CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Wrestling flows in the veins of Bradley County.
And for No. 1-ranked Cleveland High School looks extremely capable of a third straight sweep of the Class AAA state dual and traditional tournaments.
The Blue Raiders wasted no time asserting their power Thursday night, opening a crosstown rivalry match with four consecutive pins on their way to a 42-27 road win over third-ranked Bradley Central.
Senior Nate Schilling brought an end to his 160-pound match in just 32 seconds.
“Nate is one of our huge success stories,” Cleveland coach Joey Knox said. “He would go wrestle every weekend and get his butt whupped when he first got here. But he stared adversity in the face and has worked his tail off. He’s been behind some really good guys, and now it’s his time. I would not be surprised if he won state as a first-time starter.”