Beginning the season with five freshmen in the starting lineup, the Signal Mountain wrestling program looked to have an extremely bright future.
Friday night, that bright future became the present as the visiting Eagles defeated Red Bank 52-19 for the first region championship in program history.
"Our underclassmen are really the backbone of the team," Signal Mountain coach Joe Jellison said. "I'm very proud of their effort, just believing that they could do it. We can say it all day as coaches, but if they don't buy into what we're saying it doesn't matter."
The Region 5-A/AA match started with the 285-pound weight class, where Red Bank's Jeremiah Welch won 1-0, giving the Lions an early 3-0 lead.
That would be the only lead of the match for Red Bank, as two of Signal Mountain's young phenoms took the mat in the 106 and 113 matchups. Both Noah Shriner and Daniel Uhorchuk pinned their opponents in the first period, earning the Eagles 12 team points.
Uhorchuk's victory moved his individual record to 17-0, keeping him the only undefeated wrestler in the area with at least 15 matches.
While the young guys might be the backbone of the team, the Eagles' two seniors are the heart and soul. Isaac Tate showed that in the 120-pound match as he scored two points late in the third period to win the decision 4-3 and extend the lead to 15-3.
Signal Mountain's other senior, Will Davis, earned the 195-pound win with a pin just 18 seconds into the first period.
Red Bank pulled to within 18-13 after a pin by Gage Evans and a major decision by Caden Cline, but the Eagles built momentum after that and went on to the 33-point victory.
"Red Bank is a very tough team, very physical with a lot of tenacity," Jellison said. "We just had to keep our poise through the first two periods and capitalize on their mistakes, not just to score but to take the pins when the opportunity presented itself."
Signal Mountain totaled five pins and a major decision.
"Words can't really express how proud I am," an emotional Jellison said as his team celebrated behind him. "It's just love, really. We told these kids going in that it's not about winning - it's about doing their best. The hard work takes place in the practice room. This is just a time for us to showcase that hard work."
Signal Mountain will compete in the state duals next weekend.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com