Clovis extended streak to 82 after beating Buchanan

Before a packed house which the Fresno Bee estimated at 2,200, host Clovis won 10 matches and trounced cross-town rival Buchanan, 39-14 Thursday.

Clovis, ranked No. 4 by WIN, has won 82 consecutive matches against California opponents. The Cougars’ last in-state loss came to Buchanan seven years ago, on January 24, 2007.

In a match wrestled on a Fresno State University mat that also featured FSU president Dr. Joseph Castro tossing the pre-meet coin, Clovis grabbed a 7-0 lead on a decision by Josh Hokit (160) and a major decision by Brody Brand (170).

Peter An’s last-second reversal produced a 4-3 victory over A.J. Nevills at 182. But the Cougars picked up six points in four of the next five matches, two coming on pins by two-time state champion Nick Nevills (285) and freshman Justin Mejia (106), to increase the Clovis lead to 25-6.

Durbin Lloren won a decision for the No. 20 Bears at 113, but when Julian Gaytan scored a takedown in overtime to beat Jason delaCruz, 4-2 at 120, Clovis led 28-8, and Buchanan, which also lost a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct in the match, was all but finished. Gaytan had lost twice to delaCruz this season.

Clovis hosts the town’s other powerhouse, Clovis West, on Feb. 12.

Cleveland repeats as Tennessee duals champion

With four victories, including a 50-15 finals win over Lebanon Wilson Central, Cleveland (27-2) breezed to a second straight Division 1-AAA dual state title.

The final margin wasn’t as impressive as the 78-4 drubbing the Blue Raiders handed to Wilson Central in last year’s final, but two of their victories came in overtime over a pair of returning state finalists. After Ethan West’s pin at 195 gave Cleveland a 6-0 lead, junior Koran Kennedy turned in the first of those two wins, stunning John Kramer 3-2 in the ultimate tie-breaker at 220.

John Gaither (285) and Colton Landers (106) followed with pins to make it 21-0, and the rout was on.

After two-time state champion and Cadet National finalist Chris deBien scored a technical fall for the Blue Raiders at 126, 2012 state champion Austin Stevison nipped Wilson Central’s other returning finalist, 7-6 in overtime. Ezra Taylor’s decision in the following match, at 138, gave Cleveland a 35-3 lead and clinched the meet.

Pigeon Forge, the Division 1-A/AA runner-up the past three seasons, won its first title with a 43-25 victory over Greeneville, reversing the result of last year’s final. Nathan Breeden (182) and Christian Sisto (195) started the match with pins to give the Tigers the lead for good.

Trailing 26-22 with three matches left, Chattanooga Baylor School (24-7) also beat a pair of state finalists down the stretch to win the Division 2 title, 36-25 over Nashville Father Ryan. Donovan Southerland edged Ryan Simpson, 7-5 at 152, to tie the score (along with a team-point deduction for unsportsmanlike conduct) and Cayman Seagraves pinned John Hagey at the first-period buzzer at 170 to end it. In between, state champion Bryson Popp’s technical fall gave Baylor the lead, 30-25. The Red Raiders, who lost at 152 and 170 in a 38-27 loss to Father Ryan in January, won their first title since 2011.

Ohio duals highlight state tournament schedule

The Ohio dual state meet is the highlight of this weekend’s state tournament calendar, Saturday (Feb. 8) at St. John Arena in Columbus.

It’s been decades since Lakewood St. Edward hasn’t been a No. 1 seed in any venue, but the Eagles, who won the first Division 1 dual state title a year ago, enter the event as the No. 4 seed, behind Massillon Perry, Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller and Brecksville-Broadview Heights.

The defending champions in Division 2 and 3, respectively, St. Paris Graham and Delta, are the No. 1 seeds in those divisions, and both are heavily favored to repeat.

Also on the nation’s state tournament docket this weekend:

• Alaska 4A (Bartlett High School, Anchorage)

• Georgia Independent (Tattnall Square Academy, Macon)

• Maryland Independent (Mount St. Joseph High School, Baltimore)

• Texas Private School (St. Thomas High School, Houston)