March 5, 2010

Ryan’s Wesley ends career with third wrestling state title

Andy Telli, Tennessee Register 

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Wes Wesley ended his high school wrestling career at Father Ryan High School with his third consecutive individual state championship.

“It feels good,” Wesley said shortly after defeating Nate Rupiper of Christian Brothers High School 5-1 in the 171-pound weight class championship match at the Division II state tournament. Wesley won the state championship at 160 pounds as a sophomore and 171 pounds as a junior.

With his third state championship, Wesley joins select company in the history of the Irish wrestling program. “There’s only a couple of kids at our school who’ve done that,” Wesley said. “It feels good.”

The other Irish wrestlers with three individual crowns are Raymond Dunning, Whitt Dunning and Aaron Bateman. “He’s up there with pretty good company,” said Ryan head coach Pat Simpson.

Wesley, a parishioner at St. Matthew Church who started wrestling with the Nashville Catholic Wrestling youth program as a sixth-grader, said his championship match was his last, deciding not to pursue wrestling in college.

While Wesley’s championship career was closing, it was just starting for Ryan freshman Mike Akers who won his first state championship at 103 pounds.

Early in the season, Akers was hesitant to get down to 103 pounds, said Simpson. “Once he did it, he dominated. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Akers, a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Brentwood, had set a championship as his goal at the start of the season. In the championship match, he downed John Olson of Battle Ground Academy, 9-2. “I came into it with a positive attitude,” Akers said.

Akers is only the second Ryan freshman to wear a state crown. The other, sophomore Cole Moseley, just missed a chance to win his second straight championship when he lost in the fourth overtime period in the championship match of the 112-pound class.

“It was tough,” Simpson said of Moseley’s 7-6 loss to Alex Ward of McCallie. “A couple of calls we should have got, we didn’t get. That turned out to be the difference in the match.”

Ward was able to score a takedown with less than :30 in regulation to tie the score 6-6. Neither wrestler could dent the other’s defenses during the first three overtime periods. With just a few seconds left in the third overtime, Moseley thought he had an escape, but the referee ruled Ward still was in control. In the fourth overtime, Moseley was unable to score and Ward took the title.

The match was voted the Outstanding Match of the Division II tournament.

Ryan senior Will Mix also finished second, losing the 189-pound championship match 1-0, to Mac Ferguson of Baylor. And in the 215-pound class, Ryan sophomore Ricky Fisher finished second, losing the championship match to David Helton of Baylor, 8-2.

Other Irish wrestlers who placed, include: 119 pounds, Anthony Simpson, senior, third; 125, Mark Marchetti, freshman, third; 130, Dylan Wright, sophomore, fifth; 135, Brian Murphy, junior, sixth; 145, Chris Agnew, junior, third; 152, Ale Benito, sophomore, fifth; and 160, T.J. Holmes, sophomore, third. Anthony Simpson ended his career at Ryan having placed in the state tournament all four years.

Like Wesley, Montgomery Bell Academy senior Daniel Todd, a parishioner at Christ the King Church, finished his high school wrestling career with a state championship. Todd, who lost only two matches the last two years, claimed his first state title with a 5-2 win over Chase Martino of McCallie.

“He’s had a very good career the last two years,” said MBA coach Frank Simpson. Todd’s work ethic sets him apart, the coach added. “He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve had.”

Several other Catholics on the MBA team placed in the tournament, including: 125, Daniel Bellet, sophomore, Church of the Assumption, fifth; 130, John Mark Bellet, sophomore, Assumption, third; 135, Mark Simpson, junior, Assumption, fourth; 140, John Donlon, senior, St. Henry Church, sixth; and 171, Ian Sharbel, junior, Assumption, fourth.

Pope John Paul II junior Kenny Taylor was the only Knight wrestler to place at the tournament, finishing fifth at 215 pounds. Taylor had placed sixth at 215 pounds as a sophomore.

In the team standings, Ryan, which won the State Duals Tournament championship two weeks earlier, finished fourth with 233.5 points, behind Baylor, 282, McCallie, 277, and Christian Brothers, 251.5. Coach Simpson expected his Irish wrestlers to compete for the team title at the individual tournament, held Feb. 19-20 at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Arena. The difference, he said, turned out to be “two weeks ago we won all the close matches.”

MBA finished fifth with 126 points, and JPII finished 10th out of 18 teams with 37.5 points.

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Father Ryan senior Wes Wesley secures his third state championship with a 5 - 1 decision over Nate Rupiper of Christian Brothers High School. Wesley became the fourth Ryan wrestler ever to be a three-time state champion.