Russo, a 160-pound senior for Soddy-Daisy High School who had yet to give up an offensive point this season and was making a strong bid for the tournament's outstanding wrestler award, was sent into the consolation bracket on a questionable illegal-slam call in his second match of the tournament, ending up in third place Saturday.
In his second match at the 2016 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association's Wrestling Championships, Russo was up 5-0 in the second period vs. Smyrna's Tyrone Johnson. When his opponent stood up, Russo took him back to the mat. The referee determined that Russo used too much force, and he awarded a penalty point to Johnson.
Both the trainer and Johnson himself said that he was okay and ready to continue minutes later, but the Smyrna coach wouldn't let him continue and took the match by disqualification. (The rule is that if a wrestler is injured by a slam -- or any illegal move or hold -- and cannot continue, then the injured wrestler is declared the winner.)
Russo's coaches were outraged.
"I'm gut-sick," longtime Soddy-Daisy coach Steve Henry, who is filling in with Brad Laxton for head coach Jim Higgins, told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. "I went to the table -- I knew I had to fight for him -- but I went knowing there was nothing I could do. I just hate the principle behind the call."
"In all the years I coached, the two most emotional matches for me were when Tucker lost in the semis his freshman year and tonight," Henry said. "All I could tell him was people that know the sport know what happened."
"We go from the possibility of being the Outstanding Wrestler to battling for third," Henry said to The Chattanoogan . "I had a long talk with him when it ended and he's deflated and devastated, but we just have to fight through adversity and see what we're made of."
Soddy-Daisy assistant coach Brad Laxton had even harsher words.
"That Smyrna coach is nothing more than a coward. His kid was getting totally dominated at the time. The trainer said he was okay and the kid said he was ready to continue, but that wasn't the choice the coach made," said Laxton.
Meanwhile, the Smyrna wrestler and coach at the heart of the controversy shared their perspective at the MoPattonSports.com website .
"I wanted to go, but my coach said I was unable to wrestle," Tyrone Johnson said, referring to first-year Smyrna coach Matt Proctor. "I wanted to go back out there and wrestle. I was upset with the result because -- I know it's a win over Tucker Russo, but if I don't get to wrestle, what's the point?"
While Johnson was evaluated by one of the certified athletic trainers on site and was cleared to resume competition, coach Proctor -- a 2002 state champion himself at Dickson County, where he coached the past two years -- wasn't convinced.
"As a coach, it's the toughest decision to make," he said. "You never want to win like that. There were several factors. Being in a match, you're basically under the gun (to make a decision in) a minute and a half.
"The trainer did come over. It was his ribs that were injured. It was a slam. She checked him out, she made him twist (his torso). But what she didn't do, she didn't check to see if he could raise his arms, lift his arms above his head. He could not.
"I sat there as long as I could, seeing if he could go. I put pressure on his shoulder, he couldn't raise his shoulder up. At that point, it's ‘can he go?' No, he couldn't go. I, 100 percent, made that decision. The trainer did clear him, but again, she didn't check to see if he could raise his arms, defend himself."
"I told one of (the Soddy Daisy wrestlers) to tell Russo I was sorry," Johnson said. "That's not the way I wanted the match to go.
"I guess (Proctor) was looking out for me. In the end, my ribs were bruised. I have them taped up now."
Proctor added, "As a coach, I feel confident that what I did was right, the right call. It was a tough call. It's in the rules. The rule is about safety for my wrestler, not about advancing my guy in the tournament."
Tyrone Johnson of Smyrna was eliminated from the Class AAA 160-pound bracket Friday with a 9-7 loss to Bradley Central's Henley Headrick ... while Tucker Russo placed third in that bracket, earning his fourth medal in the Tennessee state championships.
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