Wrestling team makes TSSAA field of 16
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Wednesday night the Pioneers found themselves one win away from making a state appearance, with the only thing standing in their way being Antioch High School. The Pioneer squad trailed the Bears on several occasions, but Warren County eventually took control of the match and won easily by a score of 48-28, advancing to the TSSAA Class AAA Dual Team State Tournament in Clarksville.
The Pioneers will take on Region 4 Champion Soddy Daisy in the first round of 16, with the match scheduled for today at 5:30 p.m. in the Clarksville High School gym. Soddy Daisy is currently ranked as the No. 2 team in the state according to the state?s coaches poll.
Warren County picked up eight wins during its state berth-clinching win Wednesday. After falling behind 6-0 the Pioneers received a forfeit in the 145-pound class to tie things at 6-6. Herman Taylor won on points 11-9 over Chris Tresner at 152. Juan Guardado kept things going for Warren County with a 6-4 win over Gentry Bledsoe at 171. Aaron Thomas didn?t waste any time wrestling in the 160-pound division, pinning Dillon O?Conner in the first period and giving Warren County a 18-10 lead.
Jon Paz pinned Joey Johnson in the first period in the 215-pound class, but heavyweight Taylor Bain fell to Trenton Gibbs in the first period. Wrestling at 119, Casey Welch gave Warren County a 28-30 lead after pinning Eric Rucker in the second period. Ben Mathaney, at 130, won with a pin in the second period for the Pioneers and Matt Martin won his 125-pound match by pinning Billy Lane in the second period.
?This is a big step for this program,? said coach Matt Turner. ?I?m so proud of these guys. Every one of them came out here tonight and worked hard. Our freshman came through big, and I?m just happy for these kids.
?Unfortunately, we have to face one of the top teams in the state in our first round match. Bradley and Soddy Daisy are the two teams I expect to be in the finals. But our kids have a good chance of going out there and getting the job done. We are in uncharted waters, but this team won?t back down from anybody, they have proven that all year. This team has put the Pioneer wrestling program in elite company. This is a confidence builder for out kids and it will certainly help next week in the individual tournament.?
Turner?s team finished in second place on the season and second in the Region 5 Dual Team Tournament last weekend. The state tournament will start today and finish up on Saturday with the AAA Championship starting at 7 p.m.