Hixson carries the role of defending champion for the Region 4 wrestling tournament, but the weight of such a defense is staggering with former champions Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah weighing in as stiff contenders at the coaches’ seeding and draw meeting.
Coaches held the meeting Monday although the region tournament won’t begin until Feb. 11 at Red Bank. The two-day event will begin each day at 5 p.m. with admission prices of $7 for adults and $5 for students.
Hixson, which won the tournament last year by a single point over Soddy-Daisy, was accorded nine seeded wrestlers while Ooltewah and Soddy-Daisy each received eight seeds.
“If we wrestle to our capability, we should be in the top two or three,” Hixson coach Garrick Hall said. “Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah will be the top challengers, and Red Bank could slide in there too. We have some first-round matches that could make us or break us.”
One of his Wildcats’ key first-round matches pits their second-seeded Alphonzo Smith against Soddy-Daisy’s unseeded Alex Seeley at 285 pounds. Trojans coaches withdrew Seeley from the seeding process, electing to take their chances in the draw for the 14-14 sophomore.
The No. 1 seeds are Soddy-Daisy’s Kyle Eustice (103), Campbell Lewis (125), Jake Gamble (130) and Turbo Smith (140); Ooltewah’s Matt Sealor (135), Goose Manning (160) and Tyler Toon (189); Notre Dame’s Grayson Mullin (112) and Jack Boone (119); Hixson’s Curtis Flanagan (145); Signal Mountain’s Brock Pressley (152); East Ridge’s Micah Kidd (171); Central’s Antonio Brooks (215), and Brainerd’s Derrick Witcher (285).
“I’d give the edge to Hixson and Ooltewah if for no other reason than the fact that each of them beat us in the regular season,” Soddy-Daisy coach Steve Henry said.
“A No. 1 seed isn’t a No. 1 finish,” he said. “The point we’re hammering home to our guys is that everybody needs to score points. It’s just like in the state tournament. Everybody has to do their part, whether it’s winning a match or winning their weight class. Our kids feel we’re a better team than we were in December. Now we need to prove it.”
The TSSAA’s region realignments returned a number of Hamilton County teams to this tournament rather than one with Bradley Central, Cleveland, Rhea County, Walker Valley and the McMinn schools. The field has grown to 18 teams.
“I love that we have a full region. We have traditionally had a lot of first-round byes,” Henry said.
This year’s tournament field consists of Boyd-Buchanan, Brainerd, Central, Chattanooga Christian, East Ridge, Hixson, Howard, Lookout Valley, Notre Dame, Ooltewah, Red Bank, Sale Creek, Sequatchie County, Signal Mountain, Silverdale Baptist, Soddy-Daisy, Tyner and Whitwell.
* The complete field for this weekend’s state duals at Franklin hasn’t yet been announced after inclement weather forced the postponement of several qualifying meets.
In Class AAA, Bradley Central will open at 4:30 p.m. EST Friday against an opponent to be determined, and Cleveland will wrestle at 6:30 against Maryville. Hixson will face Greenback and Central will take on the Region 6 champion at 4:30 in Class A/AA, and in Division II McCallie will take on St. Benedict at 4:30 and Baylor will wrestle Briarcrest Christian at 6:30.
The state duals are Friday and Saturday at the Williamson County Expo Center.