Heading into the finals of the 189-pound weight class, Pelham senior Jeff Malone got what he had wanted since the start of the Panther Classic&045;a shot at Oak Mountain freshman Whit Whitfield.

The two worked their way through the brackets at the 20-team tournament in Pelham on a collision course that culminated in the weekend&8217;s most exciting match.

With each wrestler having earned a point for an escape as time expired, the 1-1 deadlock forced three overtime periods before Malone earned the victory by preventing a Whitfield escape to close the match.

Malone, who finished fourth in the state last season, claimed the tournament title with a 4-3 decision.

&8220;I wanted a shot at [Whitfield] because I heard he was undefeated,&8221; Malone said. &8220;He was ranked ahead of me, so I was kind of sore about that.&8221;

Both wrestlers had competed at tournaments earlier in the season, with Whitfield winning his weight class at the Gardendale tournament and Malone falling to the state&8217;s top-ranked wrestler in Alexander City.

Whitfield&8217;s loss to Malone in the finals of the Panther Classic was his first since seventh grade.

Malone set up the showdown with an overtime victory over Auburn&8217;s Isaiah Person in the semifinals.

A total of 292 wrestlers competed in the tournament, now in its 12th year at Pelham High School.

&8220;We had teams from all over the state as well as a team from Tennessee,&8221; said Pelham coach Bob Parker, who coordinated the event. &8220;The success of the tournament is due to the dedicated parents and my assistant coaches.&8221;

Pelham&8217;s Tucker Burleson took the title in the 135-pound class, with Matt Pettibone finishing third at 160.

The Panthers finished fifth in team competition, with Scottsboro High School taking the tournament title.

Oak Mountain finished third overall in the tourney, led by D.J. Looney, first place heavyweight; Steven West, first place, 119; Whitfield, second place at 189; and Dan Pierce, fourth place at 145.

West was also named the tournament&8217;s Most Valuable Wrestler