McCallie's Trel Phillips controls Baylor's David Thompson on the way to a win by a pin in their 195-pound class match as McCallie hosts Baylor in a wrestling match on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.McCallie held down the fort hosting the Division II East/Middle wrestling tournament, qualifying 13 wrestlers for this week's state tournament while earning the region team title Saturday with 226 points.
Baylor was the runner-up with 214 points and the only school to send all 14 wrestlers to state.
The two Chattanooga teams dominated the finals stage, combining to have a finalist in 13 out of the 14 bouts and totaling 10 individual champions. The runner-up Red Raiders accounted for six of them.
"I think we wrestled well overall, but there were some points in there where we wavered a little bit," McCallie coach Mike Newman said. "Next week, team points are huge, so we can't let up. I feel like a couple of pins got away today, so we'll look at what we have to improve this week."
Alex Whitworth led off for the Blue Tornado, picking up a first-period pin in the 106-pound title match to continue an impressive eighth-grade season. McCallie's other champions were Brock Herring (132 pounds), Judah Duhm (182) and River Henry (285).
Baylor's championship highlight came in the 152-pound bout, as Mason Reiniche knocked off McCallie's previously undefeated Ethan Dendy in the marquee matchup of the tournament. After a scoreless first period, Reiniche chose to start on the mat in the second. Dendy held control throughout the period, but as time ticked down Reiniche reversed Dendy onto his back and got a pin just as the buzzer sounded.
"It was fun to see those guys in the middle," Baylor coach Ben Nelson said. "It was a great match that will definitely help build confidence going forward. I think all of our guys wrestled hard in every position, and never let off the gas win or lose."
Porter Kaufman (113), Austin Atchley (138), Connor Duffy (160), Khamari Whimper (170), and Tyree Toliver (220) were the Red Raiders' other champions.
Newman said the region champions will now turn their attention to competing at the Williamson County Agricultural Expo in Franklin, Tenn.
"We will be fine tuning things this week, making sure everyone is fresh and getting their weight right," he said. "Then we just have to let it fly Friday and Saturday."
Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy had a nice third-place showing, with 203 points, 13 qualifiers and four champions. Completing the field were Battle Ground Academy (57 points), Franklin Road Academy (51), Knoxville Webb (38.5), Friendship Christian (24), St. Andrew's-Sewanee (19) and Pope John Paul II (11).
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.