WB, Seymour kick off wrestling season with in-school matches
By Will Estep | (sports@thedailytimes.com)
Wrestling season for two local teams started up on Tuesday afternoon. In front of a full house at William Blount High School, the Governors came up short in the season opening in-school match to Seymour.
The two teams split last season in their two meetings on the mat, but after splitting the first four weight classes with William Blount Seymour took control Tuesday afternoon for a 52-30 duals victory in Marvin L. Boring Gymnasium.
William Blount led the points total after the first five matches of the day as Jesse Prater (160-pound), Cody Gregory (182) and T.J. Satterfield (220) took matches for WB, but Seymour took control midway through the event by winning five consecutive matches either by disqualification or by pin fall. Seymour coach Alex Cate was glad to get the season started off with a win.
“I was pretty excited,” Cate said. “I think it went well. We had a couple of guys out today with injuries. Another guy didn’t get down to weight yet. So, really three guys that should have been wrestling for us we didn’t have in there.”
“I was kind of worried with us having those injuries how we would hold up, but we did well.”
The Governors, who have had a winning record in wrestling 24 of the past 25 seasons, didn’t get the result that was desired, but their coach felt good about the match overall.
“It was very exciting,” William Blount pin master general Tim Satterfield said. “I thought the kids really fought hard, just like I knew they would. We had some adversity being as young as our team is. We are still learning and growing, and the boys really gave it all they had and I’m so proud of them.”
William Blount had regular starters out of the lineup as well with injuries and that forced some disqualifications for the home team, but the Governors put on a competitive show as former WB coaches and medalist winners were in attendance and honored before the start of the match and given the chance to see the team’s new training space.
The fifth match of the day was William Blount senior T.J. Satterfield, who finished second in the state last season, knocking off Seymour’s Timothy Maher in the 220-pound weight class.
“Today was a special day not only as a coach, but as a dad,” Tim Satterfield said. “This is my son’s last in-school wrestling match as a Governor. It’s been a very eventful day having the alumni back and seeing old coaches and old wrestlers come in, that was a great day all the way around. So proud to be a part of this program.”
Seymour won nine of the 14 weight classes even in the loud environment, including wins from David Hamilton (170) and Drew Cannon (285).
“We beat them here (last year), and they beat us at our place,” Cate said. “We beat them in front of their crowd and they beat us in front of our crowd, so it was nice to swap it right back again.”
Seymour picked up four wins by disqualification as WB had a few wrestlers out, and the Eagles also picked up three consecutive wins in the 113, 120 and 126-pound weight classes. John McCarrell (113), Chris Hinshaw (120) and Ethan Joyce (126) all recorded wins in the season debut.
Josh Bowers closed out the day with a win for William Blount in the 152-pound class.
William Blount’s next match will be at Catholic High School on Nov. 27. Seymour’s next match will also be at Catholic as the Eagles wrestle in the two-day Catholic Invitational beginning on Dec. 1.
