The Blaze Wrestling team has wrapped up yet another successful season under head coach Ronnie Bray. The team competed in the TSSAA State Wrestling Tournament in which they had three medalists; including one state champion.

In the last four seasons, Blackman has taken home 11 state medals – four in 2014, three in 2015, one in 2016, and three in 2017.

At the start of the tournament, Blackman had nine state qualifiers: Senior Matthew Sells, senior Dylan Heath, junior Daniel Bradford, junior Jamil Hughes, sophomore Landon Fowler, junior Spencer Layne, sophomore Evan Smart, sophomore Jaylen Brown, and freshman Brooks Sacharczyk.

The team finished 9th place overall, scoring a school record 99-points.

The medalists included: Daniel Bradford, junior, who placed 3rd at 132 pounds, Landon Fowler, sophomore, who was the State Runner-Up at 152 pounds, and Matthew Sells, senior, who was that state champion at 160 pounds.

For Sells, the reigning state champ, this makes him Blackman’s first ever two time state champ.

When asked what it has been like coaching Matthew for the past four years, coach Bray had nothing but praise for the senior:

“It has been good [to coach Matthew]. He has kind of been a security blanket for us. You can always count on him to win.”

The Blaze certainly have been able to count on Sells to win, as he is 98-2 in the past two seasons.

Matthew’s success, along with his fellow teammates’, has shown coach Bray that he is doing something right.

“It makes me feel good because it shows that those guys embody what we are trying to do.”

Moving forward without this year’s seniors will be tough, but Blackman is certainly ready for the change. Of the three medalists this year, two of them will be returning next year: Landon Fowler and Daniel Bradford.

“Most of our state qualifiers were sophomores. We had a young team that will be more seasoned next year,” stated Bray.