Mega-match shakeup

By EASportsToday.com
- Tweet
Updated: January 13, 2017

The top 3 teams in Class 6A converged on the Oxford Sports Arena and they left the current rankings in shambles as they beat one another

Oxford 220 Matthew Muncher throws his opponent to set up a crucial pin against Southside. (Photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

Thursday’s results
at Oxford
Oxford 37, Southside 31
Pinson Valley 59, Clay-Chalkville 12
Oxford 48, Clay-Chalkville 25
Southside 40, Pinson Valley 35
Pinson Valley 38, Oxford 24

at Ohatchee
Alexandria 48, Piedmont 36
Ranburne 48, Ohatchee 21
Alexandria 72, Ohatchee 12
Ranburne 45, Piedmont 28
Piedmont 42, Ohatchee 24
Alexandria 56, Ranburne 15

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD — The Oxford wrestling team went into its mega quad meet Thursday night as the No. 3 team in Class 6A. The Yellow Jackets almost went home as the No. 1.

The top three teams in the newest Southeast Wrestling 6A poll were among four top 10s that made it to the Oxford Sports Arena, giving the event a distinct state championship feel. When the night was over, those rankings were clear as mud.

The No. 3 team (Oxford) scored pins in the final two bouts to beat the No. 2 (Southside-Gadsden), 37-31. The No. 2 then turned around and beat the reigning No. 1 (Pinson Valley), 40-35. And then that No. 1 beat the No. 3 that earlier beat the No. 2, 38-24.

Got all that?

“It’s just a good show,” Southside coach Kyle Routon said.

But did it clear up the top team in 6A? Not so much.

“I guess what you’re learning right now is there are a couple of teams that have been there before and there’s one team that hadn’t,” Oxford coach Matt Hicks said. “You’re talking about two top five teams from last year in Pinson and Southside and a team that finished 10th – and that’s us; we’re still learning how to win.

“We’re getting better and better and we’re being more and more competitive. But right now, yeah, we beat Southside and that’s great and wonderful and good and all, but Southside is either the 1 or 2 and Pinson’s either the 1 or 2. We’re still the hunters; there’s no doubt about it. We didn’t do enough today to separate ourselves and say ‘they got a shot to win this thing,’ but we did prove you can’t take us lightly and on any given night if we’re wrestling well we can wrestle with anybody in 6A.”

Against Southside, the Yellow Jackets scored some unexpected points in the middle weights, then, when nothing less would do, they got first-period pins from 220 Matthew Muncher and heavyweight Clay Webb in the final two bouts of the match to rally for the win.

Among the highlights were Dalton Dalrymple rallying from a big deficit late to pin third-ranked Dakota Roddick at 126; Wesley Slick’s 11-7 decision over third-ranked Colin Edwards at 132 and Drake Boyles’ 7-5 overtime win at 160.

Dalrymple trailed 18-7 in the third period before making the move that earned him the win.

“I needed a big turnover,” he said. “I just tried to stay positive and not get down about the point score; anything can happen.”

Muncher set the stage for Webb, but the Yellow Jackets’ heavyweight said he didn’t know his bout was going to decide Oxford’s fate in the match. Not that it would have changed his approach in any way if he did.

“I just try to wrestle the best I can every time,” he said.

The main event was the bout at 152 between top-ranked Landon Thompson and two-time Calhoun County MVP Matt King, the top-ranked 6A wrestler at 160 wrestling up to fulfill a desire to wrestle the best wrestler in whatever house he enters. Thompson won a tough-fought 5-3 decision, making the decisive move in the closing seconds of the match.

Later in the evening, Jack Peavey pulled off a rally worthy of Clemson’s comeback on Alabama in the national championship game to beat Pinson Valley’s top-ranked 170 Khymel Chaverst, 4-3.

Chaverst took a 3-1 with 10 seconds left in the match, but second-ranked Peavey scored an escape to close the gap and made the winning move with less than two seconds to go. The win drew the Yellow Jackets within seven points with five matches to go.

Southside’s Routon thought his team may have overlooked the Yellow Jackets in favor of its second match of the night. When they got to it, the Panthers jumped on Pinson Valley in the first half of the match, then needed top-ranked 106 Andrew Smith’s decision over No. 3 George Vazquez in their final bout of the night to clinch it.

“To (Oxford’s) credit, they’re tough; they came after us, they were ready to wrestle tonight,” Routon said. “My kids were looking at Pinson. I don’t think they were really ready. I tried to tell them Oxford was going to come after us and I don’t think they were really prepared for that. I think Oxford might be the toughest team we wrestled so far.”

And that’s what should make the Yellow Jackets a viable contender, regardless what the polls say.

Oxford heavyweight Clay Webb (R) is congratulated after pinning his opponent to clinch the win against Southside.

