By Lee Davis
The Vestavia Hills Rebels wrestling team came close but couldn’t quite deny the Thompson Warriors their third consecutive Class 6A title.
Thompson narrowly outpointed Vestavia 196-189 at last weekend’s Alabama High School Athletic Association meet at Huntsville’s Von Braun Civic Center, taking the blue championship trophy to Alabaster for a third time.
In coming so close, the Rebels earned several individual titles and second-place finishes.
Vestavia’s Josh Rogers won the 113-pound class, taking a 13-6 decision over Oxford’s William Hardin.
The Rebels’ Jahaad Jackson pinned Thompson’s T.J. Rayam at 2:36 into the match to claim the 285-pound class.
Dalton Campbell took second place in the 220-pound division, losing a close decision to James Clemens’ Ryan Stenger by a 2-1 count.
Hoover’s Alec Shunnarah also claimed an individual title. Shunnarah battled to an 8-2 decision over Bob Jones’s Micah Hatley in the 195-pound division.
Hoover’s Payton Garlington took second place in the Class 6A 120-pound bracket, falling to Pell City’s Jake Smith 5-2.
Spain Park’s Kevin McClure took second place in Class 6A’s 182-pound bracket after being pinned by Hewitt-Trussville’s Marcus Elkins. Elkins completed his season with a perfect 59-0 mark.
Other Rebels who placed included John Hill, fourth in the 120-pound bracket; Jeremy Strong, third in the 126-pound category; Morgan Paugh, third in the 138-pound division; Andrew Korn, third in the 145-pound class; Will Knox, fifth in the 152-pound division; and Jack Nelson, fifth in the 160-pound division.
Jackson Hall of Hoover was sixth in the 126-pound class. Jared Godfrey of Oak Mountain was fourth in the 138-pound class, and Lloyd Time of Oak Mountain was fifth in the 220-pound category.
