A Fan's Guide to the Tennessee 2A State Tournament

Welcome to the Fan’s Guide for the Tennessee 2A State Tournament

So what is a Fan’s Guide?

The Fan’s Guide is a look at the tournament as a whole and each individual weight class … from a fan’s perspective. But it is not a prediction of who will win or who will make the podium. In fact, a Fan’s Guide is a little different. It is a look at a few individual pieces from each bracket … they include:

  • Favorite: the wrestler that enters the tournament as a section champ and has the best shot to claim the top step.

  • Contenders: a wrestler that finishes 1st or 2nd at sectionals has a decent chance to make the podium … one of the champs and both runners-up should be considered contenders.

  • Darkhorse: someone not on the radar that could make a run

  • Bracketbuster: a wrestler that finished 3rd or 4th in their section, but could make a run for the podium.

Isn’t that kind of a prediction?

Yes and no. I do identify the favorite, but beyond that I have no idea of who will march through the bracket and claim a title (don’t get me wrong - I’ve watched a lot of wrestling this season so I have an idea of what will happen). I could give you an educated guess about a possible finals match and who will make the podium, but in the world of high school wrestling that is dangerous territory. Few wrestlers (if any) are unbeatable … but we do have past results and past accomplishments on which to make a guess or two. In reality, I am as much of a fan as any of you and like to talk wrestling. I hope each athlete goes out and performs to hir or her ability and we, as fans, get an opportunity to watch some great wrestling.

Remember the sole purpose of the website, twitter, instagram, fan’s guides, pictures, etc. is to promote the sport in the Southeast. Have a great time this weekend, enjoy the wrestling, and best of luck to everyone competing.

We have looked at Pin-Tn Rankings from February 1st and Rankwrestlers Rankings from February 19th to help evaluate the field in each bracket. If you see PTN and a # that is the Pin-TN Rankings and if you see RW and a # that is the Rankwrestlers ranking. The links above are to the two services … Pin-TN is free, Rankwrestlers has a subscription.

NOTE: ALL INFORMATION BELOW IS ASSUMING THAT THE INFORMATION INPUTTED INTO TRACKWRESTLING EITHER BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR OR THE COACHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS CORRECT.

Team Notes

The table below is a list of every qualifier by school, along with their place. So we could talk about a number of different teams, but in reality there are just a handful that have enough to really make a run for a team title. They are discussed below the table.

Cleveland should roll to another title … look we don’t hand out titles before they wrestle (just look across the SE last weekend to see surprise after surprise), but Cleveland is on another level and even if one or two of their hammers somehow miss the mark - there are so many others to step in and get them points. Dobyns Bennett and Knox Halls had a great battle in Section 1 last weekend and that could translate to this weekend as both will be hunting the #2 spot. Houston brings 10, Maryville and Nolensville each have 9 and will look to claim the #2 spot for themself. Blackman, Brentwood, and Summit each have hammers and bring 8 - having 2 fewer qualifiers than Dobyns and Houston could be tough to overcome (or maybe not especially if someone gets tripped up along the way). Watch the battle for the #2 and #3 spots here … it should be an interesting battle.

106 lbs.

  • Favorite: Jose Cordero (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Andrew Workman (Blackman)

    • Ryan Dietrick (Ravenwood)

    • Nick Moore (Houston) - NR PTN; #6 RW

    • Sky Gillette (Karns) - NR PTN; #14 RW

  • Darkhorse: Nolan Barton (Nolensville) - #5 PTN; #7 RW

  • Bracketbuster: Locke Sessions (Independence) - #6 PTN; #4 RW

  • Thoughts: Tough to pick a favorite. Workman has beaten the defending State Champion Jose Cordero 2 of 3 matches this season, but Cordero got the last win in the Section Finals. Both Pin-TN and Rankwrestlers have Workman as #1 and Cordero #2. For me … the defending State Champ is my favorite. Cordero hasn’t lost in 2024 with his last loss coming at Powerade … you want to a finals match to watch. This is it. Ryan Dietrick is ranked #4 by both Pin-TN and Rankwrestlers. Dietrick is the Section 3 Champ and comes in 49-5 on the season … keep an eye on that quarter with him and Workman.

113 lbs.

