Blackman wrestlers were 65-22 in their first tournament of the season at the 157th annual Tullahoma Preseason Tournament. (<——LOL. I’m not sure how many preseason tournaments Tullahoma has had.) 😊
The Blaze grapplers were certainly impressive for such an early tournament. Overall, they wrestled tough and were determined to win. It’s clear that the conditioning in practice is doing its job. As a whole, the Blaze technique was good and frankly wasn’t as sloppy as you might expect for a preseason tournament.
Blackman’s head Coach Ronnie Bray said he was proud of his team’s effort but there was much work to be done. The Blaze lost two state medalists to graduation last year so there has been some talk about how this year’s team is going to look. HINT: Blackman is going to be fine; more on that later.
The Blaze will be led this season by senior University of Arkansas at Little Rock commit Brooks Sacharczyk and senior state medalist Bowdy Boyce. Blackman’s senior group also includes seasoned guys like Anthony Gomez, Jaylan Hughes, Austin Marlatt, and Peyton Adams. These seniors are experienced and talented. They will get more than their share of wins.
Probably the biggest surprise after seeing everything put together is the strength of Blackman’s younger wrestlers. Freshman Grant Myers looked like a veteran as he slowly but surely sliced his way through his bracket. Myers has made huge gains over the off-season. He has good hips and is both gritty and fierce. Freshman Mason Sells also looked solid taking out A-AA third place state medalist Lippencott from Nolensville and pinning AAA sixth place state medalist Tyler South from Stewarts Creek.
Sophomores Justin Bradford and Adin Heathcott were both undefeated in their respective brackets. Bradford is not going to be an easy out and he will easily contend for a state medal this season. He has great reflexes and knows his technique….. and is strong to boot. Heathcott is an up and comer but don’t let that fool you. He is talented and as competitive as they come and it won’t take long for him to get his name on the wall.
And while we are talking about amazing stuff, Blackman’s women made a huge statement going 12-2 in their matches. Sophomore state qualifier Alyson Colson took care of business cool and collected while winning her bracket. Freshman Morgan Sacharczyk also was undefeated in her first high school competition winning at least one match in the closing moments coming back after falling behind. Girls Head Coach Andi Jones said she was proud of their hard work and looks forward to building on the strong start.
But, were not done yet. Blackman’s amazing football team is making a run deep into the playoffs. Once football is over, we will get all of the horses in the stable and Blackman will be ready to ride.
Blackman Preseason Tournament is this weekend at BHS. Over thirty teams are expected to roll into Murfreesboro for the last preseason event of the year. Get over to Blackman and check it out!!
A few pictures from the Tullahoma Preseason Tournament can be found HERE.
Go Blaze!!!