Arlington High School wrestler Reed Cannon recently made school history at the TSSAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament by becoming the first-ever freshman and only the second wrestler in Arlington history to achieve a medal in the state tournament.
Reed placed sixth in the AAA division, where he wrestled his way into the semifinals from a 32-man bracket, a first for Arlington High School, securing a sixth-place medal.
He fell short in his next match against the 106 champion, which could have led him to the championship round.
Region 8AAA sent 56 wrestlers to the state tournament, and Reed was one of only three who came home with medals — and the only freshman.
The AAA division is the largest division in the state tournament, with the top 448 wrestlers from across the state competing in a three-day tournament for the top six places in each weight class.
Some of Reed’s noteworthy tournament wins include a 6-4 victory over a predicted placer and senior from highly ranked Bradley Central, an 11-6 win over an Independence High junior, and a come-from-behind win by pin over a sophomore out of Cookeville in the last 20 seconds of his quarterfinal match.
Reed went into the tournament as the Region 8 Champion in the 106 weight class.
Regionals took place at Collierville High School on Feb. 5-6. All 14 Arlington High School wrestlers placed in the top four of their region, with 10 winning region championships, qualifying the entire team for the state tournament, a first for any Region 8 school.
Reed was also recognized by region coaches as Freshman of the Year. He went undefeated in his region, pinned all three opponents at Regionals and had an overall record of 42-6 with 24 pins heading into the state tournament.
Not only is Reed an accomplished wrestler, he is also an honor student with a 4.2 grade-point average.
The Arlington wrestling team is currently ranked No. 9 in the State AAA division and is coached by Head Coach Jonathan Simpson and Assistant Coaches Sossaman and Wherry. Reed ends his season with an overall record of 45-9 and 25 pins.
He is the son of parents Joe and Lisa Cannon from Lakeland.