Oxford 37, Southside 31
106 – Andrew Smith (S) def. Chase Hicks, 14-3; 113 – Landon Burrage (O) def. Dathan Finley, 3-2; 120 – Jacob Smith (S) def. Jakob Chisolm, 16-1; 126 – Dalton Dalrymple (O) pinned Dakota Roddick, 3rd; 132 – Wesley Slick (O) def. Colin Edwards, 11-7; 138 – Sam Colvin (S) pinned Jackson Hurst, 1st; 145 – Justuce Venn (S) pinned Carson Lindsey, 1st; 152 – Landon Thompson (S) def. Matt King, 5-3; 160 – Drake Boyles (O) def. Ethan Stephenson, 7-5 (OT); 170 – Jacob Hollingsworth (S) pinned Parker Gay, 1st; 182 – Jack Peavey (O) def. Austin Daugherty, 11-1; 195 – Josh Thomas (O) won by forfeit; 220 – Matthew Muncher (O) pinned Tyler Ferris, 1st; 285 – Clay Webb (O) pinned Taylor Chappel, 1st.

Pinson Valley 59, Clay-Chalkville 12
106 – George Vazquez (P) pinned Evan Partain, 1:20; 113 – Nathan Hernandez (C) won by forfeit; 120 – Jacob Smith (C) won by forfeit; 126 – Quenmarius Byrd (P) def. Jawaun Carpenter, 9-4; 132 – Gabe Hamby (P) def. Jacob Williams, 5-2; 138 – Josh Walker (P) def. Samuel Luke Blalock, 6-4; 145 – Eric Rogers (P) pinned Levert Jefferson, 3:00; 152 – Christian Hopkins (P) pinned Jay Lyles, 3:10; 160 – Tracy Reed (P) def. Tyler Esary, 19-4; 170 – Khymel Chaverst (P) pinned Anthony Talton; 182 – Tyler Johnson (P) def. Kevin Bryant, 11-4; 195 – David Pike (P) pinned Heisman Clowney, 5:13; 220 – Zeke Lawrence (P) won by forfeit; 285 – Taylor Rhodes (P) won by forfeit.

Oxford 48, Clay-Chalkville 25
106 – Dylan Leseuer (C) pinned Chase Hicks, 2nd; 113 – Landon Burrage (O) pinned Nathan Hernandez, 2nd; 120 – Jacob Smith (C) def. Jakob Chisolm, 9-1; 126 – Wesley Slick (O) def. Jawaun Carpenter, 8-0; 132 – Jacob Williams (C) def. Dalton Dalrymple, 15-8; 138 – Samuel Luke Blalock (C) pinned Carson Lindsey, 1st; 145 – Gryce McDaniel (O) def. Levert Jefferson, 13-4; 152 – Matt King (O) pinned Jay Lyles, 1st; 160 – Drake Boyles (O) pinned Tyler Esary, 2nd; 170 – Jack Peavey (O) def. Anthony Talton, 12-2; 182 – Kevin Bryant (C) pinned Parker Gay, 2nd; 195 – Josh Thomas (O) pinned Heisman Clowney; 220 – Matthew Muncher (O) won by forfeit; 285 – Clay Webb (O) won by forfeit.

Southside 40, Pinson Valley 35
106 – Andrew Smith (S) def. George Vazquez, 13-1; 113 – Dathan Finley (S) won by forfeit; 120 – Jacob Dease (S) won by forfeit; 126 – Jacob Smith (S) pinned Quenmarius Byrd, 2nd; 132 – Cameron Hamby (P) def. Colin Edwards, 14-4; 138 – Sam Colvin (S) pinned Josh Walker, 1st; 145 – Justuce Venn (S) pinned Eric Rogers, 2nd; 152 – Landon Thompson (S) pinned Christian Hopkins, 1st; 160 – Tracy Reed (P) def. Ethan Stevenson, 12-3; 170 – Khymel Chaverst (P) pinned Jacob Hollingsworth, 2nd; 182 – Tyler Johnson (P) def. Austin Daugherty, 5-2; 195 – David Pike (P) won by forfeit; 220 – Zeke Lawrence (P) pinned Tyler Farris, 1st; 285 – Taylor Rhodes (P) pinned Taylor Chappell, 2nd.

Pinson Valley 38, Oxford 24
106 – George Vazquez (P) def. Chase Hicks, 13-0; 113 – Landon Burrage (O) won by forfeit; 120 – Jakob Chisolm (O) won by forfeit; 126 – Quenmarius Byrd (P) def. Dalton Dalrymple, 10-1; 132 – Cameron Hamby (P) pinned Wesley Slick, 1st; 138 – Josh Walker (P) def. Carson Lindsey, 8-7; 145 – Eric Rogers (P) pinned Gryce McDaniel, 1st; 152 – Matt King (O) pinned Christian Hopkins, 2nd; 160 – Tracy Reed (P) def. Drake Boyles, 10-7; 170 – Jack Peavey (O) def. Khymel Chaverst, 4-3; 182 – Tyler Johnson (P) pinned Parker Gay, 1st; 195 – David Pike (P) def. Josh Thomas, 11-4; 220 – Zeke Lawrence (P) def. Matthew Muncher, 11-4; 285 – Clay Webb (O) def. Taylor Rhodes, 9-6.