AHSAA Wrestling Championships: Huntsville, Mountain Brook, Scottsboro & Weaver Claim State Titles
Huntsville, AL – Huntsville, Mountain Brook, Scottsboro, and Weaver each won state duals tournament championships last month. Saturday for the first time in AHSAA wrestling history, all four captured traditional state championships as the 69th AHSAA State Wrestling State Championships concluded at the Von Braun Center.
Making this year’s state championships even more memorable, Gardendale’s famed Poe brothers, Crue, Demarcus and Daishun, captured three state titles – the first time three brothers have won championships in the same year since 2005. Scottsboro’s legendary Cuthbertson brothers won three state individual championships in 2004 and 2005. Now Gardendale’s Poe brothers join that exclusive circle. Crue Poe (51-4), a freshman, won the Class 6A 106-pound championship. Demarcus Poe (38-9) won at 138 pounds, and senior Daishun Poe (43-4) won at 165 pounds. He was also voted most outstanding wrestler in Class 6A.
Huntsville and Mountain Brook took traditional team state championships in Class 7A and 6A, respectively marking the first wrestling title in school history for both programs. The Crimson Panthers won the 7A title with 211.5 points. Thompson was second at 166.5, and Hewitt-Trussville placed third with 140. Despite not eagling a point in the championship round, Mountain Brook finished with 184 points to bring home the Class 6A crown. Mortimer Jordan was second with 165, Homewood round out the top three with 138.5.
In Class 5A, Scottsboro finally pulled away from the pack to finish with 144.5 points. The real battle was for second place with Jasper (125) edging out Tallassee (120) by five points. Gulf Shores was fourth with 117. Weaver won the 1A/4A title for the third straight year with 127.5 points. Ashville was second with 124.5, while Corner and Dora tied for third place with 94 points a piece.
Huntsville, coached by Patrick Harris, compiled 191.5 points through Friday and held a 39-point lead over the second place Thompson Warriors heading into the final day of competition. After the consolation round, the Warriors had made up only two points on the Crimson Panthers heading into the championship finals.
Huntsville junior Kiyan Simon (50-0) opened the 7A finals in a battle of unbeatens with a hard-fought 9-5 decision in the 113-pound 7A bout over Smiths Station freshman Eli Sanders, who finished his season with a remarkable 44-1 record. Kiyan’s brother Yanik Simon (52-0) closed out his season unbeaten with a 7-3 win over Thompson’s Nick Dempsey (27-5) in the 150-pound finals. John McKinney (54-2) won the 175-pound championship to give Huntsville three individual weight champions.
Spain Park sophomore Bradley Williams finished his season with an unblemished 45-0 record with the 100th pin of his career in the finals. He beat Opelika junior Denarvious Anderson (48-9) with the pin coming at 1:51 in the match and was voted Class 7A most outstanding wrestler. Spain Park teammate Kyle Oliveira (53-0) also won the 215-pound 7A crown.
In Class 6A, Mountain Brook had sewn up its first state title on the mat with 184 points through the consolation round Saturday morning. Coach Justin Ramson’s Spartans finished strong to claim the crown over runner-up Mortimer Jordan.
The most contentious battle on the final day of competition came in Class 5A – where The Scottsboro Wildcats, coached by Chris Staton, began the championship round with a 17-point lead over the defending state champion Jasper Vikings. Gulf Shores was 20.5 points behind, and Tallassee trailed the leader by just 23 points.
The Wildcats clinched the 5A title when John Stewart (46-0) scored a major decision, a 9-1 win over Jasper’s Cooper Brooks (41-6). The rest of the finals became a battle for second place between the defending state champion Vikings and the Tallassee Tigers.
Tallassee had a strong finish sparked in part by senior Ramon Lazado, who finished his season 43-0 with a pin over Jasper’s Kortez Samuels (43-7) at 3:33 of the Class 5A 126-pound finals. Junior Land Bell (57-0), the 2023 state champion at 132 pounds, moved the Tigers ahead of Jasper with an 8-2 decision over Scottsboro’s John Drascovic (31-6) in the 144-pound finals. Jasper sewed up second place with Cole Carter’s pin in the 215-pound finals. Arab’s Colby Silva (53-2) won the 113-pound title and was named Class 5A most outstanding wrestler.
In Class 1A/4A, the Weaver Bearcats captured their 12th state title edging Ashville 127.5 to 124.5. The Bearcats did most of their work in the prelims with only one wrestler reaching the finals. Weaver dropped that bout 2-1 with Ranburne’s Carter Driver beating Bearcats eighth grader Cale Fulmer 2-1.The son of head coach Andrew Fulmer wrestled well, giving strong indication that the Bearcats’ wrestling legacy, which had five eighth graders, one freshman and only one senior on its roster, is going to continue to thrive.
Ashville made a good run in the finals – winning all the matches they needed to win. However, they needed to win by pins and had two bouts decided by decisions.
