Story by Jeffery Simmons
One legacy was cemented while another continued to grow when Marley Harris and Jakoby Odineal climbed onto the podium at the end of the TSSAA state wrestling tournament. Harris and Odineal both left state with medals as each placed sixth in their respective brackets after a weekend of battling on the mat.
Harris has been big in bringing back the sterling reputation of female wrestlers at WCHS, making state in each of the last two seasons after moving to Warren County. Her path couldn’t have been any more difficult in the Girls 152 division – starting out with a returning medalist, one of five returning medalists in the 16-athlete field – but Harris had her mind set on a medal and wouldn’t leave Williamson County Ag Expo Center without one.
Harris finished sixth in a packed Girls 152 division, showing her resolve by winning three straight matches after losing in the opening round. It was a something just four girls (out of 96) were able to do over the weekend as battling through the consolation bracket was Harris’ final hoorah as the Pioneer.
“The grit and determination she demonstrated was so awesome to see, not only as a coach but as her dad,” said coach Josh Harris, who helped rebuild the girls program after arriving at WCHS during the 2023-24 school year. “She made us very proud. She got an extremely tough draw having to go against a returning medalist in her first match and she also had to beat a returning medalist to get into the blood round.
“She wrestled smart and only allowed one point to her to secure a spot in the medal rounds.”
Fighting through adversity was a common theme between the medalists. Odineal, also making his second trip to the state tournament, came into the weekend already battling through injuries and hardships, but continued to find ways to win and bring home a medal as a sixth-place finisher.
“Bringing home a medal as a sophomore is a huge feat, but even more impressive than that was the adversity he had to go through to get it and the determination and mental toughness he had in his quest to medal,” said Harris. “He misses several days of practice due to the flu the week of sectionals, learned his grandfather passed away the day of sectionals and sustained a very bad elbow injury in the semifinals of the sectionals.
“He was getting beat 6-1 in the blood round in sectionals because he was basically wrestling with one arm. He gutted it out to pin and make the state. He ended up beating a sectional champ in the first round of the state tournament and gritted out wins with a messed-up elbow to make his goal of a medal a reality.”
Overall, the six wrestlers who represented WCHS over the weekend (Harris, Odineal, Burgess Galligan, Jaylan Clayton, Zerek Keel and Xavier Simmons) combined to win 11 matches. It was a strong showing for WCHS, but coach Harris thinks the program still may just be scratching the surface of what it could become in the future.
“Our goal is to compete in everything we do at a high level. We had a great season with six state qualifiers, but we can do better than that,” said Harris. “On the boys side, we are losing one of the best wrestlers that has ever put on the Warren County uniform (Keel) – but we are very young and returning a lot of talent. The standard has been raised and being a state medalist should be the focus of every one who is in our starting lineup. Coach Ben Matheney (at WCMS) and his staff are doing an outstanding job getting kids out and teaching them solid fundamentals. That’s the foundation for success.
“For the girls, we need more girls getting involved in wrestling. Cheerleaders, softball, soccer, JROTC, flag football, dancers – just any athlete – I know wrestling will help you get better at anything you do. We’re losing two seniors, Allison Sweatman and Marley. We have Maya Reagan as the lone returner next year. If we can get some numbers out, we’ll be bringing home region and district championships every year. Get your girls involved in wrestling because there are a ton of opportunities for them to be successful.”
Photos submitted by Coach Josh Harris.
