By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Thompson High School wrestling team will take on a gamut of national competition during the upcoming school year in its quest for a fifth-straight state championship.

During its special-called July 25 meeting, the Alabaster Board of Education approved a slate of out-of-state field trips to allow the Warrior wrestlers to travel to competitions as far away as Kansas City.

In February, the team captured its fourth-straight state championship by posting a score of 186-150 over runner-up Vestavia Hills High School with individual weight class titles being taken by Riley Pike, Jaden Hunter and T.J. Rayam.

The School Board approved the out-of-state competition trips for the team for the following dates and locations:

-Nov. 22 – Sonoraville High School (Georgia)

-Dec. 5 – Greenville HS (South Carolina)

-Dec. 5 – Fort Walton Beach HS (Florida)

-Dec. 12 – University of Tennessee Chattanooga (Tennessee)

-Dec. 13 – Cleveland High School (Tennessee)

-Dec. 18 – Hale Arena (Kansas City, Mo.)

-Dec. 19 – Richmond Hill HS (Georgia)

-Dec. 28 – Baton Rouge Civic Center (Louisiana)

Dec. 13 – Father Ryan School (Nashville, Tenn.)

Jan. 1, 2015 – Archer HS (Georgia)

“They will be competing on the national level, so we wanted to go ahead and approve these out-of-state field trips,” Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said during the meeting. “Our wrestling team has won four in a row, and they are looking to continue that.”