Cubs hit the mat
- Updated: November 21, 2018
Alexandria places third in Moody Duals bracket; reigning state champs Knop, New start the season fast
By East Alabama Sports Today
MOODY – Reigning Alexandria state champions Christian Knop and Jaden New both went 5-0 with four pins and a forfeit win as the Valley Cubs finished third in the Gold Bracket of the Jonathan Harris Memorial Duals Tournament Tuesday.
The Valley Cubs went 2-3 in the tournament. They were second in their pool, defeating Brookwood (54-24) and Lincoln (48-36), but falling to Moody (48-36). They finished third in the Gold Bracket, losing to Northwest Whitfield (Ga.) 60-24 and Southside-Gadsden on criteria in a match scored 34-34.
Knop, a three-time undefeated state champ who signed to wrestle at North Carolina State last week, scored four first-period pins at 195 to extend his winning streak to 169 matches. His longest time on the mat was a pin in 1:18 against James Seay of Northwest Whitfield.
He needs 22 more victories to break the county wins record held by Oxford’s Jordan Simpson (2009-2013) and 33 more in a row to break Weaver six-time state champion Michael Sutton’s state record for consecutive victories. He is now 250-32 in his varsity wrestling career.
New, a freshman at 138, won his first match by forfeit, then pinned his last four opponents.
Donavon Lomax-Young (152) scored three pins, while Preston Jones (106), Krystyn Boles (170) and Skylar Payne (285) had two each.
Lincoln finished third in the Silver Bracket.
Over the weekend, Oxford got its season started with a sixth-place finish in the Gulf Coast Clash in Mobile.
The Yellow Jackets scored 190 points. Thompson, with 29 wrestlers and five champions, won the event with 408.5 points.
Tenth-seeded Kaleb Shelton (113), second-seeded Jakob Chisolm (145) and third-seeded Reed Hill (152) all finished second for the Jackets. Third-seeded Wesley Slick beat top-seeded teammate Landon Burrage 4-0 for third place at 138.
Top 10 team scores: Thompson 408.5, Valdosta (Ga.) 274, Pell City 254, Gardendale 199.5, Brusly (La.) 194, Oxford 190, Catholic (La.) 179, Spanish Fort 175.5, Hoover 173, Hewitt-Trussville 172.
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