Jackets grab title

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: January 3, 2017

Oxford wins county wrestling championship, King repeats as MVP

Oxford’s Matt King (above) was voted most valuable wrestler of the Calhoun County Championships for the second year in a row after pinning Piedmont’s Trey Snyder (below) in the 162 title match.

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

OHATCHEE — Oxford doesn’t see a lot of its Calhoun County wrestling counterparts during the season – as the only 6A program in the county its focus understandably is elsewhere – but when the Yellow Jackets do get together with their county brothers, they usually clean up.

The Jackets won another Calhoun County wrestling championship Tuesday, placing 10 wrestlers in the finals, winning four weight classes and scoring the most valuable wrestler in the event.

They scored 205 points, well ahead of runner-up Weaver (154.5) and third-place Alexandria (152.5).

“My kids came here today and they fought,” Oxford coach Matt Hicks said. “Every one of my kids wrestled to their seed or better today. If they were seeded first, they finished first. If they were seeded second, they finished second.”

Landon Burrage may have been a little undervalued as the No. 3 seed at 115, but he rolled to the title with a decision and a pin over the top two seeds. The Jackets’ other three county champions were all No. 1 seeds in their respective weight classes – Matt King (162), Jack Peavey (172) and Clay Webb (287).

Weaver and Alexandria also produced four county champions. Wellborn and Piedmont had the other two.

King repeated as the tournament’s most valuable wrestler. Last year as a reigning state champion he won it fighting through injuries that limited his mat time, but the undefeated junior was at full strength Tuesday and still not at his full potential.

As the No. 1 seed in the weight class, he drew a bye in the first round, then pinned each of his next two opponents in the first round. He dropped Weaver’s Billy Whitson in 32 seconds, and then got Piedmont’s Trey Snyder in 1:48 in the title match.

“King wrestles a lot differently than any kid I’ve coached,” Hicks said. “I’ve had some phenomenal kids; I’ve been very blessed at the schools I’ve been at. King is a little bit different. He’s really good on his feet. He’s really good on top. There’s not a lot of weaknesses to be found there.

“I was asked if he was at the top of his game; I really don’t think so. He’s got a quality partner to wrestle with every day (Peavey) and that’s just going to make both of them better. It’s one of those things where iron sharpens iron and they’re doing a real good job pushing each other.”

The voting for outstanding wrestler apparently came down between the two practice partners. As soon as King received the plaque, he found his mother in the stands and handed her the award for safekeeping.

“I’m glad I got it,” he said, “but it’s not just me. These guys all help. They practice with me and go through the same things I do.”

Weaver clinched second place when Caleb Allison defeated Ohatchee’s Caleb Montgomery 2-1 in overtime in the 222 final. Had Montgomery won, Alexandria would have nailed second.

But Allison, wrestling at the weight class for the first time after several seasons at heavyweight, stole the victory when he scored a escape with less than 15 seconds left in the second sudden death overtime period.

“I didn’t know (it was for second place) at the time,” Allison said. “Now hearing that makes me a little prouder of what I did, but at the time I didn’t know that. I was just trying to get the win.”

Weaver’s Caleb Allison and Ohatchee’s Caleb Montgomery battled into overtime in their match that ultimately decided the tournament runner-up.

Team scores: Oxford 205, Weaver 154.5, Alexandria 152.5, Wellborn 125, Piedmont 81, Ohatchee 52, Saks 45.

County champions
108 — Jaden New, Alexandria
115 — Landon Burrage, Oxford
122 — Fletcher Swindall, Alexandria
128 — Nick Souder, Weaver
134 — Christian Pettus, Weaver
140 — Gannon Womack, Alexandria
147 — Aaron Whittaker, Alexandria
154 — Justin Roblee, Wellborn
162 — Matt King, Oxford (MVW)
172 — Jack Peavey, Oxford
184 — Logan Smith, Piedmont
197 — Christian Knop, Alexandria
222 — Caleb Allison, Weaver
287 — Clay Webb, Oxford

108 Results
Championship match: Jaden New (Alexandria) 26-2, 7th. def. Chase Hicks (Oxford) 29-9, 8th. (TF-1.5 5:33 (19-2)).
Consolation match: Cody Souder (Weaver) 29-6, 8th. pinned Brady Denham (Walter Wellborn) 13-8, 8th. (1:47).

