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Landing a big one

Finally healthy, Alexandria’s Swindall enjoying unparalleled success, wins top wrestler award at Coosa River Clash

Alexandria’s Fletcher Swindall (R) stands with his dad Daniel and the unique keepsake for being named most valuable wrestler at the Coosa River Clash.

By East Alabama Sports Today

CENTRE – There is a prize 12-pound bass hanging in a singular place of honor on a wall inside Fletcher Swindall’s house. It’s his father’s big catch from a fishing trip a couple years ago. Well, the trophy is not alone on the wall anymore.

Swindall hung another prize fish in the house Friday night after coming home with the most valuable wrestler award from the Coosa River Clash wrestling tournament at the Cherokee Center and Arena.

The Alexandria junior brought home one of the most unique trophies in his sport when he won the 132 division as the No. 4 seed, beating two reigning Class 6A state champions in his final two matches.

He was one of five Calhoun County wrestlers winning their weight class, joined by Valley Cubs teammate Christian Knop (195), Weaver’s Cody Souder (106) and Oxford’s Chase Hicks (113) and Matt King (160). Bob Jones won the team title. Oxford was sixth and Alexandria was 10th.

Some tournaments offer a championship belt to its MVW, most a plaque or a medal. The Clash presents its top wrestler with a plaque with a trophy-sized fish mounted on it.

“When they handed it to me I thought it was a team trophy; I didn’t know,” Swindall said. “(His father) had his on the wall and I went and hung that MVW right beside it and left it up for right now. I told him I actually worked for mine.”

Swindall went 5-0 with three pins and a bye; he scored a 3-2 decision over reigning 113 champ Trent Young of Athens in the semifinals and pinning 126 champ Oxford’s Wesley Slick in the final (5:54). It was the second MVW award of Swindall’s career. He claimed his first at Weaver’s Gene Taylor Memorial Tournament as an eighth-grader.

“It’s the best I’ve wrestled in a long time,” he said.

That’s because he’s finally healthy.

Swindall’s wrestling career has been punctuated with injury. He has had a broken elbow and a broken wrist. And he hasn’t been 100 percent in the state tournament the last two years, enduring a strained neck last year and a separated shoulder as a ninth grader.

This year he is 17-0. He’s next in action at the Calhoun County Tournament, Jan. 2, where the field will expand by two teams with the addition of White Plains and Pleasant Valley as the county’s newest wrestling programs.

Alexandria Junior High Tournament

Oxford won two weight classes and placed nine wrestlers among the top four finishers in their respective divisions to win the Saturday tournament. The Jackets scored 106. Susan Moore was second (86)

Chanceton Holifield won at 177 and Kobe Shumaker won at 285. Alexandria’s Aden Whittaker won at 114.

Team scores: Oxford 106, Susan Moore 81, Pell City 77, Alexandria 70, St. Clair County 63, Lincoln 61, Piedmont 45, Ranburne 32, Cleburne County 31.

Coosa River Clash

Team scores: Bob Jones 521, Southside 363, McAdory 362.5, Chelsea 361, Mountain Brook 334.5, Oxford 306, Gulf Shores 291.5, Moody 282, Clay Chalkville 278.5, Alexandria 255.5, Pell City 242, Athens 239.5, Center Point 231, Sparkman 222.5, Weaver 192, Pinson Valley 189, Columbia 188, Fort Payne 186, Piedmont 128.5, Rome (Ga.) 182.5, Jasper 109, Pelham 68, Gadsden City 63, Hartselle 0.

Individual winners
106 – Cody Souder, Weaver
113 – Chase Hicks, Oxford
120 – Ivan Arguello, Rome
126 – Steven Bell, McAdory
132 – Fletcher Swindall, Alexandria
138 – Deacon Cowart, Athens
145 – Jordan Whalen, Bob Jones
152 – Cal Francovitch, Bob Jones
160 – Matt King, Oxford
170 – Sam Ingram, Chelsea
182 – Isaiah McDougal, Columbia
195 – Christian Knop, Alexandria
220 – Seth Dupree, Bob Jones
285 – David Adams, Sparkman

106 Results
Championship Match: Cody Souder (Weaver) 20-0, Fr. dec. Cory Land (Moody) 25-2. (7-0)
Third-place Match: Jim Wilson (Bob Jones) 22-2, Jr. pinned Luke Pender (Pell City) 24-7, Fr. (0:59)

