FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Baylor senior wrestler Noah Horst blew kisses to the crowd in the Williamson County Ag Expo Center with four fingers raised after beating Christian Brothers' Aiden Bowers 8-0 in the TSSAA Division II tournament finals Saturday to win an illustrious fourth individual state title.
The 132-pound Horst helped the Red Raiders tie their school record for individual champions in one season with six and take sole possession of a state record as the wrestling factory churned out its 16th traditional team championship.
"The grind, practices and beating of the body was worth every second," said Horst, who has options to wrestle at Arizona State, Columbia, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and West Virginia.
"I have been doing this since I was 4. I am blessed and give all glory to God. I have never had injuries and have had the best assets possible. I remember coming to watch state championships here when I was a little dude and seeing (current UTC senior) Chris Debien win four times (for Cleveland High School). This is a dream come true."
Baylor finished the tournament with 248.5 team points, with Christian Brothers (183.5) second and McCallie (176.5) third. The Red Raiders swept the state titles for the second straight year, having won the duals championship earlier this month in Franklin.
Class AAA's Cleveland has accomplished that feat three straight years, wrapping up the traditional title Saturday as Ashton Davis, Bentley Ellison and Trae McDaniel climbed to the top of the medal stand.
Ellison stunned a rival as he took down Bradley Central's Ethan Wilson with 45 seconds left in the 106-pound final and hung on in a 2-1 decision.
"Ethan had beat me in the three other matches we wrestled this year," the freshman said. "I wanted to keep it close and was hoping the fourth time would be the charm. Our program never stops working and still wants to work harder. We want to be back here next year and score even more points."
The Blue Raiders set a new program record by scoring 247 points. Wilson Central was the runner-up with 188.
Of the combined 42 weight classes in Division II, AAA and A/AA, 16 of the state championship were won by Chattanooga-area wrestlers.
That included Hixson's Parrish Pacetti, who beat Hume Fogg's Elliott Grinder 6-2 in the A/AA 220-pound final.
"Ever since eighth grade, my coaches have worked their butt off to help me," Pacetti said. "I feel like I have worked hard enough for it, too. My teammates and coaches mean the world to me and are the reason why I am where I am at today."
McCallie junior Alex Whitworth won Division II's 160-pound title with a 13-1 major decision against Baylor's Omaury Alvarez, scoring 11 near-fall points in the second period. He won his fourth state championship - his first came when he was in eighth grade - and was named the classification's most oustanding wrestler for the second straight year.
Other champions for the Blue Tornado were sophomore James Howard ,who pinned his opponent in the third round of the 285-pound final, Emory Taylor (126), who won by major decision, 13-3, and Gavin Cagle (170), who won 3-2.
Signal Mountain's brother combination of freshman Caleb Uhorchuk (106) and junior Daniel Uhorchuk (120) won state championships by beating their finals opponents a combined 12-0. Daniel finished his second straight undefeated season with a 3-0 decision against Hixson's Trevor Lewis.
Pigeon Forge won the A/AA title with 224 points. Hixson (120.5) was fourth and Signal Mountain (117.5) took fifth.
Baylor senior Connor Duffy left the mat to a standing ovation with tears in his eyes after he repeated at 182 with a last-second pin in the second period against McCallie's Chase Looper.
"I love Baylor wrestling, and I am glad the fans care about me," Duffy said. "I still can't stop pacing because I am a wrestler, but I am content. Today was my last weigh-in, and I can now let both my shoulders heal. I am ready to recover and look forward to going to Georgia Tech as a student."
Nick Corday (106), Jackson Bond (113), Garrison Dendy (138) and David Harper (195) also won championships to close a tremendous season for the nationally ranked Red Raiders.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.