The Wetumpka wrestling team entered the weekend shorthanded but that did not stop it from piecing together some strong individual performances to finish fourth out of 23 teams at the Swede Umbach Invitational in Auburn. Wetumpka had three wrestlers claim first place while five others finished in the top 10 to help the team climb in the standings.
Chad Strickland continued his hot start to the season and improved his record to 18-2 as he recorded four pins on his way to the championship match at 106 pounds. Strickland finished off the day with an 8-2 decision victory over Huntsville’s Brock Fields to secure the gold medal.
Xander McWilliams entered as one of the favorites at 120 and did not disappoint, pinning six opponents and winning all seven of his matches to claim first place. He capped off the day with a pin of Westminster’s Luke Richman just seven seconds before the final buzzer in the championship match.
Kyler Adams was breezing through the competition at 132, recording five pins and two major decision victories to earn a spot in the first-place match. In the final, he met Tallassee’s Zack Haynes who was unbeaten entering the match but Adams won the battle with a 4-2 decision to win the title and improve to 22-1.
Mason Blackwell was the only other Wetumpka wrestler to make it to a championship. After recording five first-period pins in his first six matches, Blackwell faced his biggest challenge of the day and he fell to Auburn’s Dylan Pearson in the final at 182.
Christian Preston battled back in the consolation bracket to earn fifth place at 145. He finished with six wins including two third-period pins to improve his record to 16-9.
Abe Preston finished the day with two pins and five victories to grab sixth place at 285. Nathan Waters also captured sixth after recording five victories at 220, including the fastest pin of the day. He defeated Pike Road’s Trent Bowen after just 10 seconds of a pool play match.
BASKETBALL
Wetumpka teams grab one win each during busy week
Both the boys and girls Wetumpka basketball teams struggled against stiff competition last week as they stayed busy on the court. With three games in four days, each team managed to scrounge together one victory each in preparation for this week’s Elmore County Tournament in Eclectic.
The girls team (1-5) was no match for Trinity last Tuesday as Wetumpka fell 61-43. However, Wetumpka bounced back with two solid performances, including its first win.
Wetumpka hosted Jeff Davis on Thursday night and Janae McCall scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but it was not enough as Jeff Davis won 52-42. Morgan Causey and Breanna Toles added four points each.
McCall led the way once again Friday night to help Wetumpka earn its first victory. She scored 23 points to lead Wetumpka to a 48-45 win over Booker T. Washington-Tuskegee. Zariah Fannin added eight points while Angel Knight scored six.
The boys team (2-4) opened the week with a 48-40 win over Trinity. Tyquan Rawls was the only player in double figures, leading Wetumpka with 11 points, but he got help from five other players who contributed at least six points.
Rawls was limited to eight points Thursday night in a 70-42 loss to Jeff Davis but he bounced back with a game-high 32 points against BTW-Tuskegee. Stone Minnifield added eight points and eight rebounds but it was not enough as Wetumpka fell, 68-64, its third single-digit loss.
