Weaver earns 2 North Super Sectional Wrestling Titles; Cleburne County Girls’ win first South 1A/5A Crown

February 8, 2025

By JOSH BEAN

Weaver High School’s boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams captured AHSAA North Super Section Wrestling championships Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex’s Bill Harris Arena, highlighting Day 2 of the event.

The South Super Section Championships also completed Day 2 at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum on Friday with Cleburne County wining the girls’ South Super Section 1A/5A wrestling championship.

Weaver’s Gianluca Torres won the 150-pound individual title in the Class 1A-4A boys Super Section title, as did Brandon Joliff in the 285-pound weight class. Seven other Weaver wrestlers finished as runner-up.

Weaver, which was won the last three Class 1A-4A state titles, scored 302 points to win the boys Class 1A-4A North Super Sectional team title with 302 points, followed by Alexandria with 247.5 points and Ashville with 162 points.

In the girls Class 1A-5A division, Weaver’s Jaylee Carter (114 pounds), Ashlyn Coleman (126 pounds), Mariah Johannson (132 pounds) and Lena Johannson (145 pounds), Heaven Bishop (165 pounds) and Baleigh Brown (185 pounds) took home North Super Section individual titles. Lena Johannson remained undefeated with a 36-0 record this season.

James Clemens’ Peyton Evans (left) wrestles Hewitt-Trussville’s Drew Borden (right) in a Class 7A 144-pound match at the Birmingham CrossPlex Friday. (AHSAA Photo | Josh Bean)

Weaver finished with 231 points in girls Class 1A-5A, followed by runner-up Alexandria with 164.5 points. Arab was third with 120 points.

Scottsboro also won the Class 5A North Super Section team title with 208 points, asCole Snyder (120 pounds), Stone Slaton (126 pounds), John Stewart (144 pounds), Josh Draskovic (150 pounds), and Luke Calfee (215 pounds) won individual titles. Stewart remains undefeated with a 29-0 record this season.

Corner was second with 185 points, followed by Arab (158 points) and Hayden (156.5 points).

Action in three other divisions – Class 7A boys, Class 6A boys and Class 6A-7A girls – began Friday and will conclude Saturday.

Vestavia Hills leads in Class 7A boys in Birmingham with 99 points, followed closely by Huntsville with 81 points, Thompson with 76.5 points and Hewitt-Trussville with 73.5 points. Huntsville’s Yanik Simon styed undefeated and moved into the 150-pound semifinals.

In 6A boys, Gardendale leads with 98.5 points as Damarcus Powe won twice by pin to improve to 47-0 this season in the 175-pound weight class, and Gage Beyke won twice to improve to 31-0 I the 285-pound class. Southside-Gadsden is second with 91.5 points and Mortimer Jordan has 86.5.

Pell City’s Wyatt Hubley wrestles Fort Payne’s Braden Hobbs in a Class 6A 132-pound match at the Bill Harris Arena. (AHSAA Photo | Josh Bean)

In Class 6A-7A girls’ division, Thompson leads with 47.5 points, followed by second-place Grissom with 30 points and Sparkman with 29.5 points.

Both AHSAA section tourneys close out Saturday with the top six finishers in each weight class in Classes 1A-4A, 6A and 7A advancing to the AHSAA State Championships. Class 5A, which has fewer schools, will advance the top four wrestlers in each weight class from each sectional to the state tourney.

AHSAA South Super Section

Class 1A/5A Girls: Cleburne County’s girls made history Friday by claiming the first AHSAA South Girls’ Super Section wrestling championship with girls’ wrestling now officially a championship. The girls from Heflin totaled 131.5 points to finish first with Tallassee (84.5), Montevallo (84), Walter Wellborn (58) and Beauregard (50) ranking behind them. Dadeville and Fultondale also tied for sixth place with 42 points each.

The Class 6A-7A girls began South Super Sectional competition at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum Friday and will conclude Saturday.

Among the 1A-5A championship round highlights, Cleburne County’s unbeaten seventh grader Avalena Williamson (31-0) pinned Fultondale’s Aissatou Bah (30-12) at 0:40 in the 100-pound weight class finals Friday. Bah is also a seventh grader. Cleburne County eighth grader Addalyn Mayfield (14-10) also won her match at 107 pounds with a pin at 2:36.

Cleburne County sophomore Layla Poore (30-6) also won by a pin at the 5:09 mark to win the section title at 120 pounds. Falon Curvin, also a sophomore, won the 145-pound weight class with a pin at 3:26.

One other undefeated wrestler emerging in the 1A/5A girls’ finals included Rosmery Henandez (19-0)) of Montevallo, who won the 185-pound title with a pin at 3:06; and Alabama School for the Blind’s sophomore, Shonia Weaver (14-1), won her first section title with a pin at 2:17 in the 138-pound finals.

Cleburne County’s Austin Mayfield (red) remained unbeaten(390) at the 1A/4A boys’ South Super Section at Montgomery’s Garett Coliseum. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)

BOYS 1A/4A: Tallassee won the South Section Class 1A/4A boys’ championship with 334 points. Oak Grove finished second with 169.5 and Bayside Academy was third with 140. Tallassee’s 106-pounder sophomore Thomas Patterson improved to 47-2 on the season with a 17-6 major decision in the finals Friday.

Tallassee placed several grapplers in the winners’ circle including Land Bell (53-0), who won the 150-pound crown. He finished 57-0 last season. Zachary Crosthwait (59-0) won the 190-pound 1A/4A title. Cleburne County’s Austin Mayfield (39-0) remained undefeated for Cleburne County winning at 157 pounds, and Oak Grove’s 126-pounder David Hill (47-0) and Saint James’ 175-pound champion Pruitt Conner (31-0) advanced to the AHSAA state meet next week.

BOYS 5A: Elmore County clinched the South Super Section crown at Garrett Coliseum with 204.5 points. Beauregard was second with 134 and Shelby County was third with 124.5.

Shelby County’s Nick Sykes (57-1) won the 132-pound final with a pin in just 34 seconds. Elmore County’s Tyler Payton (25-1) won his 157-pound final with a pin at 2:50 in his match.
BOYS 6A & 7A: The two largest classifications got underway Friday with Daphne taking the first-day lead in Class 7A with 94.5 points. Enterprise was second with 80.5. Gulf Shores topped the 6A leaderboard with 124.5 points. Mountain Brook was a close second 121.

Classes 6A and 7A and the girls’ 6A-7A classification will conclude competition Saturday at Garrett Coliseum.

CLASS 6A/7A GIRLS: Central-Phenix City and Daphne finished 1-2 in the girls’ large-school division. The Red Devils had 62 points and Trojans 60. Wrestling concludes Saturday with section champions crowned in Class 6A/7A girls’ and boys’ divisions and Class 5A boys.

FEATURED IMAGE: Tallassee’s Landon Bell, left, (57-0) studies his next move helping the Tigers win the South Super Section 1A/5A championship. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)