County wrestling teams fare well at sectionals

Published 4:15 pm Monday, February 10, 2014

By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Writer

Several Shelby County high school wrestling programs fared well in the AHSAA sectional wrestling rounds held Feb. 7-8.

In Class 6A, Thompson, Spain Park, Chelsea and Pelham all travelled to Montgomery to take part in the south sectionals. The three-time defending state champion Warriors continued their torrid pace, capturing the Class 6A sectional team title with a score of 263 team points. The Warriors finished 53 points ahead of second place Auburn. Individually, the Warriors saw Riley Pike (120-pound class), Brewer Gilliand (145) and T.J. Rayam (285) all capture their respective weight class titles.

Spain Park nabbed sixth overall, with 142 team points. All nine Jaguar wrestlers qualified for the state tournament, with Marcus Johnson grabbing third overall in the in the 160-pound category, Kevin McClure taking third in the 195-pound class and Johnathan Mote finishing second in the 220-pound class.

Chelsea finished 14^th in the 19-team sectional with 65 points, just four away from a tie with Jeff Davis and Opelika for 12^th. Individually for the Hornets, Aaron Ledbetter took fifth in the 113-pound weight class, while Chandler Wood took sixth in the 170-pound class and David Downard took sixth in the 285-pound class.

The Pelham Panthers took home 11^th overall in team competition, netting 76 total team points. In individual competition, Furman Taylor (138), Hasaan Hawthorne (152) and Ian Schlosser (160) all took home fifth in their respective weight classes. Kenny Hoover (285) and Emilio Elliott (145) each took home fourth in their respective classes.

In Class 5A, Shelby County High finished 12^th in team competition, earning 18 team points. Individually, Aaron Stagner led all wrestlers with six team points. Nevada Wages and Jamarcus Brooks each earned four points for the Wildcats.

In Class 4A, Calera’s Coby Mize continued his domination, notching his 48th win on the season in the 170-pound class championship. Mize took down Christian Lane Butram of St. Clair County for the title. The Eagles finished 10^th overall in team competition with 60 points.

Seeding for the state championships, held in Huntsville Feb. 13-15 has yet to be announced as of press time. Check back with Shelbycountyreporter.com for more details.