The Team

2006-07 Team

The FRA varsity wrestling team competes in Region 6 of ten TSSAA Division I wrestling regions. Until 2006, Region 6 had been comprised of schools in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. When the TSSAA expanded Division I wrestling to ten regions for the 2006 season, Region 6 was restructured to include Division I schools in West Nashville (FRA, Hillsboro, Hillwood, Overton, David Lipscomb, Nashville Christian, CPA) and Williamson County (Brentwood, Centennial, Franklin, Independence, Page, Ravenwood). While both large and small schools wrestle together during the regular season and for the traditional Region 6 and TSSAA Division I state championships, FRA competes in the A-AA small school classification for the TSSAA Division I dual state championships. FRA won the TSSAA Division I A-AA Dual state championship in 2005. The Panthers also won the Region 6 championship in 2005, which was the last championship for the old Region 6. With a 28-10 dual match record, the 2005 team established the school record for team dual match wins in a season.

2006-2007 Season

The 2006-2007 Panther wrestling team finished with a 22-12 dual match record, the team's fourth consecutive season with at least 20 wins. FRA was the Region 6 A-AA dual champion for the third year in a row, and the Section III A-AA dual runner-up -- narrowly missing a third straight trip to the TSSAA A-AA state dual championships. The Panthers won their own FRA dual tournament, finished first at the Boyd Buchanan "Buc Duals" Tournament, and took second place at the Sycamore Invitational Tournament. At the TSSAA Region 6 Traditional (State Qualifier) Tournament, FRA produced one Region 6 champion (Matt Mercy, 285), one runner-up (Austin Sohr, 135), three third place medalists (Shareef Aminmadani, 125; Jasper Martin, 171; and Austin Marcum, 189), and one fourth place medalist (Clay Mitchell, 152). Mercy, Sohr, Aminmadani, Marcum and Martin all qualified for the 2007 TSSAA Division I Traditional State Tournament where schools competed for individual medals as well as a team championship. Marcum finished sixth in his weight class (189) at the state tournament, giving the Panthers a state medal winner for the sixth straight year!

At the team awards banquet, Coach Marc Taylor announced that four members of the 2006-2007 team had been selected by the Middle Tennessee Coaches Association to the Division I Small School All-Midstate Team. Those wrestlers were junior Austin Sohr (135 lb., 31-10); junior Chase Turpin (160 lb. 26-11); senior Austin Marcum (189 lb., 43-13); and junior Colton Duncan (215 lb., 29-14). Matt Mercy, Austin Marcum, Clay Mitchell and Nick Popham, senior starters on the 2006-2007 squad, received team captain awards at the banquet.

Mitchell and Marcum each qualified for the TSSAA Division I (All Schools) state tournament three times in their varsity careers. Mitchell was an eighth grader, wrestling up on the varsity; Mercy was a first time state qualifier in 2007. As a class, these seniors were part of Panther teams that won 97 dual matches over their four years in high school, representing an average of 24 wins per season. All four participated in the varsity wresting program following their eighth grade middle school season. These career totals made the 2007 senior wrestling class the most successful in school history, even exceeding the dual match win totals of 88 and 105 set by the 2006 senior class.

Freshman Cliff Marshall (215) was given the team’s most improved award, won the GP West Freshmen Tournament and finished fourth in the Middle Tennessee Freshmen Grand Championships. Tough nosed junior Nolan Davis racked up 27 wins in his first full season of wrestling and won the Baby Bull Award. Junior Jasper Martin, last year's Baby Bull winner and a first-time state qualifier this season, was given the coaches award for his dedication and work ethic.

Matt Mercy received the most outstanding wrestler award for scoring the most team points during the season (a total of dual match points won for the team as well as tournament points scored for the team). Mercy was second on the team in wins (39-9), led the team with 29 pins, and medaled in four tournaments, twice winning championships (Independence Holiday Tournament and Region 6). Austin Marcum led the team in wins, (43-13), was second to Mercy in pins (26) and total team points (239-230.5), and medaled in every individual tournament in which he participated. He earned a state medal was named the team's most valuable wrestler. In addition, Marcum was presented with a plaque recognizing his 150 total career wins as a Panther -- the second most in school history behind two-time state medalist Jesse Murphy (2006) with 153 career wins.

Coaching Change

Over the summer, Marc Taylor announced his retirement as head wrestling coach in order to become full-time assistant to the dean of the Upper School. He still teaches and is chair of the science department. In ten years as head coach of the Panther wrestlers (1997-2007), Taylor guided the Panthers to 185 dual match wins, including five consecutive 20-win seasons and both the TSSAA D-I Region 6 tournament championship and the TSSAA State A/AA D-I dual championship in 2005.

Taylor was named Region 6 coach of the year three times. During his tenure, the Panthers had nine individual TSSAA D-I state tournament medal winners. Chuck Russell, who had been assistant coach for the Panther wresting team for the past four seasons, will take over for Taylor as head coach. Russell, an Idaho native, wrestled at Boise State and coached high school sports in Idaho and Oregon before moving to Nashville five years ago. Sammy Cribb will assist Russell and continue as head coach for the Middle School wresting team. Cribb, who is also the school’s strength and conditioning coach, was an All-American wrestler at Forest Park College in Missouri.

Head Coach: Chuck Russell
Assistant Coach: Sammy Cribb

2004-2005 Season Review

2005-2006 Season Review