Blackman Wrestling Club Shines at Heartbreaker Open

The Blackman Wrestling Club delivered an impressive performance at the Heartbreaker Open, hosted at Kenwood High School in Clarksville, TN, on Saturday, February 3rd, 2024. The Heartbreaker Open has become a staple of the TNAAU season, generally serving as the final tournament before the Regional Championships. Several wrestlers showcased their skills, earning top placements and valuable team points, solidifying Blackman’s reputation as one of the strongest clubs in the state.

Champions

Leading the way for Blackman were several first-place finishers who dominated their brackets:

• Rhett Morris (Midget 85) has only been wrestling for a month but has already won two tournaments, placed second in another, and finished fourth at Music City Nationals—his first-ever tournament. He went undefeated, securing three falls and a decision victory to claim the championship and 16.0 team points.

• Gunnar Kenny (JR 85) continued his dominance, winning his last three consecutive tournaments and suffering only three losses since January 1st. He secured three falls and two tech falls, earning 27.0 team points.

• Jericho Shearon (JR 90) has been a consistent force, losing only six matches all season and winning four of his last five tournaments. He took first place with a combination of quick pins and a tech fall, contributing 27.5 team points.

• Braden Morris (MS 95) is on a hot streak, winning his last two tournaments and suffering just three losses since January 1st. He won his bracket with two falls and a decision victory, securing 24.0 team points.

• Carter Hughes (MS 125) has been dominant this season, winning every tournament he has entered except for a fourth-place finish at Music City Nationals. He won all his matches by fall except for the championship bout, which he won by decision, accumulating 26.0 team points.

• McKenzie Grove (Girls 6th-8th 125-132) made history by winning the first-ever TMSAA 128lb State Championship in December. She has since won five tournaments and secured two runner-up finishes in both boys’ and girls’ divisions. She went undefeated, winning all her matches by fall or tech fall, securing 17.5 team points.

• Nadya Flores (Girls 3rd-5th 112) is a perfect 12-0 this season, winning all three tournaments she has competed in, including the TNAAU Beginners State Championship in January. She dominated her competition with two falls to secure first place and 9.0 team points.

Strong Runner-Up Finishes

Several Blackman wrestlers made it to the finals and secured second-place finishes:

• Brody Goins (JR 80) has been outstanding in his first wrestling season, compiling a 24-8 record while primarily competing in open tournaments—seven out of his nine competitions. He earned 20.5 team points.

• Rahji Barbosa (JR 175) has been impressive, finishing as runner-up in both of his first two tournaments of the season, contributing 13.0 team points.

• Noah Flores (MS 100) has been consistent all season, never placing lower than second, finishing in second place, and scoring 16.0 team points.

• Brooks Morris (MS 115) has medaled in all five tournaments he has competed in this season, fighting through the bracket to finish second, adding 20.0 team points.

• Sam Cunningham (MS 189) has been a strong competitor this season, securing three first-place finishes, two runner-up finishes, and a third-place finish. He placed second, securing 13.5 team points.

• Joey Crismon (MS 250) lost a heartbreaking final match by two points on a last-second takedown against an opponent he had never previously gone a full three periods with until this tournament. He secured a strong second-place finish with two wins, contributing 12.0 team points.

• Victoria Rubio (Girls 3rd-5th 91-100) has had a solid season, with two first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and one third-place finish. She finished second in her division, scoring 16.0 team points.

Third-Place Finishers

Several wrestlers fought through the consolation brackets to earn third-place finishes:

• Ryker Westenbarger (Midget 55) lost in the quarterfinals but battled back to the true second-place match, narrowly missing out on silver. He scored 14.0 team points.

• Joshua Hughey (JR 70) showed resilience after losing his first match, bouncing back with three consecutive wins to secure third place and 14.0 team points.

• Gabriel Denton (MS 95) has had a strong season, medaling in five of his six tournaments, including two championship tournaments in the Middle School season. He secured a podium spot and contributed 16.5 team points.

• Aiden Pascoe (MS 220) made a remarkable return after breaking his leg in December, competing in his first tournament since being cleared. He battled to a third-place finish, adding 7.0 team points.

Additional Highlights from Minion Mania in Chattanooga

Several Blackman wrestlers traveled to Chattanooga for the Minion Mania tournament to close out the season before the Regional Championships:

• Kyrie Ewing (TOT 45) placed 2nd, winning four matches, including three by fall. He has wrestled in 19 tournaments this season, including seven championships and five runner-up finishes, and has competed in over 100 matches in the last 365 days.

• Aria Thephavong (MS 80) placed 4th, securing two wins by fall. She has won seven tournaments this season, including the first-ever TMSAA Girls 75lb State Championship in December.

• Luke Fisher (MS 140) placed 3rd, winning two matches, including a decisive 10-7 decision and a pin in the third-place match. He has medaled in seven tournaments this year, including three championships, one second-place finish, and three third-place finishes.

• Dixie Beasley (Girls 3rd-5th 65) went undefeated, winning all three matches by fall to take 1st place.

• Dixie Beasley (Girls 3rd-5th 73-82) continued her dominance, winning another bracket with three pins. She was awarded the Girls K-8 Most Outstanding Wrestler Award for the tournament, coming off her impressive sixth-place finish in Tulsa.

• Aria Thephavong (Girls 6th-8th 73-82) placed 1st, winning one match by major decision and another by fall.

Coaches' Reactions

"This is really the last weekend of the regular season before the Regional tournaments. We are glad we had kids come get some good competition. It was too bad the Sunday tournament at Green Hills was cancelled because we had quite a few kids registered for that one as well, but the kids that were here today wrestled very well. It was a good day." - Troy Steffy

"We had 21 medalists and had a lot of our younger and newer wrestlers really stepping up big time and making a name for themselves. This time of year is always fun because you start to see the newer wrestlers start coming into their own and you can start to see what next season will look like." - Austin Wells