Blue Tornado Wrestling

The wrestling tradition at McCallie is tough to match. During the TSSAA era, the Blue Tornado have won nine Tennessee State Tournament Championships and seven State Dual Meet Championships. Recently, the program has returned to its place among the state's Division II elites.

In 2024-25, the Blue Tornado forged an impressive dual match record and won the annual McCallie Invitational. As it did the previous year, the annual McCallie-Baylor dual came down to the final individual match, with the Red Raiders came out on top, 30-29 in another thrilling contest.

After defeating Father Ryan 42-35 in the State Duals semifinals, the championship dual was a McCallie-Baylor rematch. Head Coach Jake Yost’s squad fell short, 41-24. At the traditional state tournament, three Blue Tornado wrestlers earned state championships: freshman Jaxon Lane (126 pounds, his second title), freshman Dylan Villers (144), and junior Cooper Gentle (285). McCallie placed third in the team race with 202 points.

The 2024 season was a magical one for the Blue Tornado. The wrestlers won the State Duals Championship for the first time since 2006 and the State Traditional Tournament for the first time since 1993. Thirteen McCallie wrestlers qualified for state, and Carson Gentle (285) and Jaxon Lane (106) won individual state titles. Gentle placed fifth at the National Preps Championships to earn All-America honors.

Individually, McCallie has produced 70 State Champions in the sport since 2000.

T.J. Duncan ’11 became the first wrestler in the State of Tennessee to win five individual state titles. And Alex Whitworth '21 became the state's third wrestler to accomplish this feat. 

Whitworth and Gavin Cagle were runners up at the 2021 National Preps Championships and earned All-American status by placing among the top eight. In 2018, four athletes were All-Americans at National Preps, the second straight year the Blue Tornado produced four such honored wrestlers.

Led by Coach Yost, the coaching staff combines nearly unbeatable knowledge, teaching skills, and leadership in the McCallie wrestling room. Yost was a two-time Tennessee State Champion and claimed two Southern Conference championships at Tennessee-Chattanooga.