  • Favorite: Chase Walker (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Sebron Colson (Blackman)

    • Brock Connatser (Hardin Valley)

    • Trapper Lippincott (Nolensville) - NR Pin-TN; #10 RW

    • Joseph Marcin (Arlington) - NR Pin-Tn; #3 RW

  • Darkhorse: Reed Loeffel (Brentwood) - #5 Pin-TN; #4 RW

  • Bracketbuster: Blaise Masi (Summit) - #6 Pin-TN; #5 RW

  • Thoughts: Chase Walker is a 1x Champ and 1x Runner-up, he is ranked 1st by both Pin-TN and Rankwrestlers and is the favorite after beating Colson in the Section Finals. Colson is ranked #2 by both and now sits on the bottom side - looking to make a march to the finals. But Colson draws returning State Placer and #3 by Pin-TN and #9 by RW in the quarters (assuming both win their opening match). Masi could get Walker in the quarters, but must beat Rodriguez in the opening round. Loeffel and Marcin share a quarter and the rankings are split on who is higher (Marcin beat Loeffel at the duals in early February).

120 lbs.

  • Favorite: Mason Jakob (Dobyns Bennett)

  • Contenders:

    • Chase Smalling (Science Hill)

    • Colby Baltz (Houston)

    • Colt Maughon (Cleveland)

    • Kyle Nielsen (Spring Hill)

  • Darkhorse: Devin Corbin (Collierville)

  • Bracketbuster: Michael Johnson (Mt. Juliet)

  • Thoughts: Another weight that could feature a rematch from the section finals in the state finals. Mason Jakob is one of the best 120’s in the SE and is ranked #1 by both Pin-TN and Rankwrestlers. He is 38-3 on the season with his losses coming to Aaron Seidel and Landon Sidun … don’t know the names - well they are two of the best 120’s in the country (and Jakob is right there with them). The weight is loaded behind him with 4 that have all made the podium previously. Chase Smalling was 4th last year at this weight, lost to Jakob in the Section finals and comes in ranked #2 by both Pin-TN and rankwrestlers. Smalling shares the bottom side with Section Champs Colby Baltz (#3 by both) and Kyle Nielsen (NR PTN; #5 RW). Keep an eye on freshman Devin Corbin (#6 PTN; #4 RW) as well as the quarters on the bottom side of the bracket.

126 lbs.

  • Favorite: Zac Bosken (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Hunter Heflin (Arlington)

    • Chase Creque (Siegel)

    • Nathan Simpson (Page)

    • Derek Winseman (Dobyns Bennett)

  • Darkhorse: Drew Corbin (Collierville)

  • Bracketbuster: Miguel Rincon (Bradley Central)

  • Thoughts: 126 should be one of the best weight to watch … 6 returning State Placers including State Runners-up Zac Bosken of Cleveland (Ranked #1 in both) and Hunter Heflin (#2 in both) as well as Rincon (#4 PTN; #10 RW), Chase Creque (#3 in both), Nathan Simpson (NR PTN; #4 RW), and David Cook (NR PTN, #14 RW). This looks like a Heflin vs. Bosken final, but both must navigate a tough bracket to get there. Keep an eye on yet another Corbin … this time Drew Corbin (#5 in both) who sits in the 2nd quarter of the bracket. Bottom quarters should be outstanding.

132 lbs.

  • Favorite: Jarvis Little (Summit)

  • Contenders:

    • Landon Beasley (Oakland)

    • Aslan Nadeau (Blackman)

    • Daniel Halcomb (Maryville)

    • Connor Reeves (Springfield)

  • Darkhorse: Jordan Sexton (Knoxville Halls)

  • Bracketbuster: Cruz Pryor (Nolensville)

  • Thoughts: 2x State Champ Jarvis Little (#1 in both rankings) comes in as the headliner and the heavy favorite to claim a third title and cap off his career on the top step. But nothing is given and there are a number of hunters in the group looking to take that spot away from him. Aslan Neadeau (#2 in both) was 2nd to Beasley last weekend in the Section finals … he sits on the top quarter with Little. The bottomside features pair of returning State Placers in Landon Beasley (#3 PTN; #4 RW) and Jordan Sexton (#5 in both) as well as Section Champ Connor Reeves (NR PTN; #7 RW). Little also shares the top side with Daniel Halcomb (NR PTN; #6 RW). Keep an eye on the 1st round matchup between Sexton and our bracketbuster Cruz Pryor as well as Brentwood’s Andrew Donelson (NR PTN; #3 RW).

