KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — There are tournaments you win, and there are tournaments that tell you who you are. The Chris Vandergriff Duals at Halls High School did the latter for Blackman Wrestling.
Competing in a nine-team field, Blackman went 4–1 on the day, finishing second overall and leaving East Tennessee looking less like a team still taking shape — and more like one already forged. The Blaze’s only loss came in a tightly contested 39–35 championship dual against perennial powerhouse Dobyns Bennett, a match decided on margins, moments, and bonus points.
Everything else Blackman handled.
Opening Statement: David Crockett
Blackman wasted no time establishing its intent.
In the opening round, the Blaze overwhelmed David Crockett 66–15, piling up falls throughout the lineup and turning the dual into a clear warning shot. From the opening weights on, Blackman wrestled with pace and purpose, setting the tone for the entire tournament.
This wasn’t about easing into the day.
It was about setting terms.
The Noise Test: Halls High School
The second dual was different — louder, tighter, heavier.
Facing host Knoxville Halls, Blackman walked into a gym that leaned hard against them. Momentum swung back and forth as big wins were answered immediately. Every point mattered.
Blackman answered with composure. Key falls from Andrew Workman, Carter Hughes, Douglas Barksdale, Landon McLean, and Kyngston Russell kept the Blaze within striking distance, while critical wins from Eli Goodin and Trevor Steffy proved decisive. When the final bout ended, Blackman escaped with a 38–36 victory, silencing the crowd just enough to reveal something important: the Blaze could win when things got uncomfortable.
Control Restored: Maryville
What followed was a release.
Against Maryville, Blackman wrestled fast and free, rolling to a 71–9 victory that was never in doubt. The Blaze recorded falls in 12 of the 14 bouts, overwhelming Maryville from start to finish and reasserting control after the emotional high of the Halls dual.
It was domination born from confidence — the kind that shows up after a team knows it has already been tested.
The Championship Dual: Dobyns Bennett
Because of uneven pool sizes, Blackman and Dobyns Bennett met for the championship before Blackman completed its final pool bout. The situation was unusual. The stakes were absolute.
Dobyns Bennett struck first. Blackman countered. The dual became a chess match where every bonus point mattered. Blackman answered with wins from Eli Goodin, Abraham Nadeau, Trevor Steffy, Jerison Daniel, Ethan Clark, and Andrew Workman, several coming by fall and keeping the outcome in doubt deep into the lineup.
In the end, Dobyns Bennett’s experience showed just enough. A major decision here. A pin there. The final read 39–35.
It was Blackman’s only loss of the tournament — and one that felt more like a measuring stick than a verdict.
Notably, Blackman wrestled the entire day without its starting 215-pounder, sidelined by illness, forcing a forfeit at that weight in multiple duals.
One More Job: Heritage
The day still wasn’t finished.
With the championship decided, Blackman returned to the mat for its final pool match against Heritage. Short-handed again, the Blaze responded the same way they had all day — by dictating the action.
Blackman closed the tournament with a 53–24 win, highlighted by rapid falls, a technical fall in the middle weights, and relentless pressure from the opening whistle. Even under less-than-ideal circumstances, the Blaze controlled the match.
By the Numbers
Four Blackman wrestlers finished the Vandergriff Duals undefeated:
Andrew Workman (5-0), Eli Goodin (5-0), Peyton Pickens (2-0), and Jerison Daniel (2-0), combining falls, technical falls, and steady control throughout the day.
Eight more finished with just one loss, many coming against Dobyns Bennett or under adverse conditions, reinforcing a key takeaway: Blackman did not rely on one star. The lineup absorbed pressure and kept attacking.
JV & Freshmen: The Next Wave
While the varsity battled in Knoxville, Blackman’s JV and freshman wrestlers competed in the MTWOA Freshman/JV Grand Championships, an event that drew over 740 competitors from across the region.
The Blaze left their mark there as well.
Freshman Karson McCrary captured a first-place finish at 150, recording three falls before sealing the title with a decision in the finals. Luke Fisher (144) and Joey Crismon (285) each finished second, combining for multiple wins against large brackets, while David Rose and Ryker Gower battled through deep consolation rounds to score team points.
At the JV level, Kael Denton placed second at 127–128 with multiple falls, and Adonijah Hicks earned a third-place finish at 160–163, continuing to build experience against strong competition.
The results underscored the same theme seen in Knoxville: depth, development, and momentum throughout the program.
What Comes Next
The Vandergriff Duals marked the final regular-season competition for Blackman.
Next up: the Region Dual Championships, where the Blaze open postseason play against cross-town rival Oakland — a matchup that promises intensity, familiarity, and zero margin for error.
Blackman didn’t leave Knoxville with a trophy.
They left with something harder to earn: proof.
And postseason wrestling tends to reward teams that already have it.