The Bearcat wrestling team got a late start to the season, the team’s best wrestler was injured and it was a rebuilding year with a young team. The Bearcats refused to be deterred by the odds against them though. At the region tournament last weekend eight wrestlers placed in their weight class to advance to sections.

“The guys have stepped up,” head coach Chad Smith said. “They have learned a lot and wrestled hard. They are a total 360 from the beginning of the year.”

Senior Ryan Adams won a region championship in the 285-pound weight class after battling back from his second major knee injury in two years and returning to the mat only two weeks ago.

“It has almost been a blessing that he came back as quick as he did,” Smith said. “He did a good job at what he was supposed to do and came back full strength, as far as doctors are concerned. He is still not full mat shape, but he is getting there and we are going to work hard this week.”

Smith added that Adams does not have a full range of motion in his knee yet and they will work to devise a game plan that will enable him to work around the limitation.

“We are going to have to adjust what we are going to do wrestling style-wise,” he said.

Junior Tre’ Storey claimed the region championship at 195-pounds a year after finishing third in the same weight class. Tanner Brown finished second in the 152-pound class.

“Tanner was a big surprise as number two,” Smith said. “Everybody there had beaten him already throughout the year. The last two weeks, he came on strong and wrestled near perfect for what he’s capable of doing.”

Also advancing to sectionals are Randy Fillingame, who placed third at 170, Thomas Davis, who placed third at 126, Kendall Glover, who placed third at 132, Curtis Walton, who placed third at 145, and Arkaevious Marshall, who placed fourth at 182.

There will be 32 wrestlers competing in each weight class at sectionals, which starts on Thursday. The top eight in each weight class will advance to the state tournament.

“I see Ryan, Tre’ Storey and possibly Randy placing in the top four in sectionals and moving onto state as a pretty good seed,” Smith said. “Tre’ and Ryan could both win sectionals if everything falls right for them.”

Smith said that Brown also has a chance to have a strong showing if he continues to wrestle as well as he had over the last two weeks.