So much for not doing well in dual meets.

The Forrest Rockets faced a 24-0 deficit every time they took the mat, giving up as many as five weight classes due to forfeits in the early season, but they overcame the shortfall in each of the least three contests to post a 3-0 record last week.

“That’s three in a row,” said a smiling Forrest coach Jason “Shooter” Hill. “It helps getting people back and being able to move and bump weight classes where we only give up three instead of five.”

“I’m really pleased with the guys, I couldn’t ask for a better group,” Hill said. “There is not very many, but their work ethic is just phenomenal, they put their heads down, they don’t complain, they just go to work and know what they have to do.”

Forrest hosted Columbia Central and Cheatham County on Tuesday and came away with a 48-24 win over the Lions before eking out a 37-36 victory over the Cubs.

On Thursday, the Rockets entertained Cascade and garnered points in every match except for one that wasn’t a forfeit to come away with a 54-10 blowout win over the Champions.

“My guys are getting in really good shape right now and they are hitting about the time of the year they need to,” Hill said. “They know they are making their descents down and they know it’s time to go.”

Jesmarie Negron started off the meet with the lone girls’ bout, battling Lady Champion Natasia Chunn in a 119-pound weight class match and the Forrest senior pinned the Cascade sophomore with 31 seconds remaining in the first round.

Negron competed in the Middle Tennessee Wrestling Officials Association (MTWOA) Grand Championships at Wilson Central High School on Saturday and finished in third place.

Negron opened up in the quarterfinals and came away with a fall over Paige Medrano from Creek Wood, but lost in the semifinals to Tullahoma’s Divine Desilets in a close 6-4 decision.

Negron (7-2) came back in the consolation semifinals and pinned Haven Travis from Clarksville Northwest before securing third place when she defeated Medrano for the second time via an 11-5 decision win.

Eighth-grader Seth McCoy kicked off the boys’ action in a 120-pound bout with Connor Cobble that didn’t last long either with McCoy coming up with a pin with 57 seconds remaining in the first round to improve to 20-7 on the season.

Rocket grapplers Braiden Vanderploeg (126, 17-9) and Asa Nance (132, 6-8) were both awarded forfeits to make it 18-0 before Isaiah Smith (138) got the Champions on the board with a three-round, 12-0 major decision win over Forest Ozburn (6-11).

Senior Carson Blackwell (145, 23-8)), coming off a first place finish in last weekend’s Region 3A/AA Super Scramble, made short work of Davis Bass via a fall with 43 seconds remaining in the first round.

Hunter Pendley (152) improved to 19-11 on the season when he went ahead 5-0 before taking down Blake Olive at the 3:57 mark of the bout.

Eighth-grader Sean Paul Febus had a spirited 160-pound match with Elijah Arnold, facing a 4-3 first period deficit before coming back to take a 6-4 lead that turned in to a pin at the 3:17 mark of the bout.

“That was a real big match for him (Febus),” Hill said. “He faced that same kid (Arnold) this past weekend at Nolensville and the kid pinned him in the first period, so for him he is just young and has got to get his confidence built up and go to work.”

Febus (7-20) also competed in the MTWOA on Saturday and finished in third place at 152-pounds.

Febus pinned Keenan Petroff from Friendship Christian School in round, but got the tables turned on him in round two when Nolensville’s Gavin Rich pinned Febus.

Febus came back with a pin over John Deguire from Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School in the consolation semifinals before taking the third place match with a fall over Columbia Central’s Timothy Smith.

The big guns were next, beginning with defending state champion Nick McClendon (170), who sawed down both opponents he faced on Tuesday and it didn’t take the Forrest senior long on Thursday when he put Jason Clukey in the chicken wing for a pin with 1:17 left in the first period.

“We work on several stacks and turns off of it (chicken wing),” Hill said. “Noah (Hill) is in love with that move (chicken wing) for some reason and the hammer lock and Hunter Pendley did a good move off of what we call “cancel Christmas” and stuck his guy real fast.”

McClendon improved to 14-1 on the season.

Junior Noah Hill is like the river that keeps on a rolling and he came out like a tsunami Thursday night, taking a 12-1 first period lead in the 182-pound bout before pinning Cole West with 1:37 remaining in the second period.

Hill, who improved to 27-2 on the campaign, is the defending state runner-up.

“They were both (McClendon and Hill) firing on all cylinders tonight, both of them,” Hill said. “It was a good job.”

