Grapplers eliminated from TSSAA tourney – Paz, Thomas Pioneers? top finishers

Losses in the consolation bracket Friday marked the end of the state tournament runs for the three remaining Pioneer wrestlers.

Aaron Thomas and Jon Paz were defeated in the consolation quarterfinals at UT-Chattanooga?s McKenzie Arena Friday, while fellow senior Casey Welch fell in the second round of the bracket in his weight class.

Wrestling in the 160-pound division, Thomas was sent to the consolation bracket on Wednesday with a loss in the quarterfinals, advancing to the second round automatically, he defeated Seymour?s Cody Watson 10-8 , but was eliminated from the battle for third place with an 8-5 loss to Sullivan East?s Reece Wheeler. Wheeler went on to finish fifth, in the 160 division.

For Paz, who wrestled in the 215-pound class, the first consolation match also went his way, as he topped Kingsbury?s Tim Bass by a 4-3 decision. Both Paz and Bass had been sent to the consolation bracket by Shane Reveiz of Farragut, the eventual fourth-place medalist.

Paz?s tournament run was ended by Cookeville?s Aaron Birman, who won a narrow 2-1 match in the consolation quarterfinals. Birman went on to fall to eventual third-place medalist Frankie Morgan, the 2006 state champion in the 189-pound division.

In the 119-pound class, Welch reached the consolation bracket when his first-round opponent made the tournament semifinals. He won his first match over Knoxville Halls? Trent Larue, but was defeated in the second round by Clarksville?s Ben Hebda, who went on to lose in overtime in the quarterfinals.

The state tournament marked the end of a successful season for coach Matt Turner?s Pioneers, who reached the region duals as a team for the first time in school history and sent five individual wrestlers to the TSSAA championships.