<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3I16MD_1F4SqXfP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3I16MD_1F4SqXfP00" width="1024" height="683" ><figcaption>Summit’s Zachery Little gets a congratulatory embrace from veteran coach Pete Miller after Little’s second consecutive Class AA wrestling state championship, which he won in February at the Williamson County Ag Expo. After hosting the event since 2010, with the exception of a COVID-related issue in 2021, the Ag Expo will see the TSSAA Division I traditional championships move to McKenzie Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2027. CARL EDMONDSON JR.</figcaption></figure>Taking the event to other areas was the stated objective of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s decision, announced earlier this week, to hold the Division I traditional wrestling state championships at Chattanooga’s McKenzie Arena for the next two years. Other areas. Not necessarily new areas.Prior to the tournament’s arrival at the Williamson County Ag Expo in Franklin for 2010, the championships had been held largely in Chattanooga – first at Maclellan Gym on the campus of UT-Chattanooga, then at McKenzie Arena (also known as “The Roundhouse”) – since their 1961 inception. With the exception of 2021, when COVID-related obligations made it unavailable and forced a move to the Chattanooga Convention Center, the Ag Expo has hosted the tourney for the past 16 years. “There are certain championship events that are bid out – football, basketball, ‘Spring Fling,’” TSSAA assistant executive director Joe Blair said. “Last June (2025), the board of control gave us approval for other championships to say we as a staff, if we’re approached with an opportunity to have a championship hosted somewhere, they gave us the approval to go ahead and move forward with that if we feel like it’s something feasible to give it a shot and see what it’s about, just to give other parts of the state chances to do that.” The process is similar to the rationale, Blair explained, resulting in the state cross country championships being moved to Memphis and the track and field meets going to the University of Tennessee’s Tom Black Track. Blair said the Tennessee Sports &amp; Events Corporation has been in discussions with the TSSAA “in generalities” for the past couple of years about potentially returning the event to town. “It’s no knock against Franklin or the Ag Center at all for what they have provided in the past,” he said. “They have and continue to be a great group to work with because state duals are still going to be there. It’s just getting another part of the state a chance to host the championships, and they’ve provided what we feel like is an opportunity to do that. “There’s been some conversations within the wrestling community about looking at other locations as a possibility, to just try it out and see.” Ag Expo officials expressed disappointment with the decision. “We’re kinda centrally located in the state, and I think it’s unfortunate the kids coming from West Tennessee have to drive a lot farther,” said Rick Taylor, deputy director of Williamson County Parks and Recreation, which oversees the facility. “It’s not really convenient for them. Coming from Shelby County or any part of the west part of the state, it’s a long drive (to Chattanooga). “I think it’s unfortunate that some people have longer distances to travel to participate in this event. (The Ag Expo) is about as fair a travel as you can create.” Chattanooga hosted the tournament exclusively into the mid-1960s, before alternating with Nashville as host cities up to 1980. After the event was held in Nashville for half of the ‘80s, it moved to UTC in 1986 and took place there until 2009 – at Maclellan through 2001 and at McKenzie after. “Since we’ve been (on campus), they’ve hosted the Southern Scuffle,” Blair said. Established in Greensboro, N.C., in 2003, the Scuffle moved to UTC in 2012 and is currently regarded as one of the premier in-season collegiate events in the sport. “Just from the experience with that, the university and the arena itself has gotten more familiar with hosting a larger type tournament like that, so we’re going to give it a shot and see what it’s like.” Both Summit coach Pete Miller and Spring Hill’s Kortney Darnell were optimistic regarding the upcoming move. “It’s been convenient having the tournament in our backyard, but the atmosphere, tradition and history Chattanooga has for the state wrestling tournament is awesome,” said Miller, a Cleveland High School graduate. “I’ve only been around long enough to know the state tournament being held in Franklin. But I’ve heard stories about the days when it was held in Chattanooga, and I think it could be pretty cool to see it travel to a different location,” Darnell said. “Even if it moved every few years, it would be a way to spread that convenience around a little and give different communities the opportunity to host.” A concern when the tournament was on the UTC campus that will continue to be one was and is parking considerations, as Blair conceded. “That was a decent part of the conversation, what would parking be like,” he said. “We run into the same situation one of the two weeks at (Middle Tennessee State) for basketball. One of the two weeks we’re on campus, it’s spring break and parking’s not an issue at all. The next week, everybody’s back from spring break and parking’s very much an issue. “When you’re having an event on a college campus, that’s going to be something you’ve got to get used to and weigh – here’s our venue, vs. here’s the parking. That was a part of it, how they’re going to address that.” Conversations regarding that facet included on-campus parking garages that were not in place when the tournament was last at UTC. “They feel like they’ve got the numbers and availability to staff and block off parking to make it so it’s not as big an issue as maybe it had been in the past,” Blair said. Contractually, the Division I individual tournament will be held in Chattanooga for 2027 (Feb. 19-20) and 2028 – and possibly longer. “They have the option that if they want to re-up, they can, or if some other group approaches and says ‘we’d like to be considered,’ we’ll look at that like we would anything else,” Blair said. “We know what the experience is like there. We know obviously they can provide the space we’d require, the seating we’d require. That’s not an issue at all. They’re great people to work with. This isn’t something that completely closes out Williamson County from hosting the tournament again in the future.” The state duals will continue to take place at the Ag Expo, with the ‘27 tourney scheduled for Jan. 30. The Division II individual tournament is scheduled for Feb. 12-13. “We have a great relationship with (TSSAA),” Ag Expo manager Dallis Polk said. “(TSSAA executive director) Mark Reeves and Joe Blair are wonderful to work with. We’ve been working with them for a long time, we’re still hosting the state duals and we look forward to seeing them the last weekend in January.” </div></body>

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Taking the event to other areas was the stated objective of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s decision, announced earlier this week, to hold the Division I traditional wrestling state championships at Chattanooga’s McKenzie Arena for the next two years. Other areas. Not necessarily new areas. Prior to...

Wrestling tourney move ‘no knock’ on previous host

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Taking the event to other areas was the stated objective of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s decision, announced earlier this week, to

Wrestling tourney move ‘no knock’ on previous host

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