Enters No. 4 in state
Among 5 local champs during prestigious HVA wrestling tourney
HARDIN VALLEY — Ranked fourth in the state in the 170-pound weight class and unbeaten in his first 11 matches — and most recently a champion in a prestigious tournament at Hardin Valley Academy — Aidan Enters said he’s a more mature wrestler as a senior Farragut Admiral.
“The key today was technique and not doing anything stupid,” said Enters, champ in The Hawk Presented by The U.S. Army Tournament Saturday, Dec. 17, after defeating a wrestler sporting a 21-4 record (Dax Akers of Heritage, Georgia) 11-1 in the finals.
“That’s what I used to do last year: I used to be stupid and play around with my (opponent) and try stuff I’d never learned before,” he added. “... I used my speed, strength and technique to win today.”
“That was impressive ... a fantastic match,” Ads skipper David Garabrandt said of Enters. “He came out electric in this tournament.”
The coach also helped lead FHS junior Mekena Porter to capture the girls 126-pound championship at HVA Saturday. “For the most part she dominated her matches,” Garabrandt said. “She had one pinned in about 25 seconds.”
They were two of five Farragut-area wrestlers grabbing first-place at Hardin Valley: Quinn Burgess, a Bearden junior, pinned Christian Academy of Knoxville freshman Tucker Darga in the first period to win the 220 crown.
“This is the best I’ve wrestled,” Burgess said. “The coaches (head coach Jack Jones) really drive me in pracice. I’ve always wanted to improve, to step up my game.”
Lady Bulldog Kiera Blevins, a senior, brought home the girls 165 championship, as did Lilly Hosford, a Knoxville Catholic senior (5-1 record0, in the girls 138 class.
2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-place
Five wreslters were runner-ups at HVA: among the girls were sophomores Ruby Manning (114) and Sarah Jones (185/235) of Farragut and Bearden freshmen Taylor Clifford (132) and Abigail Champion (138).
Bullldog senior Logan Peterson was second in the boys 152 class.
Boys third-place finishers were HVA sophomore Brock Connaster (113 class, 11-1 record), senior Eli Etherton of CAK (182) and freshman Bennett Carnathan of Webb School (152). Fourth-place showings were from Ayden Turner, Hawks junior heavyweight, and Bulldogs Cole Thurston, a junior (145), and Alexander Steele, a freshman (138).
“I think overall as a team we did really well,” HVA head coach Matt Bates said. “We’re still a young team learning how to fight within a sport.”
Girls third-place finishers were freshmen Alexandria
Hedrick of HVA (114) and Brooklyn Bombardo of Bearden (126).
