With a pair of victories at the Region 3 duals, Wetumpka’s wrestling team is moving on to the next stage of the AHSAA dual postseason with the South Super Section to be held Feb. 9.
The Indians had a pair of dominating victories en route to their advancement. They defeated Park Crossing, 75-2 and Sidney Lanier, 72-6.
Against Park Crossing, Wetumpka collected pins from Xander McWilliams (106 pounds, 1:42), Kyler Adams (113, 1:25), Cole Blackwell (138, 1:07), Collin Lybrand (152, 2:41) and Cullen Powers (195, 2:35).
The Thunderbirds’ only win came at 145 when Ian Singer eked out a 7-5 decision over Dalton White to earn three points, but a point was deducted from the team score due to unsportsmanlike conduct.
Once again, Wetumpka was nearly flawless on the mat against the Poets, whose only win was a pin at 170.
Although the Indians racked up seven victories by forfeit, they did have several victories on the mat. Tyler Anthony won via injury time at 120, then Wetumpka had wins by fall from Kaleb Jones at 132, Mason Blackwell at 160, Noah Barclay at 182 and Abe Preston at 285.
At the Bulldawg Brawl in Opelika, Wetumpka went 2-1, avenging an earlier season loss to Benjamin Russell with a thrilling 33-32 victory. Although the Indians dropped their final two bouts, they do so by staving off enough team points that BRHS couldn’t make a comeback.
Heading into the last two bouts, Wetumpka led 33-25 and needed to ensure it didn’t give up a pin. Benjamin Russell got a 7-0 decision from Damien Lawry and a 14-4 major by Curtis Norris, but couldn’t overcome the hump.
Wetumpka also earned a big 60-21 victory against Beauregard in a pin-filled win. McWilliams, Adams, Jay Nowden, Jones, Cole Blackwell, Lybrand, Nathan Waters, Powers and Hunter Rollins all flattened their opponents.
Oxford proved too much to handle for the Indians, though, as they suffered a 54-25 loss despite picking up two wins via forfeit.
Stanhope earns 2 medals
at Smiths Station
Despite not taking many wrestlers to the Smiths Station Invitational on Saturday, Stanhope Elmore earned two spots atop the podium with first-place finishes from Brandon Tucker at 106 and Jacob Andrews at 285.
On his way to the gold, Tucker defeated Shyanne Talley and Conner Prins, both of Smiths Station. He had a 16-3 major decision and a 9-2 decision.
For Andrews, he earned a pair of pins to put him into the final match. He flatted Smiths Station’s William Friend and Opelika’s Michael Dawson before earning a 10-0 major decision against Deondrae Williams, of Smiths Station, to finish first.
Holtville goes 2-0 at Region 2 duals
Due to a slew of forfeits, Holtville earned a pair of victories at Monday’s Region 2 Duals to advance. The Bulldogs defeated Shelby County, 42-12, then staved off Dadeville for a 36-30 win.
Against Dadeville, only three matches were actually decided on the mat and the Tigers actually won two of the three. Brady Richardson was the only victor for the Bulldogs, as he flattened Ladarrius Moore at 152 pounds, but Dadeville gave up too many forfeits to make up for it.
Holtville had two wins on the mat against Shelby County, including another pin from Richardson and a pin at 113 by Ethan Headley.
At this weekend’s Matt Tice Invitational, Holtville had a strong showing, putting three in the first-place matches and winning two. Richardson continued his dominance at 154 pounds with a 4-0 record on the day. He had a quick 53-second pin to start the day, then earned a 14-1 major decision and a 16-1 tech fall to make his way to the championship bout. Against Dora’s Jordan Tyree, Richardson notched a pin in 3:19 to earn first place.
At 140 pounds, Cameron McCormick likewise went 4-0 to earn the win. He had three pins, including a third-period fall against Moody’s Garrett Dorsett in the final match.
Tristan Watson also had a fine showing for the Bulldogs, finishing with a second place overall. He earned a bye through the first round then had a 4:31 pin against Sebastian Oswalt, of Mortimer Jordan, to make his way to the semifinals. Watson then earned a 13-2 major decision before being overpowered by Fultondale’s Macon Edwards and settling for second overall at 122.
