Page Wrestling Rolls into State Duals with Dominant Sectional Win Over Gallatin
When a brutal ice storm brought much of Middle Tennessee to a standstill, Page High wrestling coach Benjamin Gray had a simple message for his team: stay active, stay healthy, and stay ready. With schools shut down and practices canceled, Gray encouraged his wrestlers to get creative-shovel snow, haul wood, do whatever it takes to keep the body moving.
And when the Patriots finally returned to the mat, they didn’t miss a beat.
After just one day of practice following a week-long layoff, Page stormed into Gallatin and delivered a statement win, rolling past the Green Wave 65-15 to punch their ticket to the state dual tournament for the first time since 2023-and for the first time ever in Class AA.
“I think they were actually anxious to get back on the mat because it had been so long,” Gray said. And it showed.
The Patriots came out firing, opening Friday’s sectional with a technical fall and back-to-back pins to build a commanding 17-0 lead. Gallatin’s Austin Medrano briefly swung momentum with a pin at 126 pounds, and teammate Dane Cornelius pushed his match to the third period. But Page’s Maddox McCullough dug in and secured the win, setting off another surge that included pins by Kyler Pasqualini and Adler Slocum.
By the time the dust settled, Page had pinned five of Gallatin’s final six wrestlers, closing the door emphatically on any chance of a comeback.
It was a clinical performance from a team that’s been heating up at just the right time. Page had already knocked off postseason heavyweights Summit (last year’s state runner-up) and Ravenwood (third place) earlier in their playoff run. And despite the disrupted schedule, the Patriots looked sharp, focused, and ready for the big stage.
“We’ve already wrestled four of the teams that are represented at the state duals,” Gray said. “So we’re looking forward to seeing how we do, and hopefully progress, and maybe get to the finals. That would be exciting.”
Their next test comes Saturday morning at the Williamson County Ag-Expo Center, where they’ll open the Class AA state tournament against Knoxville Halls. This time, there’s no rust to shake off-just momentum to ride.
Gallatin, meanwhile, was making its first appearance in a sectional after winning the region title over Cookeville. While the scoreline was lopsided, Green Wave coach Paul Pitts saw plenty to be proud of.
“Page is good,” Pitts said. “They’ve got several guys that are gonna be potential state placers, but what I liked and saw tonight was that our guys fought.
None of our guys walked out scared or intimidated. They all went out there with the belief that ‘I can compete and I can win.’”
Gray returned the compliment.
“They’ve done a great job with their program,” he said. “And we like to try, to hope, that we set the bar for other programs, too.”
With their eyes now firmly on the state duals, Page is charging into the weekend with confidence-and a team that looks ready to make some noise.
Match Results - Page 65, Gallatin 15
- 106: Carson Gambill (Page) def. Tennyson Cagle, 16-1 (technical fall)
- 113: Zeke Bourgeois (Page) def. Alijah Devon Hardison (pin)
- 120: Eli Wells (Page) def. Giovanni Luna (pin)
- 126: Austin Medrano (Gallatin) def. Grady Schaefer (pin)
- 132: Maddox McCullough (Page) def. Dane Cornelius
- 138: Kyler Pasqualini (Page) def. Mateo Paredes Medina (pin)
- 144: Adler Slocum (Page) def. CJ Thornton (pin)
- 150: Andrew Sanders (Gallatin) def. Allen Brown, 17-2 (technical fall)
- 157: Andrew Freeman (Gallatin) def. Alexander Loffredo, 11-3 (decision)
- 165: Huntley Peck (Page) def. Gabriel Ramon Ramirez (pin)
- 175: Lane Baker (Page) def. Tyrone Robinson (pin)
- 190: Logan Thiel (Page) def. Robert Toy (pin)
- 215: Wyatt Elder (Page) def. Jason York (pin)
- 285: Luka Leamota (Page) def. Andrew McFadden (pin)
The Patriots are peaking at the right time-and if Friday’s performance is any indication, they’re ready to wrestle with the best in the state.