Robbinsville – Murphy showed progress this year during dual meets, which carried over to the Smoky Mountain Conference wrestling championships Saturday. After finishing last this year, the Bulldogs finished third this year and sent five of nine wrestlers to the finals.
“That was our goal from day one,” head coach Mike Catuto said. “Last year, we were last in the points at this tournament. This year, we finished third and sent five out of nine to the finals. Just want to continue to grow and improve, and get some champions next year.”
Luke Hyde (126 pounds), Ashton Raxter (132), Zach Kessler (138), Mason Cook (152) and Gabe Chastain (182) all advanced to the finals, but couldn’t take home an individual title. Cook, though, is the only senior in the group. Chastain is a junior, while Kessler and Raxter are sophomores and Hyde is a freshman. Last year, Murphy did not have a wrestler in the championship round.
“The way some of these schools like Robbinsville do it under the light, it’s intimidating – and it can be intimidating, especially a first time or two,” Catuto said. “To kind of get that out of the way early in their career, it’ll pay dividends down the road.”
Catuto saw some of his wrestlers fix mistakes they made earlier in the year, which can sometimes be hard when wrestling the same kids. Chastain beat Cherokee’s J’Ron Lineberry to get to the 182-pound final, pinning him after losing to him in a dual against the Braves on Dec. 13.
It’s just one instance of the growth Murphy has seen throughout this winter on the mat, and something the Bulldogs hope to continue to see at this year’s 1A West Regional championships at Mitchell on Friday, Feb. 10.
“It’ll be helpful for the team as far as warming up and practicing to get there,” Catuto said. “And being competitive when we get there.”
Andrews also had one wrestler compete at this year’s conference championships, with Ian Matthews taking third in the 126-pound weight class.