Bearcats win Taylor Memorial
- Updated: December 14, 2014
Weaver produces four champions, co-MVP, best match
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
WEAVER – Somewhere, Gene Taylor is smiling.
The Weaver wrestling team returned to the winner’s circle in the Gene Taylor Memorial Classic with a showing current Bearcats coach Andy Fulmer said would make the late Weaver wrestling patriarch and tournament namesake proud.
The Bearcats scored 205 points behind a tournament-best four individual champions, a championship runner-up, the tournament co-MVP and one of the wrestlers in the bout of the match. They finished 49 points ahead of runner-up defending champion Tallassee and 74.5 points ahead of sixth place St. James – the two teams that finished ahead of them in last year’s Classic shortly after Taylor’s death.
“Coach Taylor had a really great impact on our kids even though they didn’t wrestle for him,” Fulmer said. “He would come around and watch them when his health was still good. I think they really took it upon themselves to do their best to try to win especially with it being one year since his passing.
“They wrestled really hard in victory and defeat. The performance they put on the mat would have really pleased Coach Taylor. He’d have been proud of them.”
The Bearcats claimed individual titles at 145 (Jacob Howard), 170 (Tyler Johnson), 182 (Michael Collin Allison), 195 (Chase Rodgers). Kyle Clapper was a championship round runner-up at 138.
Howard and Alexandria’s 106-pound champion Fletcher Swindall were voted co-MVPs of the tournament with three votes each. Johnson’s title bout with Tallassee’s Alex Daar that went into overtime, won on a takedown in the first extra period, was voted best match.
“I’ve always preached to my kids don’t be content, you’ve got to stay hungry,” Fulmer said. “When you get content you get beat. We were very competitive in the finals. I think all my kids wrestled really good this weekend. It was a good weekend overall.”
The 14 weight champions came from seven schools. In addition to Weaver, Cleburne County produced three; Alexandria and Tallassee two each; Ohatchee, Ranburne and Prattville Christian one each.
In keeping with the tradition of a family member participating in the awards, Taylor’s son Jake, who wrestled for Fulmer at Weaver, presented the medals to the individual winners. Here are the final results:
GENE TAYLOR MEMORIAL CLASSIC
Team scores: 1. Weaver 205, 2. Tallassee 156, 3. Ohatchee 150, 4. Cleburne County 148.5, 5. Alexandria 144, 6. St. James 135.5, 7. Prattville Christian 114, 8. Ranburne 81.5, 9. Saks 74, 10. (tie) Cedartown and Piedmont 55, 12. (tie) ASD and Elmore County 48.
106 Results
Championship: Fletcher Swindall (Alexandria) 11-3, 8th def. Jim Wilson (Ohatchee) 16-3, 8th, 4-2.
Consolation: Nick Souder (Weaver) 13-1, So. pinned Jordan Price (Tallassee) 10-3, So., 1:56.
113 Results
Championship: Kevin Griffith (Ohatchee) 16-3, Sr. pinned Lane Trapp (Alexandria) 8-2, 2:12.
Consolation: Jacob van Northington (Prattville Christian Academy) 17-7, So. pinned Austin Turner (Cleburne County) 7-4, Jr., 0:49.
120 Results
Championship: Nick Langston (Tallassee) 6-1, Fr. def. Josh Sexton (Ohatchee) 15-3, Jr., 7-3.
Consolation: Matt Baggett (St. James) 11-3, Fr. def. Spencer Jordan (Ranburne) 6-3, 7th, 4-0.
126 Results
Championship: Aaron Whittaker (Alexandria) 3-0, def. Coleman Wright (Prattville Christian Academy) 15-7, Jr. (DQ).
Consolation: Collin Jones (Tallassee) 9-2, Sr. def. Graham Taff (Cedartown) 9-5, MD 15-3.
132 Results
Championship: Kennon Reese (Tallassee) 10-0, Sr. def. Brandon Brame (Cedartown) 11-3, Jr., 10-4.
Consolation: Geoffrey Murray (St. James) 10-3, Jr. def. Andrew Kilgore (Saks) 6-4, So., TF-1.5 3:29 (18-1).
138 Results
Championship: Corey Davis (Cleburne County) 6-0, Sr. def. Kyle Clapper (Weaver) 10-3, So., 10-5.
Consolation: Josh Murray (Ohatchee) 15-3, Sr. pinned Steven Turner (Tallassee) 9-3, Jr., 3:49.
145 Results
Championship: Jacob Howard (Weaver) 11-1, Sr. pinned Samuel Cooper (Cleburne County) 8-1, Sr., 4:34.
Consolation: Will Prater (St. James) 11-3, Jr. pinned Ty Brown (Alexandria) 3-2, 0:27.
152 Results
Championship: Tyler Mayfield (Cleburne County) 8-1, So. def. Ryan King (Alabama School for the Blind) 12-3, So., 10-3.
Consolation: Brady Beasley (Tallassee) 10-3, So. pinned Taylor Brown (Saks) 7-3, Jr., 0:49.
160 Results
Championship: Dalton Wiggins (Ranburne) 6-0, Jr. def. Christian Knop (Alexandria) 9-5, 4-3.
Consolation: Robert Griggs (St. James) 8-1, Sr. def. Logan Johnson (Weaver) 11-4, Sr., 9-6.
170 Results
Championship: Tyler Johnson (Weaver) 9-2, Jr. def. Alex Daar (Tallassee) 8-2, So., SV-1 8-6.
Consolation: Ethen Handy (Saks) 6-4, Jr. pinned Nicholas Thames (Elmore County) 7-2, So., 0:25.
182 Results
Championship: Michael Collin Allison (Weaver) 11-1, Jr. pinned Curtis Taylor (Alabama School for the Blind) 13-2, 2:00.
Consolation: Hayden Ward (St. James) 12-3, Sr. pinned Samuel Pate (Cleburne County) 5-3, So., 1:35.
195 Results
Championship: Chase Rodgers (Weaver) 10-2, Jr. pinned Dylan Tullis (Ranburne) 4-1, Sr., 5:53.
Consolation: Richard Williamson (St. James) 9-4, Jr. pinned Caleb Russell (Weaver) 1-2, 0:30.
220 Results
Championship: Alex Sandmann (Cleburne County) 8-0, Sr. pinned Caleb Montgomery (Ohatchee) 3-1, 5:40.
Consolation: Travis Bell (Cleburne County) 4-1, pinned Hunter Lanier (Prattville Christian Academy) 6-5, Jr., 1:39.
285 Results
Championship: Austin McCawley (Prattville Christian Academy) 20-2, pinned Jamie Crutcher (Piedmont) 2-1, Jr., 1:07.
Consolation: Sean Caleb Allison (Weaver) 12-2, 8th. pinned Joshua Longoria (Alexandria) 3-2, 0:57.
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