FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WRCB) -- Only half of Chattanooga's six-team contingent survived the first day of the TSSAA State Duals Championship on Friday.
Soddy-Daisy, Cleveland and Central all finished the day unbeaten through two matches. The Trojans and Blue Raiders will wrestle in the AAA semifinals on Saturday morning, while the Purple Pounders have already earned a spot in the Class A/AA championship dual.
Baylor, McCallie and Hixson were all ousted from the championship bracket in the semifinals, but remain alive in the consolation brackets.
Soddy-Daisy and Cleveland are each one win away from a rivalry showdown in the AAA finals.
The Trojans blasted Wilson Central 60-3 in their opener Friday before beating Clarksville 39-29 in the quarterfinals. Alex Seeley, Turbo Smith, Blaike Henry and Campbell Lewis each went 2-0 for Soddy-Daisy, who will wrestle Independence in Saturday's semifinals.
The Blue Raiders followed a 58-12 rout of Blackman with a 36-27 win over Ravenwood in the quarters. Seth Snyder, Jordan Hines, Christopher Debien, Austin Stevison, Austin Oliver, Brandon Strickland and Josh Hamilton went undefeated in two bouts for Cleveland, who will wrestle Science Hill in the semifinals.
Central, the defending Class A/AA state champs, cruised into the finals by winnings its two duals by a combined 155-3. The Purple Pounders destroyed Page 78-3 in the opener before shutting out Sycamore 73-0.
Central wrestlers recorded pins in 20 of their 34 matches en route to a showdown with Pigeon Forge in Saturday's championship final.
Pigeon Forge upset Hixson 33-32 in the other A/AA semifinal to earn a date with the Purple Pounders. David Keita pinned Hixson's William Wallen to clinch the dual victory at 195 pounds.
The Wildcats started the day with a 51-27 win over Sullivan East.
In Division II, McCallie had no trouble with St. Benedict in a 52-17 while Baylor cruised to 79-0 blowout of MUS in the opening round, but both ran into trouble in the semis.
The Blue Tornado traded victories with Father Ryan through the first eight classes of their semifinal dual, but the Irish rattled off six straight wins to close the match and claim a 43-21 win.
Baylor fell behind Christian Brothers 24-12 in their semifinal dual, but closed to within 24-22 with decisions from Houston Clements, Matthew Cate and Spencer Craig.
Corbin McOglan stopped the momentum with a win over Baylor's Ellis Huff at 182 pounds, giving CBHS a 27-22 point advantage heading into the final match. Needing five points to tie the match, Baylor's Matt Bodine could muster just three with a regular decision for a 27-26 Red Raider loss.
