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Cleveland wrestlers win AAA state championship

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers set the mats — under the direction of coach Heath Eslinger — inside McKenzie Arena on Wednesday in preparation for the Southern Scuffle, the top national college wrestling tournament.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers set the mats — under the direction of coach Heath Eslinger — inside McKenzie Arena on Wednesday in preparation for the Southern Scuffle, the top national college wrestling tournament. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers set the mats — under the direction of coach Heath Eslinger — inside McKenzie Arena on Wednesday in preparation for the Southern Scuffle, the top national college wrestling tournament.

By John Mitchell 3 min read

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Thanks to Cleveland High School, the Chattanooga area’s streak of winning a TSSAA traditional wrestling state championship was pushed to 18 seasons in a row Saturday at the Williamson County Agricultural Expo.

The Blue Raiders handled business for a 30-plus point advantage in Class AAA before either of their two finalists hit the mat Saturday. Then Cleveland 152-pounder Austin Sweeney won an 8-5 decision over Josh Pietarila of Hardin Valley Academy to further seal the Blue Raiders’ spot on top.

“A streak like that just shows how dedicated our area is to the sport. There’s a lot of competition, so we know this is an accomplishment to be proud of,” Cleveland coach Joey Knox said. “At the same time, though, this just has to be another day for us. We’ll have the guys in the room on Monday, and we’ll keep working.”

Trae McDaniel at 106 pounds was the second Cleveland finalist to wrestle Saturday. He lost a 5-3 decision to undefeated Trey Bates from Beech.

Science Hill was the runner-up in Class AAA with 155 points, while Wilson Central (148.5) took third. Bradley Central (110) finished sixth, and Soddy-Daisy (59) was 14th.