield (23rd, 59), Trion (30th, 45) and Red Bank (32nd, 28).

Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events