D2 Class 3A State Duals Brackets, Teams, and Lineups
A Fan’s Guide to the Division 2 Class 3A State Duals … there are “possible” lineups below, but don’t be set on those being the weights for each wrestler as coaches have a tendency to move kids around if they need to find a better individual matchup to help them win the dual. I also reached out to a few coaches in Tennessee to give me their thoughts … those are in quotes.
We jump right to the semifinals in Division 2 with two outstanding matchups taking place at 11 am.
“Overall ranked #3 in the state Father Ryan has been on a roll this year. They take on cross town rival MBA. Ryan is heavily favored to wrestle the finals against always tough Baylor.
Christian Brothers cannot be overlooked. They are consistently good and are well coached.”
Baylor vs. Christian Brothers
Baylor is not only one of the top programs in Tennessee, they are amongst the best in the Southeast and are ranked nationally. They are also loaded with hammers (and future D1 wrestlers) from top to bottom. Garrison Dendy and David Harper have signed with Wyoming, Nick Corday is headed to West Point, Gunnar Garriques to the University of Chicago and it wouldn’t surprise me if Mason Alley and Jackson Bond also ended up wrestling at the next level (they may have signed with someone - I’m just not aware if they have). Add in Omaury Alvarez, Nate Askew, Jacob Bond, Ryan Tisdale, and others and this team can go with anyone. Christian Brothers is always tough from top to bottom, but they will need to bring their “A” game if they are going to take out Baylor. Wills Bronson, Aidan Bowers, and Gervacio Gonzalez lead the way, but for the Brothers to win this one they will need at least two or more “upsets” of a Baylor hammer to make it happen.
Father Ryan vs. Montgomery Bell Academy
This one should be a barnburner. As several coaches said - the expectation is that we will see a Baylor vs. Father Ryan final, but each noted that MBA and Christian Brothers will fight every step of the way. Father Ryan is exceptionally good down low with Joseph Calvin, Brody Gobbell, Calvin Eason, and Cason Roark - but one challenge they face is getting each of those hammers on the mat because they are all similar in weight. MBA is tough up top with Gabe and Max Fisher … both will be in the hunt for the top step in a few weeks. The key for MBA, in my opinion, is hanging tough down low and then winning matches through the middle. Matchups at 145, 152, 160, and 170 could be huge in the outcome (especially if MBA can hang tough from 106-126).