Cleburne County’s Austen Mayfield (57-1) captured the 144-pound state championship with a pin over Oak Grove’s Dru Moore (51-12) at 2:15 of championship bout. And in the 285-pound finals, Prattville Christian senior Aiden Cockrell, who finished runner-up last season, won the title Saturday with a 2-0 win over Ranburne’s Zaden Benefield (38-12). Jack Von Eschenbach (58-2) of St. John Paul II Catholic won the 150-pound title and was named Class 1A/4A most outstanding wrestler.
Saturday’s Championship Match Results
CLASS 1A/4A
106 pounds: Carter Driver, Ranburne (36-9), Fr. def. Cael Deulmer, Weaver (37-5), 8th (dec. 2-1)
113 pounds: David Hill, Oak Grove (48-1), Fr. pinned Benjamin Santy, St. John Paul II (50-10), Jr. (fall, 2:52)
120 pounds: Mason Hahn, White Plains (39-1), Jr. def. Drake Wood, Reeltown (43-6), 8th (dec. 7-3)
126 pounds: Jayden Rouse, Dora (45-2), Sr. def. Adrian Waugh, New Hope (32-2), Sr. (dec. 17-12)
132 pounds: Brody Hayes, TR Miller (47-1), Jr. def. Kurtis Soles, Cherokee Co. (42-3), Jr. (forfeit)
138 pounds: Daymien Winfrey, Ala. School/Blind (38-4), Sr. def. Michael Yofanda, Fultondale (48-3), Jr. (dec., 6-5)
144 pounds: Austen Mayfield, Cleburne Co. (57-1), Jr. pinned Dru Moore, Oak Grove (51-12), Jr. (fall, 2:15)
150 pounds: Jack Von Eschenbach, St. John Paul II (58-2), Jr. def. Andrew Young, Cherokee Co. (37-6), Sr. (tech fall, 24-7)
157 pounds: Nick Williamson, Ashville (62-2), Sr. pinned Elijah Thomas, Escambia Co. (34-5), Sr. (fall, 3:45)
165 pounds: Tyler Ebner, Ashville (45-4), Jr. def. Aiden Richardson, Dora (48-110), Fr. (dec. 9-2)
175 pounds: Layton Pohl, New Hope (28-3), So. pinned Jacob Blanchard, Corner (40-5), Sr. (fall, 3:03)
190 pounds: Brady Thrash, Ashville, (55-11), So. def. Ross Mills, Deshler (40-5), Sr. (dec. 2-1)
215 pounds: Korion Pryor, Dora (44-12), Sr. dec. Devin Bragg, Reeltown (34-2), So. (dec., 7-5)
285 pounds: Aiden Cockrell, Prattville Christian (37-2) def. Zaden Benefield, Ranburne (38-12), Jr. (dec. 2-0)
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Jack Von Eschenbach, St. John Paul II Catholic
CLASS 5A
106 pounds: Mason Nelson, Tallassee (49-5), Jr. def. Bryan Jenkins, Moody (32-17), Sr. (tech fall 17-0)
113 pounds: Colby Silva, Arab (53-2), pinned Thomas Norris, Southside (34-16), So. (fall, 3:06)
120 pounds: Ramon Lazado, Tallassee (43-0), Sr. pinned Kortez Samuels, Jasper (43-8), So., (fall, 3:37)
126 pounds: Steve Staton, Scottsboro (39-2), So. def. Ephram Ormiston, Southside (43-8), So. (dec. 5-1)
132 pounds: Nick Sykes, Shelby Co. (56-2), Jr. def. Antonio Nash, Jasper (50-8), Sr. (dec. 7-0)
138 pounds: John Stewart, Scottsboro (46-0), So. def. Cooper Brooks, Jasper (41-6), Sr. (maj. dec., 9-1)
144 pounds: Land Bell, Tallassee (57-0), Jr. def. John Draskovic, Scottsboro (31-6), Jr. (dec. 8-2)
150 pounds: Tyler Payton, Elmore Co. (40-1), Fr. def. Peyton Adams, Southside (34-13), Jr. (maj. dec. 13-3).