138 lbs.

  • Favorite: Arash Yazdani (Brentwood)

  • Contenders:

    • Damen Pullen (Collierville)

    • Michael Posey (Summit)

    • Ace Robinson (Rhea Co.)

    • Ben Helton (Maryville)

  • Darkhorse: Thomas Rubio (Blackman)

  • Bracketbuster: Christian Wilson (Walker Valley)

  • Thoughts: Another deep bracket that features 5 wrestlers that have been on the podium previously, but never on the top step and for two of them (Yazdani and Pullen) this is their final shot at claiming a title. Arash Yazdani is ranked #1 by both rankings and comes in 52-2 on the season (and with wins over Pullen and Posey). As a result he is our favorite. He shares the bottom side with returning State Placer and Section 2 Champ Ace Robinson (#5 by both). The top side is loaded and should be exciting from the opening whistle. Pullen (#3 PTN; #4 RW) was the state runner-up at 132 last year and will look to climb to the top step in 2024. But he must navigate a tough road that includes Chatman, and either Posey (#2 in both) or our brackebuster Chrsitian Wilson (#6 in both). The second quarter of the bracket features returning State Placer Thomas Rubio (#4 PTN; #3 RW) as well as Section 1 Champ Ben Helton who comes in 23-2 on the season.

144 lbs.

  • Favorite: Landon Desselle (Summit)

  • Contenders:

    • Riddeck Romano (Independence)

    • Max Landrum (Rossview)

    • Nathan Barbee (Oakland)

    • Giovanni Bautista (Morristown-Hamblen West)

  • Darkhorse: Jacob Geiser (Houston)

  • Bracketbuster: Logan Brown (Kirkwood High School)

  • Thoughts: Landon Desselle is your returning 138 lb. State Champion as well as a 2x State Placer. He is ranked #1 by both rankers and beat returning State Placer Riddeck Romano (#2 in both) in the Section 2 Finals last weekend. The only other placer in the field shares the bottom quarter with Romano and that is Max Landrum (NR PTN; #3 RW). Keep an eye on that quarterfinal. The bottom side is also shared by Section 1 Champ Giovanni Bautista who could get the winner of the best first round matchup in my opinion in Easley and Blake. Desselle shares the top side with Section Champ Nathan Barbee (NR PTN; #10 RW), Section 4 Runner-up Jacob Geiser (NR PTN; #4 RW), and our bracketbuster Logan Brown (#6 by both).

150 lbs.

  • Favorite: Harlen Hunley (Knoxville Halls)

  • Contenders:

    • Brayden Leach (Summit)

    • Jacob Barlow (Coffee County)

    • Dakota Pattee (Nolensville)

    • Michael Anderson (Arlington)

  • Darkhorse: William Schuft (Cleveland)

  • Bracketbuster: Clark Vaughn (Brentwood)

  • Thoughts: If I am in Franklin this weekend … this is the bracket I am watching in 2A. That’s not a slight on any of the others - it is just that this bracket is so deep with a ton of talent and will feature some great matchups. Harlen Hunley (#1 PTN; #3 RW) comes in as the defending 138 lb. State Champion is unbeaten at 32-0. I have a tendency to default to the returning champs when picking favorites … my philosophy is that Hunley hasn’t lost this season and to be the champ - you will likely have to beat the champ. That said - this bracket features several wrestlers (4 others that are returning State Placers) with the talent to do just that. Brayden Leach (#2 PTN; #1 RW) is the Section 3 Champ, was 3rd last year and is 43-3 on the season. Wait - 3 losses you say - how is he #1 by ranked wrestlers or #2 by Pin-TN … well all of Leach’s losses have come to hammers outside of Tennessee (to Carson Main and Collin Gaj at Beast of the East in Delaware and to Reese Stephen in the finals at the Brecksville Invitational). Don’t be fooled by 3 losses on a record. Leach shares the bottom side with unbeaten and returning 2x State Placer Jacob Barlow (#3 PTN; #2 RW). Add in the easiest bracketbuster pick in 2A in 2x State Placer Clark Vaughn (#5 at 157 PTN; #5 RW) and State Placer Dakota Pattee (#5 PTN; #4 RW) and you have the best bracket in 2A. Schuft vs. Pattee is easily the best first round match.

