Signal Mountain certainly has some firepower on the wrestling mat as the defending TSSAA Class A state dual champions.
Bradley Central, however, is a whole other beast.
Ben Smith’s perennial Class AA powerhouse program took care of business under the spotlight Tuesday as the second-ranked Bears took down the first-ranked Eagles by a 52-24 margin.
A pair of Bradley Central (12-3) seniors, who entered their match as underdogs, came out big winners in the 160 and heavyweight clashes.
Gunner Taylor was focused on avenging a previous loss to Signal’s fourth-ranked Jackson Davis at 160. The Bears sixth-ranked wrestler dominated on his way to an 11-2 major decision.
“We were here to show up and show out,” Taylor said. “We take pride in what we do here. We get better in the practice room every single day. There are no slackers. This is my first year starting and I had lost to this kid before and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I came here to fight and was proud of how I was able to counter his moves and use them against him.”
Manny Flores closed the lopsided victory with an 8-5 decision at 285 in which he trailed 3-0 in the final 10 seconds of the second period before catching fire.
“Manny went from almost 350 pounds to making weight and fighting his way back into our lineup,” Coach Smith said. “He fought tonight against a ranked kid who is a state medalist. I am super proud of what Manny and Gunner did tonight.”
Signal Mountain earned pins from their superstar trio of Uhorchuk brothers as Jojo (113), Ethan (126) and Caleb (138) all picked up pins to make the score 18-all after six matches. Jacob Winchester also won his 220-pound match with a third period pin after trailing 3-1.
Bradley Central senior captain Luke Belcher’s pin at 145 claimed the lead for good, while Knox Watson’s dominant first round pin at 182 sealed the victory. Appalachian State signee Bryson Terrell won by pin at 120 along with Cody Hicks at 195. Jake Fox also had a hard-earned 4-1 decision over Jackson Owens at 152 for the Bears.
STARS OF THE NIGHT
Trinity Smith, Sale Creek: The sophomore guard scored a season-high 18 points, which was nearly half of the Lady Panthers’ final outcome in Tuesday’s 37-27 home victory over Gordon Lee. Smith averages 10.5 points per game for Sale Creek, which improved to a 12-4 record this season.
Zane Restelli, Baylor: Fresh off an MVP showing in the Best of Preps Basketball Tournament for the champion Red Raiders, the sophomore guard was sharp again on his way to a 22-point effort in Baylor’s 49-31 home victory over Red Bank.
Jack Shutters, Baylor: Baylor’s 6-foot-8 big man was imposing inside as he scored 18 points, all from inside the paint, for the Red Raiders.