(2/16/03) Mat Bird became a 3-time state medalist and a state champion with a strong 7-2 win over rival Chris Brown (Soddy) in the state finals.  Dario Rudas got his first state medal by finishing 4th at 103.  Parks Harding improved his 6th place finish from 2 years ago, to a 5th place finish in one of the strongest heavyweight fields in memory.  [Photos will be posted when available.]

Region IV Tourney

(2/9/03) The Pioneers had 4 Region Champions: Dario Rudas (103), Mat Bird (125), Joey Jeffers (152), and Parks Harding (275).  10 in total qualified for the State Tournament.

Pioneers Kill Lions, but Die to Trojans

(1/25/03) Region Duals report:  East Ridge avenged their one-point loss to Red Bank in convincing manner.  The Lions were missing Tike Gooden(112), but the switch at 160/171 that ER made was even more significant - creating a 15 point swing.  The finals with Soddy Daisy began on a bad note for ER, the return of Soddy's 215 starter proved a 12 point turn around in their favor.  However, the Wright brothers earned 2 pins this time to pull the Pioneers within 5 with just 5 matches remaining...but that wasn't enough against the strong Soddy team. 

Raiders Steal the Show

(1/22/03) Proving they deserve the 2nd ranking in the state, Cleveland soundly defeated the Pioneers in the Raiders' brand new wrestling complex.  However, the team score belies how close many of the matches were.

Fast Tri

(1/21/03)  Scoring 9 pins in the 14 total matches, East Ridge made quick work of 2 short-handed teams:  Boyd Buchanan and McMinn County.

Snow

(1/17/03) Snow forced the cancellation of the big showdown with top-ranked Bradley Central, as well as the scheduled marathon meets on Friday night.  Due to lack of time, the meets will not be rescheduled. 

Trojans Conquer the East [Ridge]

(1/14/03) Had the Pioneers not won 3 one-point decisions, Soddy's win would have been even more convincing.  But with those close ones, East Ridge was down only 22-21 with 5 matches remaining.   However, the Trojans got 3 pins to seal the win.  Mat Bird(125) forced Chris Brown into overtime with 2 stall calls as time ran out, and didn't win until the last second of the second overtime.  Tyler Wright(130) was down 5-1 in the 3rd, when he found his offense and came back to win 8-7 (or was that 7-7?).   

ER Cages Wildcats

(1/10/03) The Pioneers sealed a District title by beating Hixson 45-30.  Two close matches by the Wright brothers had the fans on their feet.  Tyler nipped Carr 8-7 after establishing an 8-1 lead, while Travis came back from an 8-5 deficit to Helton, forcing the match to overtime.  Just at the buzzer of the second overtime Helton escaped, but it was ruled that the escape was after the buzzer, giving Travis the win by criteria.

Red Bank Stuns Pioneers

(1/9/03) Red Bank roared to a 24-6 lead and stifled the Pioneer comeback to win 39-38.  Each team had 5 pins and a tech-fall, but the Lion's major decision at 130 lbs proved to be the difference.  Both Adam Hoover (wrestling up at 112) and Tyler Wright(130) put out valiant efforts against the top ranked Gooden and 2nd ranked Furman respectively.  Adam was able to avoid a pin and only gave up the tech fall in the final seconds, while Tyler nearly kept Furman to a minor decision.  Also, Justin Hoover(119) shutout 5th ranked Strozak 6-0.

Rhea County Downed

(1/8/03) Rhea County jumped to a 10 point lead over 

East Ridge after 4 matches, but was subdued by a string of 5 pins in the final 6 matches.  Tyler Wright avenged a loss at the Central tourney by defeating Kelley Messimer 10-6.  Dario Rudas used a new submission hold to terminate his opponent (sorry, you'd have to have been there).

Central Invitational

(1/4/03) Mat Bird wins 4th championship at Central Invitational!  The Chattanooga Times Free Press printed a nice article on how Mat was the first to   accomplish this feat in the 35 year history of the tournament.  Bird also was honored as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.  Joey Jeffers(152) was a champion as well and our other medalists were Travis Wright (2nd @ 140), Dario Rudas (3rd @ 103), Tyler Wright (5th @ 130), and Steven Overby (5th @ 215).  Overby was recognized as having the most pins in the least time (4 in about 3:30).  The team as a whole did not fair so well, finishing a disappointing 5th. 

