As the regular season begins, the Central High wrestling team has completed their multiple preseason tournaments. The first of two on back-to-back weekends, the Tullahoma Preseason Tournament. Coach Ryan Mallory was pleased with the way they performed as a team free of injuries, and he is looking forward to the next weekend of matches, with signs of improvement for his wrestlers.

Heading into the weekend, Coach Ryan Mallory did not really have the same expectations that he would in the regular season. Mallory mainly wanted to see how his wrestlers would perform in live matches against other schools, and overall came home pleased with their effort and attitude throughout the tournament. Based on the performances, Mallory did have some expectations after the matches to offer for his wrestlers for the Bearden Preseason Tournament:

“I’d like to see some improvement in the Bearden Preseason Tournament. Now that we know what wrestling is, I’d like to see them execute the techniques we teach in practice,” stated Mallory. 

Central walked away from the preseason tournament triumphantly with several placements, including a first place finish by Jesse Fowler. Others included Kasan Parson, Gabby Gray, Randall Gray, and Dahlia Frankel all with second place finishes. 

Small improvements are what Coach Mallory is looking for, but at this level of placements from his team, there may not be much to improve.

Following up the Tullahoma Preseason Tournament came the Bearden Preseason Tournament on November 20. Once again, Central performed tremendously with two first place finishes, Gabby Gray and Randall Gray. This weekend proved to be a little different from the previous week, as multiple wrestlers who competed last week did not compete, allowing for many new faces to present themselves. Mallory was pleased by the performances of the newcomers and feels good about them moving forward in the season. 

Going into the beginning of the season, Mallory is turning on his competition prowess, expecting the best out of each and every one of his wrestlers.

“Now we are wrestling for real and everything counts. I would like to see the more experienced wrestlers, like Randall and Gabby, wrestle with good fundamentals and not make silly mistakes,” asserted Mallory. “I hope to see our newer wrestlers try to use the techniques they have been taught. From everyone, I am hoping to see good effort and attitude.” 

The preseason tournaments seemed to be a chance for Mallory to gauge the level his team was at, and he is much more focused on seeing improvements over the course of the season, especially going into February.

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