157 lbs.

  • Favorite: Barrett Whaley (Knoxville Halls)

  • Contenders:

    • Cy Fowler (Cleveland)

    • Zachery Little (Summit)

    • Jack Anderson (Bartlett)

    • Brodie Melzoni (Nolensville)

  • Darkhorse: Blaise Meeks (Blackman)

  • Bracketbuster: Matthew Anderson (Ravenwood)

  • Thoughts: This one is tough … both Pin-TN and Rankwrestlers have returning State Placer Barrett Whaley ranked #1. He is 34-1 with his only loss coming to Demetri Zertopoulis of Palmetto Ridge (FL) at Smoky Mountain Duals in mid-December. I say it is tough because Cy Fowler of Cleveland is a 2x State Placer and won Section 2 over Blaise Meeks (our darkhorse) last weekend. He is 33-6 on the season, but that is misleading. All 6 losses were to out of state competition and many of them happened up at 175 (at both Carnahan in Indiana and Knockout in Florida). Fowler is ranked #2 by both rankers, but I have a tendency to lean to those that have faced that level of competition (even if there were some losses). But we will defer to the rankers as the favorite … fortunately they are on opposite sides of the bracket so they can settle it on the mat assuming both get there. Whaley has Meeks (#3 PTN; #4 RW) in the quarters and could get returning State Placer Zachery Little (#6 by both) in the semis. Fowler shares the top side with Section Champ Jack Anderson (NR PTN; #3 RW) and Brodie Melzoni (#4 PTN; #5 RW) - who lost to Little in the Section 3 finals last weekend.

165 lbs.

  • Favorite: Logan Fowler (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Chase Mayes (Nolensville)

    • Dylan Fritz (Arlington)

    • Alex Osburn (Ravenwood)

    • Gabe Freeman (Knoxville Halls)

  • Darkhorse: Derek Corbin (Collierville)

  • Bracketbuster: Camron Isabel (Wilson Central)

  • Thoughts: Titles are never awarded before they compete … and for good reason. There were a few wrestlers last weekend that weren’t seeded #1 or were darkhorses or contenders that came through the brackets to claim a title. That said - there are few 165’s the country better than 2x Tennessee State Champion Logan Fowler. Fowler’s only loss this season came in the finals of one of the toughest high school tournaments in the country - Powerade … a decision loss to Bergen Catholic’s (New Jersey) Ryan Ford. Fowler won Carnahan (Indiana) and Knockout (Florida) over some national-level competition and is the biggest favorite in 2A this weekend. That said, there are two returning State Placers sharing the bracket in Chase Mayes (#4 PTN; #2 RW) and Camron Isabel (NR PTN; #5 RW). Isabel is our bracketbuster after taking 4th in Section 3 and will get Section 4 Champ Dylan Fritz (#3 PTN; #4 RW) in the opening round. Gabe Freeman is the Section 1 Champ and sits on the top side with Fowler, a tough Alex Osburn (#2 PTN; #7 RW), and Derek Corbin (NR PTN; #3 RW). Corbin vs. McKinney (#5 PTN; #8 RW) is the best 1st round matchup.

175 lbs.

  • Favorite: Charles `Tre` McTorry (Nolensville)

  • Contenders:

    • Jake Stacey (Green Hill)

    • Zerek Keel (Warren Co.)

    • Standford Thompson (West Creek)

    • Jimmy Taylor (Dobyns Bennett)

  • Darkhorse: Henry Williams (Northwest)

  • Bracketbuster: Jake Fox (Bradley Central)

  • Thoughts: Another superb weight that features returning State Champ Jake Stacey and 2x Runner-up Tre McTorry. Stacey (#1 PTN; #2 RW) and McTorry (#2 PTN; #1 RW) have been the favorites all season and that doesn’t change as we head to the final weekend of the year. McTorry beay Stacey for the Section 3 Finals and for that reason he is our favorite. Both are outstanding and although the weight is deep with talent - it would be a surprise to not the two march their way through the bracket. Stacey shares the bottom quarter with Section 1 Champ Jimmy Taylor (NR PTN; #12 RW), Section 2 Champ Zerek Keel (#4 PTN; #5 RW), as well as a tough Henry Williams (#6 PTN; #3 RW). McTorry draws Section 4 Champ Standford Thompson (NR PTN; #4 RW) on the top side. Keep an eye on Jake Fox (#3 PTN; #6 RW) of Bradley Central … he is 28-6 but hasn’t faced McTorry this season (who he could get if he can get by Rudolph in the opening round).

