TCHS Holds Alumni Wrestling Tournament
Courtesy of TCHS
It was an electrifying night in Toombs County as the Bulldogs hosted their 1st Annual Alumni Wrestling Dual. With over 300 fans in attendance and over 40 Bulldog Wrestling alumni, the stage was set for a fun and exciting event. Head Wrestling Coach Todd Allen set a goal to bring the community of “MATDogs” back together to celebrate them and show his young MATDogs the winning tradition that is expected from Toombs Wrestling.
Coach Allen said, “I really wanted to do this event because I know the winning tradition Toombs County has in their wrestling program and I want my team to realize the standard that has been set for them!”
The ‘ole timers did not disappoint as they squared off Saturday night and with their Coaches in their corner, it was even more nostalgic. “I was very thankful that we were able to have Coach Hill and Coach Benton come back and be the coaches for each team. Those two laid the foundation for the program, set high expectations, and built the program from the ground up. It was very special to have them as the Head Coach for each team.”, said Coach Allen. The lineups included some of the very best to ever walk the TCHS hallways. Fourtime State Champion Bryan Benton and Threetime State Champion Ricardo Santana headlined the event as the main event, but there were several great matches leading up to the finale.
A total of 9 of the 15 individuals to have won a State Championship in wrestling were in attendance. “It was a special night for Toombs Wrestling and I’m excited to get this tradition started here at Toombs. I look forward to hosting this event for our Alumni every year. My hope is this is a bit of a reunion that our Alumni can look forward to attending every year.”, said Coach Allen.
Toombs County would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all Alumni that participated in the event and also to all of the fans that came and cheered on their MATDogs!
Here is a list of the Match-ups for Coach Bill Benton (Blue Team) vs. Coach Kevin Hill (Red Team):Martin Santana (Red) dec. Cruz Arredondo (Blue), Blake Hall (Blue) pin Brandon Hall (Red), Jonathan Vazquez (Red) pin JJ Arredondo (Blue), Chandler Lynn (Blue) dec. Demetrius Owens (Red), Teddy Copeland (Red) dec. Luke Anderson (Blue), Tristan Lynn (Blue) pin Joe Cowart (Red), Solomon McLeod (Blue) dec. Erion Gaffney (Red), Dakota Braddock (Blue) dec. John McDonald (Red), Rolando Tinoco (Blue) inj. def. Brian “Tank” Thompson (Red), Ivan Herndon (Red) dec. Dawson Malone (Blue), Kalin Willhite (Blue) pin Colby Hall (Red), Bradley “Buck” Benton (Blue) dec. Sergio Torres (Red), Ervin Mincey (Blue) dec. Eric Hester (Red), and Ricardo Santana (Red) dec. Bryan Benton (Blue). The Team Score was: Red Team- 21 — Blue Team- 39.