113 Results
Championship Match: Chase Hicks (Oxford) 27-5, Fr. dec. Cole Blalock (Fort Payne) 12-3. (10-4)
Third-place Match: Tyrique Simms (Columbia) 25-10, Fr. dec. Donald Phillips (McAdory) 17-10, 8th. (5-3)

120 Results
Championship Match: Ivan Arguello (Rome) 5-0, Jr. dec. Andrew Smith (Southside) 19-3, Sr. (7-1)
Third-place Match: John Pankey (Mountain Brook) 31-4, Sr. dec. Kaleb Matthews (Alexandria) 3-2. (2-0)

126 Results
Championship Match: Steven Bell (McAdory) 29-0, Jr. dec. Brantley Ledbetter (Chelsea) 15-2, Sr. (12-6)
Third-place Match: Jakob Chisolm (Oxford) 26-10, Fr. dec. Jacob Smith (Clay-Chalkville) 10-4, Sr. (3:44)

132 Results
Championship Match: Fletcher Swindall (Alexandria) 17-0, Jr. pinned Wesley Slick (Oxford) 5-1, Sr. (5:54)
Third-place Match: Trent Young (Athens) 15-3, Sr. pinned Gage Hudson (Gulf Shores) 12-3, Jr. (3:46)

138 Results
Championship Match: Deacon Cowart (Athens) 17-5, Jr. Over Garrett Brasher (Gulf Shores) 12-2, Jr. (Fall 1:26)
Third-place Match:
Rl England (Mountain Brook) 27-8, Sr. Over Garret Dorsett (Moody Hs) 21-10, . (Dec 5-1)

145 Results
Championship Match: Jordan Whalen (Bob Jones) 23-1, Jr. dec. Rashaad Clark (Moody) 23-5. (MD 11-3)
Third-place Match: Justus Venn (Southside) 16-6, Sr. dec. Tracy Reed (Pinson Valley) 8-4, Jr. (4-3)

152 Results
Championship Match: Cal Francovitch (Bob Jones) 20-3, Jr. pinned Aaron Whittaker (Alexandria) 17-2, Sr. (1:03)
Third-place Match: Clint Glaze (Chelsea) 17-4, Sr. dec. William West (Gulf Shores) 12-3, Jr. (7-4)

160 Results
Championship Match: Matt King (Oxford) 19-15, Sr. dec. Daniel Vasquez (Moody) 28-1. (Tf-1.5 4:42 (17-1))
Third-place Match: Jackson Johnson (Center Point) 16-3, Sr. dec. Gabriel Pittman (Bob Jones) 15-6, Jr. (10-4)

170 Results
Championship Match: Sam Ingram (Chelsea) 12-2, Jr. pinned Devaria Washington (Center Point) 17-3, Sr. (4:48)
Third-place Match: Blayne Gunnells (Pell City) 25-2, Jr. pinned John McKimmon (Mountain Brook) 19-11, Fr. (3:33)

182 Results
Championship Match: Isaiah Mcdougal (Columbia) 26-2, Sr. dec. Turner O`Brian Black (McAdory) 24-6, Jr. (3-2)
Third-place Match: Kevin Bryant (Clay-Chalkville) 8-2, Sr. pinned Nick Mothersele (Bob Jones) 14-8, Jr. (5:18)

195 Results
Championship Match: Christian Knop (Alexandria) 21-0, Jr. pinned Anthony Talton (Clay-Chalkville) 13-1, Jr. (3:04)
Third-place Match: Harold Gilmore (Bob Jones) 18-2, Sr. pinned Caleb Gore (Chelsea) 10-5, Sr. (2:50)

220 Results
Championship Match: Seth Dupree (Bob Jones) 22-2, Sr. dec. Caleb Allison (Weaver) 17-1, Jr. (2-1)
Third-place Match: Evan Cooper (Piedmont) 12-2, Jr. pinned Unterrius Russell (Center Point) 18-4, Sr. (2:29)

285 Results
Championship Match: David Adams (Sparkman) 15-1, Sr. pinned Alex Blake (Sparkman) 4-1. (3:28)
Third-place Match: Caleb Lawson (Bob Jones) 14-6, Sr. dec. Curtis Weatherspoon (McAdory High School) 4-3, 8th. (1-0)

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