190 lbs.

  • Favorite: Lucas Szymborski (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Spencer Kon (Independence)

    • Jake Dempsey (Dobyns Bennett)

    • Hayven Jenkins (Oakland)

    • Tony Hatley (Bartlett)

  • Darkhorse: Briar Whaley (Knoxville Halls)

  • Bracketbuster: PJ Truax (Warren Co.)

  • Thoughts: Similar situation to another weight we discussed before … we default to the returning State Champ when we believe it is super close (in picking a favorite) and that fits the bill at 190 with Szymborki (#1 PTN; #2 RW) and Kon (#2 PTN; #1 RW). This is a deep weight though and neither can look ahead to that possible match. Briar Whaley (NR PTN; #6 RW) is a 2x State Placer, was 2nd to Dempsey in Section 1 … as a result he pulls Section 4 Champ Tony Hatley in the quarters and then could get Szymborski in the semis (again assuming they get to that point). The bottom side features Kon, Section 1 Champ Dempsey (#5 PTN; #7 RW) and returning State Placer Haven Jenkins (#4 PTN; #3 RW) … want a quarter to watch - be sure to catch Jenkins vs. Kon.

215 lbs.

  • Favorite: Garrett Crowder (Dobyns Bennett)

  • Contenders:

    • Logan McBee (Shelbyville Central)

    • Aiden Elmore (Franklin)

    • Logan Whisenant (Hendersonville)

    • Noah Martinez (Arlington)

  • Darkhorse: Jake Sentell (Nolensville)

  • Bracketbuster: William Czerniak (Mt. Juliet)

  • Thoughts: Another weight without a clear favorite. Both Crowder and McBee are returning State Placers and Section Champs. Crowder is the top seed, probably because of a higher returning place from last year - he was 2nd and McBee was 3rd at this weight. Crowder (#2 at 285 PTN; #3 RW) has spent much of the season up at 285, but makes the drop to 215 as he looks to claim his first state title. McBee (#1 by both) is 27-1 with his only loss coming to Ryder Smith of Chattanooga Christian. This is a solid weight, but Crowder and McBee are certainly the top two. A few others to watch for include Section Champs Aiden Elmore (#6 PTN; #11 RW) and Noah Martinez (NR PTN; #6 RW) as well as Logan Whisenhunt (NR PTN; #4 RW) and Matthew Thompson (#4 PTN; #16 RW). Keep an eye on William Czerniak (#2 PTN; #12 RW) who gets McBee in the opening round.

285 lbs.

  • Favorite: Tyson Russel (Cleveland)

  • Contenders:

    • Elijah Sumler (Mcgavock)

    • Caleb Turner (Knoxville Halls)

    • Peters Savarino (Summit)

    • Roldon Timothy (Northwest)

  • Darkhorse: Junior Mares (Warren Co.)

  • Bracketbuster: Jackson Ard (Brentwood)

  • Thoughts: Three returning State Placers at the weight including last year’s 195 lb. State Runner-up Tyson Russel of Cleveland. Russel (#1 in both) has beaten most of the other top returners this season and as a result is the favorite. Caleb Turner sits in the #2 seed spot after taking 5th last year and claiming the Section 1 title last weekend. Turner (NR PTN; #5 RW) shares the bottom side with Section 4 Champ Roldan Timothy (NR PTN; #12 RW), Junior Mares (NR PTN; #2 RW), Jackson Ard (#6 PTN; #7 RW) and Blayne Myers (NR PTN; #3 RW). Watch the Mares vs. Ard 1st round matchup. Russel shares the top side with Section 3 Champ Elijah Sumler (#3 PTN; #10 RW) as well as one to keep an eye on in Brodey Huskey (NR PTN; #4 RW).

Jason Fulmore