Mixed results for EHS at Fandetti

Photo By Dave Boyd Mitch Cornett of EHS wrestles Morristown East's Greg Tippett in a consolation match.

By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR STAFF
wholtsclaw@starhq.com
JOHNSON CITY--The Elizabethton Cyclone wrestling team had some bright and low spots at the Fandetti Brawl Saturday evening at the 'Topper Palace.
The team finished ninth out of 13 teams, and could've done better according to coach Bill Potter, but had six wrestlers place in the top six of the tough tournament.
"It wasn't that bad. We had a few kids who should've done better, but they lost some close matches they should've won," said Potter. "We should show more ability, but overall we're unhappy.
"I think if we would've done everything we could've done, we may have been challenging for fourth. We're young and making young mistakes."
John Ross had the best outing of the squad, finishing second in the 125-pound weight class.
Ross fell to Science Hill's Damien Buchanan, but scored big wins over Bearden's Justin Watson and Science Hill's Richard Tapia.
"He was in the 130-pound class last year and has wrestled real well," said Potter. "He surpassed the 100-win mark a week and a half ago, which is a big individual accomplishment."
Tyler Ross finished third in the 112-pound class, while Cory Henson (135-pound), Mitch Cornett (152-pound) and Justin Chizmar (160-pound) all placed fourth.
Jarrett Taylor finished sixth for the Cyclones, while Heath Honeycutt, Patrick Jenkins, Justin Harmon and Zack Potter all competed for the squad.
Jenkins suffered an injury early in the day, which caused him to lose matches by default.
Tyler Ross fell to John Battle's Chris Dickenson in the semifinal round, but ousted Jeremy Powers from Marion to take the third place crown in his division.
Henson fell to Pigeon Forge's Stephen Corden in his final match after falling to John Battle's Drew Lester and scoring two wins over Bearden's Nathan Bevelheime and William Blount's Daniel Cooper.
Also winning two matches was Mitch Cornett, who fell to Greg Tippett from Morristown East in the third-place battle. Cornett beat Science Hill's Steven Fair and Glenn's Matt Ryder.
Chizmar lost his first match against William Blount's Todd Maynard, but beat Morristown East's Tim Boggs and upset the number two seed in John Battle's Michael Powell during the 160-pound class. He fell to Marion's Zach Hall in the third-place match.
"We've got some kids who are coming along," Bill Potter said. "Chizmar has surprised us. He's a junior and this is his first year, and he's done realy well."
Tournaments such as the Fandetti Brawl, which was won by host school Science Hill, help teams like Elizabethton prepare for the upcoming tournaments.
"It helps them concentrate more individually," said the coach. "Team points still count, but you've got to work on your match. It's good for the kids and we probably should've entered in one more (individual tournament) this year."
Honeycutt, Jenkins and Potter were all credited with one win apiece, but lost the two required for elimination.