Trousdale County (TN)
Head Coach: B Atwood (entering 3rd season)
Staff: Ken Hammonds
Not much to say about Trousdale … they have one wrestler - Rob Atwood who placed as a freshman in 2021. Atwood should be a force at 195 or 220 in 1A in 2022 and will certainly be hunting for the top step at either weight.
“Rob Atwood is the only wrestler on the team. And boy what a wrestler he is. Took 4th at states in a loaded 220lbs as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he may drop to 195 this season. ”
Ft Mill (SC)
Head Coach: Chris Brock (entering 33rd season)
Staff: Adam Marullo, Ed Doran, Robby Miskelly, Mitchell Alston
Ft Mill finished 13th in the 5A team race a year ago and return 3 of their 4 State Qualifiers from 2021. State Placers Noah Kitchton and Josh Sturgeon both lost tough semifinal matches a year ago and both are back ready to make a run at the top step in 2022. State Qualifier Aiden Eubanks also returns and will look to make a run at a spot on the podium as well.
But for Ft Mill to push into the top 10 at the traditional tournament and make a run through the dual state tournament - they will need others to step up and make a name for themselves in 2022. This is a fairly experienced squad with many Juniors expected to contribute. Keep an eye on Zach Smith, TJ Miller, Harrison Noll, Henry Debbout, and the rest of the top of the lineup … all Juniors and each will be important to the success of this year’s squad. Keep an eye on freshman Jacob Nalley - looking to make an impact in 2022. Another name to watch is Isabella Hoffman - nationally ranked for the girls and had a good summer of wrestling.
“We are junior heavy this season and will be depending on some guys who have not had a lot of varsity experience. We are missing the typical high level of talent that we usually have among some of our guys. However; considering the experience levels with many of them, I think we could have a fairly competitive dual team. ”
Morgan County (GA)
Head Coach: Jared Rector (entering 1st season at Morgan County)
Staff: Carter Shultz, Bryan St. James, Stewart Spence, Sam Simmons, Tim leclaire
Morgan County will make a huge shift in 2021-2022. Coach Rector takes over after a successful run at Union Grove the last several years and looks to have a fairly new group of wrestlers after graduating State Placers Zachary Wages and Griffin McAlister as well as State Qualifiers Brandon Grindle and Jeremiah Grimsley. That doesn’t mean Rector and his staff won’t have anything to work with in year one … State Placer Chance Reid returns and should be hunting for the top step in 3A at 285.
Morgan County also returns State Qualifiers Caleb Turner, Cason Turner, and Andres Casillas - but for Morgan County to continue to push to the top in 3A they will need some new faces to step up and make a difference. Keep an eye on Will Wages, Chase Morgan, Paul Bessette, Miles Butler, Chase Scherer and Omar Hayes - they will be key to how well Morgan County does as a team in 2022.
“It feels like a new era at Morgan County. We have a very young team and a new coaching staff. The core group of guys has really improved throughout the summer and preseason and are ready to do big things. we are hoping to turn our top 10 finish last season into a top 5 finish this year.”