115 Results
Championship match: Landon Burrage (Oxford) 27-10, So. pinned Sammy Cotton (Walter Wellborn) 9-5, So. (5:37).
Consolation match: Kaleb Matthews (Alexandria) 16-6, Fr. def. Dylan Deloach (Weaver) 4-15, So. (Dec 5-0).

122 Results
Championship match: Fletcher Swindall (Alexandria) 25-3, So. pinned Jakob Chisolm (Oxford) 15-10, 8th. (2:00).
Consolation match: Namath Pitts (Walter Wellborn) 11-4, So. def. Ian Markham (Weaver) 6-5, Jr. (Dec 6-1).

128 Results
Championship match: Nick Souder (Weaver) 34-0, Sr. def. Jackson Hurst (Oxford) 13-10, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:14 (15-0)).
Consolation match: Thomas Brown (Saks) 10-7, Jr. def. Peyton Marrs (Ohatchee) 8-6, 8th. (Dec 6-0).

Weaver’s Nick Souder dominated Oxford’s Jackson Hurst in their 128 title match for his third straight county championship.

134 Results
Championship match: Christian Pettus (Weaver) 22-7, Sr. def. Jordan Medders (Alexandria) 13-10, Fr. (Dec 13-8).
Consolation match: Brady Rinehard (Walter Wellborn) 13-5, Sr. pinned Dalton Dalrymple (Oxford) 14-13, Fr. (4:25).

140 Results
Championship match: Gannon Womack (Alexandria) 22-6, Sr. def. Carson Lindsey (Oxford) 21-11, Jr. (Dec 5-1).
Consolation match: Taylor Ward (Weaver) 13-15, Fr. pinned Joshua Coheely (Piedmont) 1-2, 8th. (0:23).

147 Results
Championship match: Aaron Whittaker (Alexandria) 23-2, Jr. def. Drake Monroe (Weaver) 21-9, So. (Dec 4-0).
Consolation match: Daniel Hunt (Piedmont) 1-7, So., bye.

154 Results
Championship match: Justin Roblee (Walter Wellborn) 10-2, Sr. pinned Andrew Boyles (Oxford) 15-6, Jr. (0:54).
Consolation match: Nick Coheely (Piedmont) 10-3, So. def. Stefan Kirby (Weaver) 15-18, So. (Dec 12-11).

162 Results
Championship match: Matt King (Oxford) 24-0, Jr. pinned Trey Snyder (Piedmont) 7-4, Sr. (1:48).
Consolation match: Clayton Conner (Walter Wellborn) 11-3, Sr. def. Rodney Reddick (Saks) 13-5, Sr. (Dec 13-9).

172 Results
Championship match: Jack Peavey (Oxford) 20-1, Sr. def. Hayden Pitts (Ohatchee) 7-2, Sr. (Dec 3-0).
Consolation match: Kyle Clapper (Weaver) 32-3, Sr. def. Devionte Garrett (Saks) 12-5, Sr. (Dec 8-5).

184 Results
Championship match: Logan Smith (Piedmont) 6-1, So. pinned Dalton Sexton (Alexandria) 11-17, Jr. (Fall 2:57).
Consolation match: Casey Thompson (Walter Wellborn) 5-11, So. pinned Parker Gay (Oxford) 3-9, Fr. (1:45).

197 Results
Championship match: Christian Knop (Alexandria) 28-0, So. pinned Joshua Thomas (Oxford) 4-7, Sr. (0:46).
Consolation match: Austin Snelling (Ohatchee) 9-4, Sr. pinned Evan Cooper (Piedmont) 6-7, So. (1:45).

222 Results
Championship match: Caleb Allison (Weaver) 19-3, So. def. Caleb Montgomery (Ohatchee) 9-1, Sr. (TB-1 2-1).
Consolation match: Zachery Chandler (Walter Wellborn) 12-5, Sr. def. Matthew Muncher (Oxford) 7-11, Jr. (Dec 11-4).

287 Results
Championship match: Clay Webb (Oxford) 14-0, So. pinned Jordan Brooks (Saks) 14-4, Jr. (3:12).
Consolation match: Wesley Harrell (Walter Wellborn) 13-4, Jr. def. Javien Woods (Piedmont) 8-5, Sr. (Dec 6-4).