Ben Stacey (top) and his Father Ryan teammates will be vying for a Division II state title at the TSSAA State Duals Friday and Saturday.
Wilson Central will be looking to take its season one step further this year as the TSSAA state dual wrestling championships kick off Friday at the Williamson County Expo Center in Franklin.
The Wildcats have finished Class AAA runner-up each of the past three years, coming up just short against state-power Cleveland all three times.
Joining Wilson Central in its pursuit of a team state title are 10 other Midstate teams, six of which will be wrestling alongside the Wildcats in Class AAA.
Beech — last year’s fourth-place finisher — and Siegel are also returning teams from last year in AAA, while Independence, Blackman, Stone Memorial and Centennial hope to leave their mark in duals competition after failing to reach the tournament a year ago.
Father Ryan will also be looking for redemption after a second-place finish in Division II last year, falling 32-30 to Baylor in the finals.
The Irish will open up against Franklin Road Academy, which made the tournament after missing last year, and Montgomery Bell Academy will also be looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish in DII action.
Page and Greenbrier will carry the weight of the Midstate in the Class A/AA bracket. The two wrestle each other in the opening round Friday at 5 p.m.
Gates open at 12:30 p.m. on Friday with weigh-ins for all divisions starting at 1:30 p.m.
Class AAA will kick off the competition with the round of 16 starting at 3 p.m. and Division II and Class A/AA divisions will get under way starting at 5 p.m.
At 7 p.m. Class AAA will have championship quarterfinals while Class A/AA and Division II will have championship semifinals.
Class AAA semifinals are at 1 p.m. Saturday. Championships for all three divisions will begin Saturday at 7 p.m.
Reach Sam Brown at 615-259-8232 and on Twitter @SamBrownTN.