The Blackman wrestling team took third place at the annual Stewart Schay Black Horse Invitational in Memphis this weekend. Blackman ended up with three champions in what turned out to be a very solid first tournament of the season.
After missing the Black Horse last season due to Covid, it was good to take a road trip and get some great competition in. “Blackhorse always has tough competition from Brother Martin and Christian Brothers.”, said Blackman Head Coach Ronnie Bray. “Teurling Catholic was a nice addition and many other teams had studs sprinkled throughout line ups.” Bray continued.
The Blaze put eleven athletes on the podium and earned a total of 236.5 team points to secure the third place finish. Sebron Colson, Justin Bradford, and Mason Sells all earned championships for the Blaze.
Although, Blackman has already had four dual meets at home, usually it takes getting the first individual tournament out of the way before coaches can get a real feel for where the team is what areas need the most work.
“I think we performed as expected. We have some seasoned veterans and they led by example for our five sophomores and one freshman.” said Bray.
Leading those seasoned veterans was Blackman senior and returning state champ, Justin Bradford. Bradford won the Best Match award for his 6-3 win over Bartlett’s Steven Dindl. Bradford won his third Black Horse Invitational.
Sebron Colson won the title at 106 pounds over Chase Creque from Siegel. Colson spent a lot of time competing in the off-season and this was his first major tournament win. “Sebron had an opportunity to win that bracket and that is exactly what he did.” said Assistant Coach John Heathcott. “He wrestled and competed at the level we expect from him.” Heathcott continued.
Mason Sells won the 138 pound title by defeating Javier Montero from Arlington. Sells put together a great tournament and won his second Black Horse championship.
Assistant Coach Byron Smith said, “I thought we looked good as a team. We were sloppy in some areas and our conditioning needs to improve but it was a nice warm-up tournament with a solid field”
Other notables were Miles Workman with some very nice fireman’s and double leg takedowns. Grant Myers beat Harris from Bartlett twice (Pin and Major Decision). Adin Heathcott steamrolled 6th ranked Damon Pullen from Collierville. Aslan Nadeau beats #1 ranked (at 106) Colby Baltz with some sweet counter offense in overtime. Sam Isip gets a perfect half-nelson pin over Setzer from Briarcrest. Josh Chew gave top ranked Gervacio Gonzalez all he wanted. And Freshman Isaiah Thephavong had a terrific ankle pick in his last match with Hite from Brother Martin.
Blackman’s other medalists were:
113 – Aslan Nadeau – 3rd
120 – Isaiah Thephavong – 8th
132 – Grant Myers – 3rd
145 – Adin Heathcott – 3rd
160 – James Revell – 6th
170 – Matthew Olivieri – 8th
182 – Josh Chew – 3rd
220 – Miles Workman – 3rd
The Black Horse Invitational has been held for many years, and once again, the folks at Houston Wrestling hosted an excellent tournament! Special thanks to them for their hospitality!! All pictures from the 2021 Black Horse Invitational are available now on our PHOTOS page.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
| 1 | Brother Martin | 293 |
| 2 | Christian Brothers | 253.5 |
| 3 | Blackman | 236.5 |
| 4 | Teurlings Catholic | 206 |
| 5 | Bartlett | 148 |
| 6 | Arlington | 129.5 |
| 7 | Montgomery Bell Academy | 120.5 |
| 8 | Collierville | 103.5 |
| 9 | Houston | 103 |
| 10 | Memphis University School | 99 |
This week, Blackman has two meets at home. (Tuesday and Thursday) Make sure you come out and support the Blaze!!