Brett Francis of Coffee County CHS wrestling
Taking on 2 of the top teams in the region, the Coffee County wrestling team visited Smyrna to tangle with Stewarts Creek and Blackman on Thursday night. The Red Raiders came up short to Blackman 47 to 24. The Red Raiders got a come from behind win over Stewarts Creek 39 to 38. The Lady Raider grapplers blanked Blackman 18 to 0.
The Lady Raiders won all 3 of their matches by pinfall wins. Andrea Hickman(fighting in the 112 class), Mary Anne Walker(125) and Lyra Leftwich(132) all pinned their Lady Blaze opponent to gain the shutout win.
The Red Raiders fought gamely against the number 9 ranked team in the state in Blackman. The Blaze picked up wins in the 5 largest weight classes to come from behind to hold off the Raiders. Coffee County captured pinfall wins from Brett Francis(120), Hunter Waring(132) and Jesse Smith(145). The Raiders also nabbed decision wins from Devin Judge(152) and Dakota Chalker(160) as they fell 47 to 24.
Against Stewarts Creek, the Raiders found themselves in a 27 to 6 hole after the first 7 matches to the Red Hawks. But the Coffee County big men redeemed themselves winning 5 of the last 6 matches to grab the 39 to 38 team win. Brett Francis(126), Dakota Chalker(160), Reynaldo Reyes(182), Nick Martinez(195), Christopher Speagle(220) and Cardin Stump(285) all captured important pinfall wins. Jonathan Cable added a 4 to 3 decision win in the 138 pound weight class.
The Raider grapplers are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Tullahoma to take part in the Tullahoma Invitational. All the action will take place at the Tullahoma High School gym. Matches are set to begin at 10 AM.
