SUPER SAWYER, AGAIN: Science Hill's Ward claims another TSSAA wrestling title

FRANKLIN — For all Sawyer Ward accomplished at Science Hill, her ultimate goal was to set the example for the program's younger wrestlers. She couldn't have done any better in that regard. Ward (42-3), a four-time medalist at the TSSAA state tournament, finished her career with back-to-back state championships. With an 8-3 victory over Montgomery Central's Audrey Levendusky, Ward claimed gold in the 152-pound division at Williamson County AgExpo Park. The victory allowed Ward to become the Lady Hilltoppers' first repeat champion since the TSSAA began sanctioning girls wrestling. "It's crazy. It doesn't feel real," Ward said. "It feels good to end my high school career with a win." Ward pinned her first three opponents to reach the championship bout, two of them coming in the first period. Her quarterfinal pin over Bartlett's Maria Parra took 3:53, longer than her opening-round and semifinal triumphs combined. She began with a fall in 1:41 over Livingston Academy's Maysa Opoka, before pinning Clarksville's Emma Husser in 1:40 to reach the championship round for the third time in her career. Levendusky took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame of the title bout, and led 3-2 going into the third period. But Ward rallied with a takedown and never looked back, finishing with eight unanswered points. "Just moving, pushing the pace (was the key)," Ward said. "We have a lot of young blood coming into our program, especially this year. Just for them to see this and the success, I hope it inspires our new high schoolers and middle schoolers and just everyone at Science Hill." How could it not? Especially with the leadership she's shown. "She's a special young lady," Science Hill coach Jimmy Miller said. "Her work ethic, her character, all those things are exceptional. She lives and breathes wrestling every day, and she's a great student athlete. She leads the team, and they're just wrestlers in our room — not boys and girls wrestlers (separate), but just wrestlers in our room. She's one of the best ones in the room." Science Hill, which had never had a four-time state medalist heading into Saturday, ended with two — Ward and Chase Smalling on the boys side. SUPERLATIVE AWARDS For their efforts, Ward and Dobyns-Bennett's Mason Jakob were both named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the Girls and Class AA respectively. As a team, Dobyns-Bennett finished state runner-up in the Class AA traditional wrestling standings. Cleveland took home gold with 265 points, while D-B placed second at 137. Nolensville (109.5) edged Ravenwood (107.5) for third. TAKING THE PODIUM Science Hill's Haiden Cox (46-8) claimed third place in the 285-pound division, winning by medical forfeit over Dobyns-Bennett's Charlie Wilson. Cox had pinned his first two opponents to reach the semifinal round before coming up short. He then pinned Tennessee High's Spencer Miller (31-10, sixth place) in 48 seconds to reach the consolation final. Chase Smalling (32-2) and Kendall Lewis (52-5) also posted third-place finishes, Smalling scoring a fall in 1:14 before winning a 9-2 quarterfinal decision. He took a 4-2 decision over D-B's Vaughn Pulitzer in the consolation semifinals, and then scored a 7-4 triumph over Nolensville's Nolan Barton to finish his career on a high note. "Chase, what a gauntlet of things this kid has had to deal with," Miller said. "Eye injury, shoulder injury and missing a good chunk of the season, food poisoning the night before the state finals last year. He's been run over with a truck and backed up over. But he kept showing up, kept finding a way to say 'I'm relevant, and I'm going to work hard for my team. I'm going to put myself in a position.'" Lewis, a freshman, won his first two matches by decision to reach the 138-pound semifinals. He pinned his consolation semifinal opponent, Blackman's Douglas Barksdale, in 1:49 before taking a 9-0 major decision over Logan Woodard of Clarksville Northeast. Kaden Clopton (18-6) also reached the 144-pound consolation final, beating Bartlett's Cohen Clay to reach the semifinal round. He beat Cleveland's Blake Congdon 4-2 in the consolation semifinals, before Nolensville's Trapper Lippincott won the third-place bout 11-2. Saxon Mattison (41-15) ended his senior year on a high note, winning 7-3 over Warren County's Jakoby Odineal to take fifth place. Class A and girls medalists Ian Adams (16-10) recorded a sixth-place finish for Daniel Boone, winning three straight consolation round decisions to earn a spot on the podium. The last was a 5-0 triumph over Elizabethton's Peyton Vanover. David Crockett's Soniyah Taylor (32-7) placed sixth in the girls' 185-pound division, having reached the championship semifinals with 6-3 and 13-7 decisions over Independence's Juliana King and Springfield's Farah Dickerson. Also on the boys side, Greeneville sent four medalists to the podium in Class A. Brylan Rhodes (57-4) took third at 126, and Hayden Moore (41-5) fourth at 190. Gabriel Oakley (50-10, 120) and Hunter Shelton (54-9, 150) both took sixth.