A-AA Section Previews
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
Section 1
Murderer's Row Weight (weight with the most ranked wrestlers in the section) - 138lbs:
Three ranked wrestlers headline this bracket with #3 Zedediah Hulet (Anderson Co), #4 Noah Eller (Gibbs), and #6 Jakob Clevinger (Elizabethton), making this easily one of the most competitive weights in the section. Eller and Hulet have split matches this season, with Hulet winning the most recent meeting in last week's Region Finals. While this projects to be a rematch in the Section Finals, Eller will first have to get through a tough Clevinger in the semifinals. This weight carries major ranking implications in a field that feels wide open with Uhorchuck dropping to 132lbs. Whoever comes out on top here will head into the State Tournament with serious momentum.
Most Chaotic Weight - 132lbs:
I truly believe there are five wrestlers capable of bringing home a Section title in this bracket: Ian Adams (Daniel Boone), Elijah Stapleton (Gibbs), #6 Peyton Vanover (Elizabethton), Josh Huskey (Pigeon Forge), and #5 Tanner Holguin (Carter). If you need any more evidence of how wild this draw is, #6 Vanover vs Josh Huskey is a first-round matchup. Huskey spent most of the season ranked in the Top 6 before suffering a loss last week to Stapleton in the Region Semifinals. The winner of that match likely draws #5 Tanner Holguin, while the other projected semifinal is Adams vs Stapleton — two wrestlers who are without a doubt capable of bringing home a state medal next week.
These two have already wrestled twice this season, with Harrell winning both by decision. Assuming Ayden Jenkins continues to roll, he will be the favorite heading into the State Tournament, but I believe the winner of this matchup will enter State as one of the top contenders to Jenkins.
Section 2
Murderer's Row Weight (weight with the most ranked wrestlers in the section) - 144lbs:
This weight class not only features four ranked wrestlers, but four state medalists and a returning State Champion in #1 Ayden Jenkins, #4 Christian Davis, #5 Colton Relations, and #6 Nikolas Inmon. Jenkins enters as the favorite, and deservingly so, but if seeds hold, both semifinal matches will feature wrestlers who have already placed at the state tournament. This bracket should deliver high-level wrestling from the first round all the way through the finals.
Most Chaotic Weight - 190lbs:
This weight is loaded with four ranked wrestlers in #1 Logan Rawlinson (Soddy), #4 Cory Hatcher (Alcoa), #5 Trevor Burney (Chatt Central), and #6 Bradley Mayfield (McMinn Central), along with Jordan Geist (Livingston Academy), who spent most of the season inside the Top 6 before slipping out last week. Rawlinson is the favorite in my eyes, but I expect a lot of close matches throughout this bracket. Anytime you have this much talent packed into a condensed field, the level of variance rises quickly.
Talk about a big-time matchup. Phelps is the returning 126lb State Champion who went undefeated last season and has just one loss this year. McCallie, on the other hand, is an 8th grader who has burst onto the scene with a (48–3) record. The storylines write themselves in this one. There's no doubt McCallie is already capable of competing for a state medal, but a win here over Phelps would prove he's also a legitimate title threat. Phelps, meanwhile, with a victory would continue to build momentum in his quest to defend his 126lb state title.
Don't let the #4 vs #5 fool you; 126lbs in A-AA is absolutely stacked. This weight features two former state champions (Rhodes & Phelps), an AA state finalist in Nielsen, Brodie Jaeckel who already owns a win over Nielsen and now another young exciting prospect in McCallie.
Section 3
Murderer's Row Weight (weight with the most ranked wrestlers in the section) - 165lbs:
This weight features three ranked wrestlers in #3 Lincoln Rich (Station Camp), #4 Nathan Highland (Spring Hill), and #5 Fletcher Mapes (White House Heritage), which makes it stand out in Section 3. With the way Rich has been wrestling, he enters as the favorite, but the first projected semifinal Mapes vs Highland feels like a 50/50 matchup.
Most Chaotic Weight - 106lbs:
This weight features #3 Jaime Sanginez (Springfield), Chandler Minor (Tullahoma), Will Carter (Greenbrier), and Hayden Thompkins (Watertown). With Sanginez being the highest-ranked wrestler in the field, he enters as the favorite, but this bracket still has a lot of depth. The potential semifinal between Minor and Thompkins should be a very entertaining match. While I think Sanginez ultimately wins this weight, there are a lot of different ways 2nd–4th could shake out.
Once Uhorchuck vacated this weight, Murphy rose to the top and the two-time state medalist has been having a great season. Last week in the Region Finals, Elving Vera pulled off an upset over then-#1 Murphy, flipping the result from their previous meeting. Fast forward one week and this is now a #1 vs #2 showdown, with the season series deadlocked at 1–1. The winner of this match enters next week as the favorite to bring home a state title.
Jaeckel won their first meeting by fall, at a time when Nielsen was ranked #1, instantly adding another title contender to an already loaded field. Nielsen is a three-time AA state medalist who is more than capable of making adjustments and flipping the result. Jaeckel, on the other hand, is looking to continue building his résumé with another win over a tough Nielsen.
Section 4
Murderer's Row Weight / Most Chaotic Weight - 285lbs:
This weight not only has the most ranked wrestlers in the section but also has the potential to be the most chaotic. The bracket features #4 Roger Gonzalez (Cheatham Co), #5 Jamall Newsome (Millington Central), and #6 Hunter Lange (Fairview). Lange and Gonzalez have wrestled four times, with every match going into sudden victory, and Gonzalez holding a 3–1 season series edge. Lange and Newsome have also wrestled three times, with Newsome leading that series 2–1. Based on the results, any one of these three wrestlers is capable of winning this weight. Newsome and Lange project to meet in the semifinals, with the winner most likely drawing Gonzalez in the finals.
Must See Matchups - #2 Tamarion Johnson (Montgomery Central) vs #3 Tanner Aldridge (Harpeth) (Part III)
Johnson and Aldridge have split matches this season, both decided by decision, with Johnson winning the most recent meeting in last week's Region Finals. Both are strong favorites to reach the Sectional Finals in a matchup that feels like it could go either way.
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