McCallie Invitational

(12/23/02) A 9th-place finish may not seem all that special, but without star heavyweight Harding, and with Bird still nursing a severely injured finger, the  Pioneers were glad to at least finish ahead of Baylor and Red Bank in the extremely tough 24-team McCallie Invitational.  The hi-light of the tournament was 4th seed Joey Jeffers(152) upsetting both the 1st and 2nd seeds on the way to an overtime championship win.  Mat Bird(125) took 3rd, and Travis Wright(140) and Steven Overby(215) both claimed 4th.  Dario Rudas(103), Justin Hoover(119) and Tyler Wright(130) all missed the medals by one match.

Baylor Blitz

(12/15/02) Baylor blew through the East Ridge lineup like the Germans through France.  It wasn't pretty.  Our only victories were Bird(125) [wrestling virtually with one hand] by one point, Jeffers(160) by 2 points, and Overby's(215) pin.  Baylor pinned 9 Pioneers.  Fortunately St. Andrews was a bit easier to handle - East Ridge only gave up one loss to them.  

Both Ranked Seniors Questionable

(12/14/02) The team was rocked Monday with the news that top-ranked Mat Bird(125) had a torn tendon and may be out for several weeks.  Plus, heavyweight Parks Harding - who gave defending state champ Crosby a very close tough match in Knoxville - was out with mononucleosis for several weeks and may not be back in time for the State Tournament.

Pioneers Pound Central

(12/13/02) East Ridge compiled 6 pins on their way to defeating Central 56-24.  Ben Sencabaugh, stepping up from a backup role at 215 to start at 275 (starter Parks Harding is out with mono), held down the much heavier Matt Curvin for the entire 3rd period to gain an exciting 1-0 victory.  The Pioneers also made quick work of the shorthanded Howard and Lookout Valley teams. 

Mat Bird - TWF Athlete of the Month

(12/9/02) The Tennessee Wrestling Federation has honored our Mat Bird as their Athlete of the Month for December.

ER Finishes 5th in Knox Catholic Invitational

(12/9/02) The return of 2 very strong Georgia schools upped the competition level at the tournament this year.  East Ridge had 4 seeded wrestlers (3 - 2nd and 1 - 3rd), but came away with 5 medals.  Justin Hoover(119), Mat Bird(125) and Parks Harding(275) claimed 2nd places, while Dario Rudas(103) and Steven Overby(215) took 3rd.  The team finished behind Parkview(GA), Baylor, Lassiter(GA), and Science Hill.

Pioneers Topple Blue Tornado!

(12/5/02) Pins by Justin Hoover, Bobby Marshall, Joey Jeffers, Dennis Roby, Steven Overby and Parks Harding overcame the 5 pins McCallie inflicted, leaving it up to Tyler Wright to avoid a pin or tech fall by 2 time state finalist Jack Silberman.  Tyler was able to frustrate Silberman's efforts, and - by his losing by only 2-14 - gave ER the upset victory 38-37 over the top-ranked team in the state.  McCallie was short-handed, however, with 3 key starters out.

3 Wins in Lafayette Quad

(12/4/02) The Pioneers began the 2002-2003 season by winning all 3 duals, but 2 of them ended closer than desired.  Ft Payne came back from a 35-15 deficit to 35-32 going into the last match. Parks Harding(275) handled the strong Kean from Ft Payne, keeping the advantage until pinning him in the final seconds for the 41-32 victory.  Lafayette worked their way back from being down 29-6 early to just a 3 point margin, 39-36, with 2 matches remaining. Steven Overby(215) faced Lafayette's Thomas - who had just defeated the Ooltewah wrestler that upset Overby earlier in the evening. Overby attacked quickly and scored a pin in less than a minute to insure the team win.  In the other dual of the night, Ooltewah put up little resistance.

2 Wrestlers Ranked in Preseason List

(11/29/02) Seniors Mat Bird (1st @ 125) and Parks Harding (5th @ 275) were both ranked in the Tennessee Best Weekly preseason individual rankings.  The Pioneers look to start 7 seniors this year.

Team Ranked 10th in State Going into Season

(11/18/02) The Tennessee Best Weekly preseason team rankings have been published, listing East Ridge 10th overall (Division I & II combined) and 6th in our Division.  McCallie (Div II) is placed 1st, with Bradley Central as the highest ranked Division I team at number 2.  The other 4 Division I schools listed ahead of the Pioneers are Cleveland (3rd), Clarksville (6th), Soddy Daisy (8th), and Science Hill (9th).  Individual preseason rankings are due out late this week at www.TennWrestling.com.

(Continued on page 5)