Bob Jones wins third straight Dick “Pops” Clem Memorial

MADISON – What better way to honor the late great wrestling volunteer assistant, Dick “Pops” Clem, than to make a habit of winning his namesake tournament. Host Bob Jones recently captured its third straight Dick Clem Memorial.

“That’s the expectation we set,” said Matthew Sweatman, who coached the Patriots for 10 years and is now a referee after recently becoming an assistant principal at Discovery Middle. “When you get Pops’ name on it, it means a little bit more.”

Clem, who helped coach the Patriots to the Class 7A state championship in 2018, passed away at the age of 83 in 2020. Formerly known as the Dick Clem Invitational it was renamed in 2021. Clem, who along with his wife Annette moved to Madison from Baltimore in 1993 in part to follow their grandsons, was instrumental in the local wrestling community. Clem, who did not wrestle in high school, was a three-time conference champion at Lowson College in Maryland “Pops kind of had a different perspective,” said Sweatman, who also coached the Patriots to a state runner-up finish in 2019. “His thing was always no excuses. Experience doesn’t matter. You just get out there and compete.”

The Patriots racked up 159 points in the seven-team tourney on the strength of individual victories in six weight classes — Jacob Reyes in the 113-pound division; Zander Samargia, 132; Kaden Clark, 144; Isaiah Gehring, 175; Sheldon Sharp, 215; and heavyweight Sammy Grimes.

Noting that the Patriots, who improved to 7-2, lost seven seniors from last year’s team, coach Joe Hill, a former assistant who replaced Sweatman in the offseason, said, “I think we’re making strides in the right direction. We have made big jumps this year.”

Runner-up Spain Park tallied 134.5 points with Grissom placing third at 128.5 and James Clemens fourth with an 83 score.

Grissom had two winners in Jaxon Lambert at 106 and 126-pounder John David Shattuck. Runners-up were Cale Fox, 113; Noah Dixon, 138; Caleb Brothers, 150; and Sterling Threats, 215 Clemens’ lone winner was Max Bell at 150. Greg Worley and Malikai Cooper took seconds at 120 and 285, respectively.

Grimes, who took a backseat last season to teammate and state champion Tafari Alcime, has a goal of winning a state title. He is the state’s top-ranked wrestler in his weight class and sports a 21-4 record this year with 30 pins over the past two years.

“Tafari was a great mentor,” Grimes said. “He and Mr. Sweatman shaped me into the wrestler I am now. Now it’s my turn. I’ve got to live up to the hype.”

Sharp, a sophomore who placed fourth in the state last year, and freshman Clark, who finished third in last year’s state tourney, are the other Bob Jones wrestlers with state championship aspirations. The Patriots also get coaching assistance from longtime assistant Jim Zepp and his son Riley, a 2019 Bob Jones graduate.