Once again, a motivated bunch of Chattanooga-area athletes proved why the road to state titles in Tennessee high school wrestling runs through the Scenic City.
Day two of the TSSAA traditional championships at the Chattanooga Convention Center was highlighted by 13 local wrestlers reaching Thursday evening's finals of the Division II state tournament. With one of those a head-to-head meeting of McCallie's Jack Braman and Baylor's Jackson Bond - Braman escaped for a riveting 3-2 victory in the fourth overtime of what was voted the day's best match - that meant 12 of 14 weight classes had a local athlete shooting for a title.
McCallie senior 170-pounder Alex Whitworth became the third five-time state champion in Tennessee history, joining former Blue Tornado star T.J. Duncan and Baylor great Zach Watson. A future Harvard wrestler, Whitworth also was voted most outstanding wrestler for the third straight state tournament.
"Every single night I think about wrestling when I am at home," said Whitworth, who had a first-round pin, a 17-0 tech fall and then a 19-3 tech fall to win the title. "I imagine myself on this mat and me winning. I also imagine myself down and having to come back and win. Being the third five-timer is a great feeling.
"I walked off the mat really feeling something I had never felt before. I really enjoyed my career here and am so thankful for my coaches and teammates. I have wrestled with Emory (Taylor) since middle school, and seeing him win his fourth (title) today really meant a lot, too."
Taylor kept his legs churning late as the Blue Tornado's Pittsburgh signee had a key takedown in the 152-pound final 40 seconds into what wound up being a 7-5 win over Christian Brothers' Evan Anthony.
Meanwhile, Baylor's dominance of the team competition continued as the Red Raiders won their third straight traditional state title and had five individual champions. Baylor is the state's most decorated team of all time in the TSSAA traditional tournament, with 17 team title and 122 individual championships.
Star juniors Nick Corday (113) and Garrison Dendy (145) and David Harper (195) won their third state titles, while Gunnar Garriques (182) and Kade Hartline (106) each earned his first for Baylor, which finished with 216.5 team points. Christian Brothers was the runner-up with 187.5 points.
Dendy and Harper won all three of their matches by pin, with Harper spending a combined time of one minute and 45 seconds on the mat Thursday thanks to his quick work. Corday cruised to a 13-2 major decision in the finals, when Garriques won 7-2 and Hartline won 7-0.
"Kade has fought for four years but has never been in the right weight class, really," Red Raiders coach Rex Kendle said. "As a freshman he weighed 85 pounds and wrestled 106. His sophomore year he would have been 106, but he bumped to 113 because Jackson Bond was a state champion there. As a junior he would have been 106 again, but then Nick Corday was the state champion on our team, and Kade had to bump all the way to 120, where he finished third in the state.
"Kade is really an amazing team player. To see him make those sacrifices and it pay off with a state championship, it makes me emotional. His picture is going to be on the wall in our room forever, and no one will ever take that away from him."
Hartline battled to earn a last-second pin in his quarterfinal match, and he won 11-7 in the semifinals before closing with the shutout to finish a 10-0 season.
"To win a state title means everything," Hartline said. "I worked hard for it, and I made sure I went out there and got what I came for. I have wrestled since I was 4 years old, and this sport has really grown on me. We all have worked really hard, and today is a moment I will remember forever."
Boyd Buchanan's Conor Payne was the runner-up at 132 pounds, and McCallie's Gavin Cagle (160) and Lauren McDonald (285) and Baylor's Ryan Tisdale (138) also finished second. In the Division II girls' tournament, Sale Creek's Katie McNabb (170) was a runner-up.
Other local state medalists: Baylor's Judson Jarrett (120, fourth), Anthony Manella (160, fourth), Omaury Alvarez (170, third), Heath Snodgrass (220, fifth) and Matthew Smith (285, fifth); Notre Dame's Bob Deitch (106, fourth), Joshua Deitch (120, fifth), Luke Braman (126, fourth) and Francisco Palacios (138, fifth); Boyd Buchanan's Tate Williams (113, third) and Kaiden Bates (160, sixth); McCallie's Frankie Zahrobsky (182, sixth) and Carson Gentle (220, fourth); Chattanooga Christian's Ben Bumgarner (170, sixth).
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.