There were double forfeits at 195 and 220 pounds.

Cascade’s Zach Becerra picked up a forfeit win at 285, there were double forfeits at 106, and Layne Bowman (113, 9-17) picked up a forfeit in the final weight class of the night.

“They have to work in the wrestling room, I’m putting them in there for double overtimes and triple overtimes, so I’m not going to let them get used to 30 seconds on and off,” Hill said. “This past weekend in Nolensville we beat some teams just because we were in shape, we are going to be in shape, and this is a sport where you have to be in shape.”

After the high school meet, the fans got a treat when the youth from the Marshall County Wrestling Club took on the Cascade youth in an exhibition bout.

There were smiles all around in the stands as the young boys and girls displayed some great wrestling techniques and an even greater pure spirt for the sport.

Forrest 54, Cascade 10

Thursday, January 23

Chapel Hill

Girls

119 Pounds-Jesmarie Negron (Forrest, 5-1) over Natasia Chunn (Cascade), (Fall 0:31).

Boys

120 Pounds-Seth McCoy (Forrest) over Conner Cobble (Cascade), (Fall 0:57).

126-Braiden Vanderploeg (Forrest), Forfeit.

132-Asa Nance (Forrest), Forfeit.

138-Isaiah Smith (Cascade) over Forest Ozburn (Forrest), (MD 12-0).

145-Carson Blackwell (Forrest) over David Bass (Cascade), (Fall 1:17).

152-Hunter Pendley (Forrest) over Blake Olive (Cascade), (Fall 3:57).

160-Sean Paul Febus (Forrest) over Elijah Arnold (Cascade), (Fall 3:17).

170-Nick McClendon (Forrest) over Jason Clukey (Cascade), (Fall 0:43).

182-Noah Hill (Forrest) over Cole West (Cascade), (Fall 2:23).

195-Double Forfeit.

220-Double Forfeit.

285-Zach Becerra (Cascade), Forfeit.

106-Double Forfeit.

113-Layne Bowman (Forrest), Forfeit.

Forrest 48, Columbia Central 24

Tuesday, January 21

Chapel Hill

113 Pounds-Layne Bowman (Forrest), Forfeit.

120-Seth McCoy (Forrest), Forfeit.

126-Braiden Vanderploeg (Forrest), Forfeit.

132-Forest Ozburn (Forrest), Forfeit.

138-Carson Blackwell (Forrest), Forfeit.

145-Hunter Pendley (Forrest), Forfeit.

152-Timothy Smith (Columbia Central) over Sean Paul Febus (Forrest), (Fall 2:36).

160-Double Forfeit.

170-Nick McClendon (Forrest) over Jeremy Bendermon (Columbia Central), (Fall 2:52).

182-Noah Hill (Forrest) over Gray McMurtry (Columbia Central), (Fall 2:31).

195-Jaylen McCoy (Columbia Central), Forfeit.

220-Jovaughn Bray (Columbia Central), Forfeit.

285-Cecil Green (Columbia Central), Forfeit

106-Double Forfeit.

Forrest 37, Cheatham County 36

106 Pounds-Double Forfeit.

113-Layne Bowman (Forrest), Forfeit.

120-Mathew Beavers (Cheatham Co.) over Seth McCoy (Forrest), (Fall 1:37).

126-Braiden Vanderploeg (Forrest) over Daniel White (Cheatham Co.), (Fall 4:45).

132-Asa Nance (Forrest) over Calvin Shaw (Cheatham Co.), (Fall 4:58).

138-Tristen Shaw (Cheatham Co.) over Forest Ozburn (Forrest), (Fall 1:41).

145-Carson Blackwell (Forrest) over William Hendrix (Cheatham Co.), (Dec 5-0).

152-Hunter Pendley (Forrest) over Michael Porter (Cheatham Co.), (MD 11-3).

160-Timmy Kern (Cheatham Co.) over Sean Paul Febus (Forrest), (Fall 1:15).

170-Nick McClendon (Forrest) over Woodey Maynard (Cheatham Co.), (Fall 3:29).

182-Noah Hill (Forrest) over Simon Bassel (Cheatham Co.), (Fall 1:10).

195-Rolen Prater (Cheatham Co.), Forfeit.

220-Destin Nash (Cheatham Co.), Forfeit.

285-Jay Hires (Cheatham Co.), Forfeit.