Hixson has A/AA numbers advantage; Division II could be four-team struggle

Hixson's Cederick Harris earns near-fall points on his way to an 8-0 win against Whitwell's Addison Cordell during a 138-pound match last week at the Region 2-A/AA tournament at Signal Mountain.
Hixson's Cederick Harris earns near-fall points on his way to an 8-0 win against Whitwell's Addison Cordell during a 138-pound match last week at the Region 2-A/AA tournament at Signal Mountain.
photo Baylor's Mason Reiniche, top, cradles McCallie's Russell Barry on his way to a pin during their 160-pound match last month in a dual the host Red Raiders won 38-33.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The numbers indicate Hixson will be the favorite - or at least among the favorites - to win the Class A/AA wrestling state traditional tournament, which begins this morning at the Williamson County Expo Center.

Numbers, though, tell little about the grueling Division II tournament that also gets underway today.

Hixson's Wildcats have the most A/AA qualifiers (11) and brought the most region champions (five).

"I think we have some pretty good draws, but we're to the point where it's best of the best," Hixson coach Garrick Hall said.

The Division II team title is up for grabs among 2016 champion Father Ryan, Baylor, Christian Brothers and McCallie. Father Ryan and McCallie won region titles last week, but both tournaments were seesaw events led at times by Christian Brothers and Baylor.

Baylor, Father Ryan and Montgomery Bell Academy qualified 14 wrestlers each, while Christian Brothers and McCallie brought 13. Eleven Father Ryan wrestlers reached the West Region finals, and eight of the Purple Irish walked away with championships. Baylor had six titlists, while Christian Brothers, MBA and McCallie each managed four champions.

"It will be close," McCallie coach Mike Newman said. "If a team can pull out one or two matches they're not expected to win or if somebody gets an extra pin here or there, that's the team that may win it. It's going to be tight, and I think five points could be the difference between first place and third. It won't be decided till some point in the finals."

The same may be said for the A/AA tournament. While Hixson is the only team with more than nine representatives, defending champion Pigeon Forge and 2016 runner-up Alcoa each will have a hand in deciding the championship.

"I don't think the gap is big enough," Notre Dame coach Rocco Mansueto replied when asked if the tournament was Hixson's to lose. "You've got Pigeon Forge, Greeneville, Greenbrier and Alcoa, and I'd like to think we're in there somewhere."

Pigeon Forge qualified nine, but the list drops off from there. Alcoa, Greenbrier, Greeneville, Notre Dame, Page and Signal Mountain each has seven representatives.

"It's all about bonus points, and kids that hit the losers bracket, are they going to fight back to try and get third and get bonus points along the way?" Hall said, echoing the sentiments of his coaching peers. "But it's all about the kids. I told them to take care of themselves and their matches, to finish as high as they can and the team score will take care of itself."

There are four returning A/AA champions: Alcoa's Samson Evans, Greeneville's Nick Foster, Central's Alonzo Heyward, and Pigeon Forge's Dymond Smith.

Seven 2016 champions return for the Division II tournament, three of them from Father Ryan: Raymond Eason, Eli King and Christian Simpson. Others are McCallie's Judah Duhm, Christian Brothers' Robert Griggs and Baylor's Mason Reiniche and Khamari Whimper.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.

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