FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Tears flowed on the mat on a special night for a pair of first-time state championship wrestling programs from the Chattanooga area.
In a moment six years in the making, Boyd Buchanan took down Lakeview Christian 33-31 for the TSSAA Division II-A/AA state duals title with an inspiring effort Saturday at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center.
“I have one kid who just came back from ACL surgery, one with a completely torn ACL who was a stud out there today, and two kids who are wrestling 20 pounds above where they should be,” Buccaneers coach Michael Sutherland said. “That just shows you how much this group wanted to make this special moment happen. This was our first time in school history being here as a team.”
Sutherland and his son Blake shared a special moment together after the match. The father-son combo started the state championship journey six years ago, when 10 of Boyd Buchanan’s current high school junior starters were in sixth grade.
Also in attendance to witness history was former Bucs coach Wes Williams, whose son Zane won the program’s only individual state championship in 2017. The team and coaches posed with Williams, who cried while holding the state championship plaque.