The annual Stewart Schay Black Horse Invitational in Memphis Tennessee is usually the first real test of the season for the Blaze wrestlers and coaching staff. Knowing where the team stands early is a huge key to having a successful season and post season.
This tournament is always competitive and this year, the Blaze scored an all-time best 191 points and earned a 4th place finish! Blackman had 9 medalists including 3 Champions!
2017 Blackhorse Champions are Daniel Bradford (SR – 138), Landon Fowler (JR – 170), and Brooks Sacharczyk (SO, 160). Those guys combined to go 13-0 in their matches.
The finals matches started at 170 pounds so Junior Landon Fowler was up first. His opponent was Ndayambaje John of Kingsbury. John and the rest of his team have been putting in the work the last few years and John is a tough opponent. With that said, Landon jumped out and got the first takedown on a low single. That set the tone for the match. In the second period, Landon was able to secure another takedown and from there worked a turn for a pin!
At 138, Senior Daniel Bradford had 4 pins leading up to the finals match. In the last match, he faced Brother Martin Louisiana wrestler Alex Duncan. Duncan placed 3rd at Black Horse last year and was 14-2 on the season coming into this match. Daniel was clearly ready and he came out firing shots. His offense was strong and he did a great job finishing. The Brother Martin wrestler didn’t have an answer as Bradford worked hard for a 13-4 major decision.
Sophomore sensation Brooks Sacharczyk had a stellar weekend and also pinned his way to the finals! In the final match, he faced Dontae Johnson of Kingsbury. The last time they wrestled back in the spring, Brooks suffered an injury during the match and was unable to continue. This time was different and Brooks was looking to get some closure on the previous meeting. He looked confident and his wrestling was clearly superior as he cruised to an 8-2 decision in the finals.
Other medalists from Black Horse were:
120 – Jeremiah Savage 7th 132 – Austin Marlatt 8th 152 – Jalen Brown 4th 182 – Ryan Heath 8th 195 – Spencer Layne 3rd 285 – Jamil Hughes 4th
Congratulations to everyone on a very successful tournament! Although we could have done better and possibly have taken 3rd place, this effort showed a ton of promise and confirmed that Blackman is still on the rise! Photos from the Black Horse are on the PHOTOS page.
Catch the Blaze in action at home this week on Tuesday and Thursday at the Fire Pit!
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 – Blackman vs Cookeville & LaVergne
Thursday, December 7, 2017 – Blackman vs Independence & Shelbyville
Valarie Gallaher
So proud of the whole team…it always shows one important characteristic..all the hard work and effort you put into something generally produces a good outcome! Blaze you are my adrenaline.. I
am also proud of the effort your coaches put forth. It is reflected in the improvement in Team stats. Since I’ve only been there in spirit I was chomping at the bit to see these photos.
Keep up the good work! GO BLACKMAN GO BLAZE (SHOUT OUT TO MY SON AND GRANDSON
mattrsells1
Thanks Ms. Gallaher!!
It’s so nice to hear that our fans are having fun and enjoy following us!!! Thanks so much for your support!!!