Clarke Central High School assistant wrestling coaches Clay Frost, Kadeem Combs and head coach William Lance (left to right) stand on the mat coaching CCHS varsity wrestler Seth Collins, a sophomore, in his wrestling match against a Cedar Shoals High School wrestler in the Turner-Neathery Gymnasium on Jan. 17. Lance, who was hired as the team’s head coach for the 2024-25 season, celebrated a victory against a rival. “Anytime you win against your crosstown rival, it’s a good day,” Lance said. “The last couple years, (Cedar) has traditionally been beating us, so to go 2-0 against them is a big deal.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
The CCHS varsity wrestling team beat cross-town rival Cedar Shoals High School in the Classic City Championship on Jan. 17.
The Clarke Central High School varsity wrestling team defeated Cedar Shoals High School 36-12 in a dual wrestling meet in the CSHS Turner-Neathery Gymnasium in the Classic City Championship on Jan. 17.
The Gladiators are now 2-0 over their cross-town rival, having placed higher than them in a Dec. 10, 2024 meet at CSHS. CCHS varsity wrestling head coach William Lance attributed the team’s success to their expanded skillsets.
Clarke Central High School varsity, junior varsity and girls wrestling team members cheer on their team captain Washington Wilkinson during the Classic City Championship meet on Jan. 17 in the CSHS Turner-Neathery Gymnasium. Wilkinson, a senior, became team captain at the start of the season and looks to leave a mark beyond his time with the program. “(The rivalry with Cedar) made everyone have a bigger purpose than winning for themselves,” Wilkinson said. “It was winning for the program and establishing a new generation at Clarke Central wrestling.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
“The first time we wrestled Cedar, we were going in with a real small arsenal of moves and just trying to perfect those. Now, we’ve opened up that toolbox to try different things,” Lance said.
The evening started with varsity girls wrestler Kimberly “Moon” Uriostegui-Alvarado, a junior, getting a pinfall in the third round to bring the Gladiators up 6-0. After some back and forth, the meet was evenly matched early on, tied 12-12, until CCHS varsity wrestler Shu Mue, a senior, sparked momentum for the Gladiators in the fifth match. Within the first ten seconds, Mue secured a takedown, dominating until the third round and ultimately pinning his opponent for his first win of the season. The CCHS wrestling team erupted on the sideline with chants and support for Mue.
“We started showing that we’ve got our teammates’ backs at all times,” Lance said. “(When you) start putting in hard work, blood, sweat and tears, you feel like you got to be there for support. We never want anyone to go (on the mat) alone.”
CCHS varsity wrestler and team captain Washington Wilkinson, a senior, continued the Gladiators’ streak in the ninth match of the night by using an opponent’s penalty to earn a quick escape and gain the upper hand, an opportunity he capitalized on to secure a pinfall victory.
Clarke Central High School varsity wrestler Sammy Mueller, a sophomore, hand-fights with a CSHS senior. Mueller returned to the wrestling program for the 2024-25 season after he participated in middle school for two years. “I feel like it was a good performance,” Mueller said. “I wrestled up a weight class, so I feel like I did pretty good for that. (My opponent) was a big man.” Photo by Iliana Tejada.
“(The rivalry with Cedar) made (the match) a lot more personal than other matches even if other matches were more important to our success,” Wilkinson said.
To secure the night’s final win, CCHS varsity wrestler Sammy Mueller, a sophomore, wrestled up a weight class against a CSHS senior. Despite the challenge, Mueller pinned his opponent to cap the Gladiator’s victory at 36-12. Even after their dominant win, Mueller sees room for further improvement..
“(Defending) shots was a big flaw in our performance. (The Jaguars) did too many on us. We just need to get less nervous because we were too stiff,” Mueller said.
