AHSAA WRESTLING: St. James finishes third in 1A-4A
By TIM GAYLE
Before the Alabama High School Athletic Association 1A-4A state wrestling tournament, St. James coach Jeff Corley correctly predicted his team’s finish based on the qualifiers and accomplishments each team had.
And while his team finished third in the state tournament at Garrett Coliseum and Corley was obviously pleased that two of the Trojans reached the state finals in their respective weight division, no one had any idea that Ashville would wrap up the school’s first state championship with a dominating performance in the preliminary rounds.
Four wrestlers reached the finals for Ashville with Jabe Burgess at 160 pounds, Dylan Harris at 170 pounds, Luke Harris at 182 pounds and Jacob Ebner at 220 pounds. None pulled out victories, but the work had been done. Weaver, which finished runner up with 142 points, swept all three of its championship matches to seal second place over St. James, which led the Bearcats by eight points after the consolation finals.
The Trojans finished third with 122 points, followed by Westminster Christian (120) and Ohatchee (101.5). Catholic finished 18th among the 33 participating schools with 42 points, while Prattville Christian was 23rd with 33.5 points.
Two St. James wrestlers, Logan Hartson at 113 pounds and Tennison Norton at 120 pounds, reached the championship round before losing a match. Catholic’s Titus Franklin also reached the championship round at 132 pounds.
St. James qualified 11 wrestlers for state tournament competition in the 14 weight divisions.
In the 106-pound division, Braylen Corley (24-9) placed sixth, advancing to the semifinals before losing to Aden Davis of Saks. Corley lost the fifth-place match in his weight division to Anthony Lopez of Susan Moore.
In the 113-pound division, Hartson (22-4), a freshman, reached the finals before losing to Westminster Christian sophomore Marcus Wright (28-1).
In the 120-pound division, Norton (31-2), one of two seniors on the St. James team, reached the finals before losing to senior Dylan Melendez (43-1) of Piedmont.
In the 126-pound division, Granger Hicks (23-4) reached the semifinals before losing. He won his consolation semifinal and competed in the third-place match, where he lost to Catholic’s Joseph Rodriguez (21-4).
In the 132-pound division, Pruitt Conner (15-12) lost in the first round, then was defeated by Prattville Christian’s Jacob Sabir in the consolation round.
In the 138-pound division, Jake Huff (27-5) placed fifth, losing in the first round before advancing to the consolation semifinals. In the fifth-place match, Huff defeated Ohatchee’s Malachi Goble.
In the 160-pound division, Ariel July (11-9) won his first match before losing in the quarterfinals. He then advanced two rounds in the consolation bracket before losing by forfeit.
In the 170-pound division, the Trojans’ Clayton Craft (27-6) advanced to the semifinals before losing to Cade Atkins (29-2) of Wesminster Christian. He then lost in the consolation semis and the fifth-place match to finish sixth.
In the 195-pound division, AJ Alozie (16-14) lost in the first round of the tournament, picked up a win in the consolation bracket, then lost in the second round.
In the 220-pound division, Owen Penney (15-13) lost in the first round of the tournament, picked up a win in the consolation bracket, then lost in the second round.
In the 285-pound heavyweight division, the Trojan’s other senior, Taylor Penney (29-4), finished fifth in the state, losing in the quarterfinals, then bouncing back with two wins in the consolation bracket before losing in the semifinals. In the fifth-place match, he defeated Susan Moore’s Nicholas Calderon.
Catholic had just six wrestlers in the state tournament, led by Franklin’s run to the championship round. Cameron Beauchamp reached the second round of the 106-pound consolation bracket before losing to Prattville Christian’s Matthew Post; Ryan Parker lost in the first round of the 145-pound consolation bracket; Shawn Sponsler lost in the 152-pound quarterfinals, then lost in the second round of the consolation bracket; and Maverick Friday lost in the first round, then was forced to withdraw from the consolation bracket via medical forfeit.
Rodriguez (21-4) placed third at 126 pounds, reaching the semifinals before losing to Ranburne’s Nathan Boone, but bouncing back to win the consolation semifinal match, then the third-place match over Hicks.
At 132 pounds, Franklin (23-1) was even better, beating PCA’s Sabir in the first round and winning two more matches before losing by decision to Deshler’s Nathan Deaton (31-2) in the championship round.
Prattville Christian would qualify nine wrestlers in the state meet, with Eli Staggs winning a first-round match before losing in the 113-pound quarterfinals and the consolation bracket; Ryan Allen losing in the first round of both brackets at 126 pounds; Sabir losing to Franklin in the 132-pound first round before bouncing back with a win over St. James’ Pruitt Conner before losing in the next round; and Alex Annotti (152), Chase Law (170) Aiden Cockrell (220) and all losing in the consolation bracket’s second round.
Matthew Post (26-2) lost in the 106-pound quarterfinals, then reached the third round of the consolation bracket before losing. Brody Pugh (19-11) met the same fate in the 145-pound division and Andrew Allen (26-5) lost to St. James’ July in the first round, then reached the semifinals of the consolation bracket before losing again. He then competed in the fifth-place match, losing to Westminster Christian’s Bennett Lange.
The wrestling tournament normally allows for a super regional tournament held at this stage of the season, but COVID restrictions forced AHSAA officials to change the format of the sport, splitting up the championship tournament into three divisions -- 1A-4A, 5A-6A and 7A -- and holding the 1A-4A event at the coliseum.