After 29 duals matches, the Tallassee Tigers are still undefeated.
Taking to the mats at Beauregard for the 5A, Region 2 duals, the Tigers defeated Carver-Birmingham and Shelby County to claim the tournament’s top spot and another plaque for the Tallassee trophy case.
“We did well,” coach John Mask said. “The kids wrestled well. There are great teams here, a lot of talent. I was impressed.”
On Wednesday, Tallassee defeated Valley, Elmore County and Beauregard heading into Thursday’s tournament.
The Tigers opened up Thursday against Carver and won swiftly 75-6. Tallassee lost just one match against Carver, dropping the 285 class by way of a pin. The closest match between the two programs was in the 215 weight class, with Jude Rogers earning a 3-2 decision over his opponent. Every other match was a pin by the purple and gold.
Against Shelby County, things were much the same as Tallassee lost just two matches and forfeited one. The Tigers won 60-15.
Braden Arnold got revenge for his earlier 285 loss by way of a major decision, winning 16-2.
Winning all but three matches may seem like a heavy handed sweep, however Mask pointed to a couple close matches that could have swung in the opposite direction. He was more than happy his team got tested at just about every turn, as the road only gets tougher as Tallassee marches along.
“We know the other teams have a lot of talent and some great wrestlers,” Mask said. “There were some matches that could have gone either way. Most of the guys expect to win, so we never want to lose but we know as you advance and keep wrestling that there is so much talent in this state. You hope these great matches continue to grow.”
Over the two days and five matches, Tallassee’s 15 points given up to Shelby County were its most. But if you are a team like Tallassee, two losses could be the difference later in the season between bringing home a state title or bringing home nothing at all.
“You don’t want to make mistakes,” Mask said. “You don’t want to take bad shots and give the other team two points. You don’t want to try to throw somebody then go to your back. You have to wrestle smart.”
Winning in the duals tournament was obviously the expectation for Tallassee, though wins and trophies are still great to build off of.
As the team took turns posing with their newly earned hardware after the tournament, their coach took note of how special his team is.
“They are great kids, they work hard,” Mask said. “They are all talented wrestlers. They want to win and push each other. Amongst themselves, they have a lot of pride.”
The wins at Beauregard pushed plenty of Tallassee wrestlers into incredible season records.
Land Bell is now 34-0 on the year, Ramon Lozada is 26-0 and Christian McCary is now over 200 wins for his career.
In total, the Tigers have wrestlers in the Top-5 in 12 of the 14 total weights.
“They all want to break records,” Mask said. “They are motivated individually and they work with each other and push each other. They all expect it and expect to win.”