Cleveland Blue Raiders wrestle to 10th straight TSSAA team state championship

Staff file photo by Patrick MacCoon / Cleveland senior Tetoe Boyd, top, won his second straight TSSAA individual wrestling championship Saturday at th Williamson Ag Expo Center in Franklin.
Staff file photo by Patrick MacCoon / Cleveland senior Tetoe Boyd, top, won his second straight TSSAA individual wrestling championship Saturday at th Williamson Ag Expo Center in Franklin.

Cleveland High School's wrestling program has been a highlight factory during the past half-decade.

No one has been able to slow the Blue Raiders' roll as they have swept the state championships for duals and traditional tournament competition in TSSAA Division I's highest classification five seasons in a row, a total of 10 consecutive state championships.

Since Joey Knox took over the program at the end of August in 2017, Cleveland has not fallen short of a team crown. During his tenure, the Blue Raiders have won 18 individual state titles, with 11 wrestlers earning those - five of them were two- or three-time champions.

Senior Tetoe Boyd has been a key part in the dominant stretch that continued with the Blue Raiders winning the Class AA state traditional tournament soundly with 197 team points after three days of competition wrapped up Saturday evening at the Williamson Ag Expo Center in Franklin.

"The run we are on is unreal," Boyd said. "There's no other way to put it. Our practices and work ethic are top notch. Everyone has pushed one another to be the best, and that's what we have been the last five years. This sport and my brothers will always hold a special place in my heart."

Boyd was one of four wrestlers for Cleveland to climb to the top of the medal stand Saturday.

The two-sport star who rushed for 3,405 career yards for Cleveland's football team fought wire to wire in Franklin for yet another state championship. In the 195-pound final, Boyd beat Science Hill's Devon Medina 6-4. Over his past two individual state title runs, Boyd had to win six of his eight matches at the traditional tournament by decision.

Meanwhile, Cleveland senior Ashton Davis (285) and freshman Piper Fowler (152) asserted their dominance by pinning in all four of their state tournament matches this year. Davis picked up his third straight title with a first-round pin of Bradley Central's Austin McClure in the finals.

Fowler finished an undefeated season for Cleveland's first-year girls' wrestling program.

"Piper has the utmost confidence in her abilities, and she has a swag to her you just can't describe," Lady Blue Raiders coach Josh Bosken said. "She is as strong as an ox and has been wrestling since she was 5 years old. It's the perfect storm. She has extremely high goals and wants to be the top wrestler in the nation at her class. She wrestles year round and has an extremely bright future."

For the third straight season, Cleveland had a state champion at 106 as freshman Chase Walker dominated his final with an 8-0 major decision over Wilson Central's James Hicks.

Bradley Central, Cleveland's intracounty rival, finished as the runner-up in AA with 129.5 points. Bears junior Bryson Terrell (113) concluded a 36-0 season by winning 7-0 against Independence's Russell Ford in the finals.

After winning the state duals title in Class A on Feb. 5, Signal Mountain had a strong showing at the traditional event, tallying 110 points to finish runner-up to Greeneville (166).

Freshman 113-pounder Ethan Uhorchuk won his second straight high school championship for the Eagles as he quickly stacked up points, winning his final three matches by technical fall, including a final in which he beat Martin Luther King's Steve Ramos 23-7 in 5:11.

Signal Mountain junior Caleb Uhorchuk, Ethan's brother, pinned Stone Memorial's Ryan King in the third period of the 120-pound final. Caleb won his three previous state matches with first-round pins. The three-time state champion finished the season 45-1.

The St. Andrew's-Sewanee girls put on a show in Franklin, too, as they finished third with 96 points. Clarksville won the girls' team title with 122.5 points, while Rossview had 108.5.

St. Andrew's-Sewanee had two individual champions. Verena Pate beat Bradley Central's Gabriella Rincon 5-4 for the 126 title, while Melanie Val beat Oakland's Mila Risner 6-1.

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

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