157 pounds: Aiden Goggans, Scottsboro (44-2) Sr. def. Garrett Caldwell, Jasper (43-5), Sr., (dec. 6-1)
165 pounds: Ansell Goggans, Scottsboro (45-1), Sr. def. Xander Shoot, Shelby Co. (52-5), Jr. (SV 1-3-1)
175 pounds: Carter Reed, Jasper (49-3), Jr. dec. Cole Sykes, Shelby Co. (58-2), Sr. (dec. 5-3)
190 pounds: Landon Everett, Guntersville (51-4), So. pinned Rhett Walters, Lincoln (52-6), Sr. (fall, 3:18)
215 pounds: Cole Carter, Jasper (43-0), Sr. pinned Keith Castleberry, Shelby Co. (46-3), Sr. (fall, 1:28)
285 pounds: Myles Eyerly, Elmore County (40-1), Sr. def. Logan Hall, Moody (39-3), Sr. dec., 6-4)
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Jack Von Eschenbach, St. John Paul II Catholic
CLASS 6A
106 pounds: Crue Poe, Gardendale (52-4), Fr. def. Justin Harbin, Brookwood (39-7), So. (dec. 5-1)
113 pounds: John Duncan, Pike Road (48-2), Sr. pinned Aiden Morris, Mortimer Jordan (30-5), Jr. (2:33)
120 pounds: Caleb Wright, Mortimer Jordan (40-3), Sr. def. Stephen Springfield, Mtn Brook (30-6), Jr. (dec. 5-4)
126 pounds: Brodie Christmas, Mortimer Jordan (35-4), Sr. def. Gage Roberts, Hartselle (13-6), Jr. (maj. dec. 9-0)
132 pounds: Noah Smith, Wetumpka (37-2) Sr. def. Moeeh Almansoob, Homewood (50-6), Sr. (dec. 6-2)
138 pounds: Demarcus Poe, Gardendale (39-9) def. John Leon, Mortimer Jordan (28-6), Sr., (dec. 2-1)
144 pounds: Will Anderson, Athens (10-0), Jr. dec. James Mays, Buckhorn (42-4), Sr. (dec. 8-1)
150 pounds: Cruz Rainwater, Mortimer Jordan (55-3), Jr. pinned Thomas Peerson, Pelham (30-3), Sr. (maj. dec. 9-1)
157 pounds: Cody Kirk, Pike Road (50-2), Jr. dec. Jude Smith, Mtn Brook (30-6), Jr. (maj. dec. 9-1)
165 pounds: Daishun Poe, Gardendale (44-4), Sr. def. Stuart Andrews, Mtn Brook (19-3), So. (tech fall, 25-10)
175 pounds: Christion Griggs, McAdory (85-1), Sr. def. Mason Hussey, Pike Road (34-6), Jr. (dec., 6-3)
190 pounds: Oliver Howard, Decatur (40-0), def. Sam Carroll, Mtn Brook (36-7), Sr. (dec. 4-2)
215 pounds: Christian Preston, Wetumpka (43-3), Sr. dec. Jameson Falcianni, Hartselle (22-3), Jr. (dec., 2-1)
285 pounds: Willie Cox, Wetumpka (47-2), Sr. def. Daniel Ellis, Mtn Brook (17-5), Jr., (dec., 8-4)
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Jack Von Eschenbach, St. John Paul II Catholic
CLASS 7A
106 pounds: Jameson Thomas, Oak Mtn (39-3), Fr. def. Matthew Campbell, Vestavia Hills (13-5), Fr. (dec. 6-0)
113 pounds: Kiyan Simon, Huntsville (50-0), Jr. def. Eli Sanders, Smiths Station (44-1), Fr. (dec. 9-5)
120 pounds: Wallace Blue, Huntsville (57-2) def. Clark Box, Hewitt-Trussville (39-4), Sr. (UTB, 1-0)
126 pounds: Kameron Stiffler, Enterprise (41-3), Jr. def. Bradley Hastings, Hewitt-Trussville (26-6), Jr. (maj. dec. 13-1)
132 pounds: Grier Hunt, Enterprise (43-1), Jr. def. Timothy Luttrell, Smiths Station (44-10), Jr. vs. Grier Hunt, Enterprise (42-1), Jr., (dec. 9-3)
138 pounds: Kiowa Vines, Thompson (25-1), Jr. def. Jake Ciccolella, Huntsville (31-6), Sr. (dec. 4-2)
144 pounds: Bradley Williams, Spain Park (45-0) pinned Denarvious Anderson, Opelika (48-9), Jr. (fall, 1:51).
150 pounds: Yanik Simon, Huntsville (52-0), Jr. def. Nick Dempsey, Thompson (27-5), Sr. (dec. 7-3)
157 pounds: Brady Campbell, Opelika (52-0), Jr. pinned Paxton Miller, Thompson (57-12), Sr. (fall, 1:14)
165 pounds: Andrew Sullivan, Vestavia Hills (28-2), Jr. def. Brock Fields, Huntsville (29-5), Sr. (dec. 3-0)
175 pounds: John McKinney, Huntsville (54-2), Sr. dec. Dalton Wainwright, Prattville (45-6), Sr. (dec. 3-2)
190 pounds: Avery Clark, Thompson (56-6), Sr. dec. Delvecchio Alston, Hewitt-Trussville (48-11), Jr. (dec., 2-0)
215 pounds: Kyle Oliveira, Spain Park (53-0), Sr. def. Blake Christian, Tuscaloosa Co. (48-11), Jr. (dec. 7-2)
285 pounds: Tafari Alcime, Bob Jones (44-5), Sr. def. Zack Chatman, Hewitt-Trussville (52-7), Sr. (dec., 6-1)
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Jack Von Eschenbach, St. John Paul II Catholic
Cover Photo:Scottsboro’s Aiden Goggans helped the Wildcats win the 5A crown claiming the 157-pound title. (AHSAA PHOTO | Riley Campbell / Pure Game)
