How Father Ryan's Casen Roark won 4th straight TSSAA wrestling state championship in Division II

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16-02-2025

Despite lifting his name into the pantheon of Tennessee's all-time greatest high school wrestlers, Father Ryan's Casen Roark still wasn't satisfied.
Roark won his fourth straight TSSAA Division II wrestling championship on Saturday, becoming the 25th wrestler in TSSAA history to win at least four state titles. And while the result left the senior with a wide smile across his face, he was left unimpressed by his own performance during the DII state competition at Montgomery Bell Academy.
'It's been a long (road)," Roark said. "Two knee surgeries, just a lot going on, especially with the recruiting process … I feel like I could've done a lot better this match, I think I really should've. I just tried to treat it like every other match and that's how it felt really.'
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Roark becomes just the second ever wrestler from Father Ryan to earn four straight state titles, following Eli King who achieved the same between 2014-2017.
And while he may poke holes in his state title winning performance, his career with Father Ryan has been nearly flawless, claiming state titles 126, 132 and now 138 pounds.
That's not to say Roark never faced any adversity.
He's torn ligaments in each knee during his high school career. It resulted in two surgeries, but this season Roark felt as close to 100% as he's been in years, allowing him to focus all his attention on his performances on the mat.
'I felt good all throughout the season, some sickness like usual, but coming into (the state championships) I felt good," Roark said. "It's a big weight off your shoulders (being healthy), it's just a lot easier on yourself.'
Roark hopes future wrestlers at Father Ryan emulate his success. That will be no easy task, as Roark joins King as one of now three wrestlers from Middle Tennessee to win at least four straight state titles, cementing his place as one of Father Ryan's greatest wrestlers.
'He'll go down as one of the best, if not the best, that's ever wrestled at Ryan,' coach Pat Simpson said. 'You look at his body and you can tell he's put in the work in the weight room and that's probably what separates him from the competition, is he's going to be stronger than anybody he wrestles.'
East Tennessee was represented by Lakeway Christian Academy which had four wrestlers take state runner-up. Lakeway Christian's Jay Eversole claimed a state championship at 190 pounds for the second straight year.
Returning to 190 pounds this season as the reigning state champion, Eversole could sense a target on his back this season, but credited his coaches as helping prepare him for biggest match of the season on Saturday.
"It feels like there's something being done where I'm from," Eversole said. "With the school I'm at, I'm blessed with great coaches and it feels like there's something being made there."
Along with Father Ryan, Middle Tennessee was further represented by Brentwood Academy's Cash Waymire, who took home his first state title at 113 pounds. Montgomery Bell Academy's Claiborne Tompkins (175), Elias Franks (215) and James Trainer (285) each finished runner-up to earn the hosts a sixth-place team finish.
Baylor took home its fourth Division II team championship in five years, finishing with 241.5 points as Christopher Swann (120), William Phillips (150), Titus Norman (165) and Maximus Norman (175) each brought home state titles.
Father Ryan finished runner-up with 224.5 points as Tanner Tran (106), Brody Gobbell (132) and Roark each took first place in their respective weight classes.
St. George's Griffin Davis had his eyes on a TSSAA wrestling state title in the fourth grade.
When his fellow classmates were asked by a teacher what they hoped to do later in life, the usual suspects cropped up – professional athlete, doctor, lawyer – but even in elementary school Davis knew his path was slightly different.
He rose up to the white board and declared his goal was to win a state wrestling championship, a dream which turned into a reality on Saturday as he became St. George's first ever individual champion.
'It feels amazing … we have a tiny school," he said, "We have about 70 people per grade. It's just really good to rep my school, help build our program. In the past we haven't been a great wrestling school so it's good that I can give back to my school and help build the program.'
St. George's has an enrollment of 286 students, which has posed challenges entering the state championships for Davis, as he competes against wrestlers from historically successful programs such as Baylor and McCallie.
With just six boys wrestling for St. George's, helping prepare Davis for the biggest stage became a community effort in the Memphis area with nearby schools and their wrestlers coming together to provide him additional sparring opportunities in anticipation of the state championships.
'It means a lot,' coach Tony Cao said. 'Memphis is a great city that gets overlooked quite often, to have a kid who loves Memphis and wants to show support for Memphis means the world to me. We represent all the schools in Memphis, showing Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee that we belong too.'
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at [e-mail] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA wrestling: Casen Roark wins fourth straight Division II title