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Tallassee Mat Tigers navigate pandemic waters as Super State looms

By Griffin Pritchard | Publisher

TALLASSEE – In 21 years of coaching Tallassee High mainstay John Mask only thought he’d experienced every possible scenario. Then Covid-19 and the subsequent pandemic turned the world completely and unequivocally upside down.

“We had no offseason training due to covid, which was a first in my 21 years of coach,” Mask said. “There were no summer camps, no conditions … nothing.”

So how, in a sport where offseason is quite often key, do teams compete?

“This senior group paved the way for our success,” Mask said. “Ethan Stevenson and Tres Ledbetter are two seniors who have come on strong for us and I’m really glad they decided to come out and wrestle this year. Mason Bell and Will Lackey are our other two seniors who have been wrestling for many years for us. The four seniors have done an amazing job leading and helping the young men understand what’s expected.”

Bell and Lackey, the more seasoned of the seniors, have  records speak volumes – Bell has 191 wins in credit, building off a school record 59 as a junior. Lackey has been a six-year letter winner for the Tigers.

But even the expectations – at times – had to be tempered based on the month, week, even hour at times.

Mask: “This has been a year unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in sports. We have had stoppages, quarantined athletes and coaches and fewer matches than ever. We had numerous wrestlers step up and lead at times.”

The Tigers – led by Ledbetter, Bell, Stevenson and Lackey – approached the year with a “learning on the job” mentality and finished the campaign with a 14-3 mark in duals. Mask added that picking out a key moment or match, would be difficult because there’s not just one, or two, or five.

“Every match this year we have had different teammates step up and lead the team,” Mask said.

Having almost completed this puzzling season, the Tigers and most of the wrestling teams left in the state are staring at an unfinished corner and a box of randomly shaped pieces.

Typically, the next step for the team is to compete in the Super Sectional tournament where the top four punch their ticket into the state tournament.

Due to Covid protocols, their will be one end-of-the-year tournament: a 32-team state championship.  

Sounds simple right, not when you look at the numbers.

Mask: “This is something that’s never been attempted before. With the AHSAA combining 5A and 6A, we now have more than 70 teams competing, so this will be a very, very difficult tournament. (In 5A) we have 375 kids and your largest 6A, I think, has more than 1,000. Right now, we are just anxiously waiting for the seeds and to see what will qualify.”

But, when it all comes down to it – the wrestling is what matters.

“I’m super proud of these young men this year,” Mask said. “We are excited to get to wrestle and are going to go out and wrestle our best.”

Founder/Publisher of Central Alabama Scoreboard. Former sportsguy, and managing editor.

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