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The Thompson Warriors’ boys wrestling dynasty continued as they secured their 10th team state championship behind individual titles from Braylen Johnson, Jordan Weltzin, Kiowa Vines and Jaiden Moore. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HUNTSVILLE – For the past decade-and-a-half, one program has been synonymous with the pinnacle of wrestling in Class 7A: the Thompson Warriors. However, for a program that won nine state titles in 12 years, it had been two years since the last time they stood atop Alabama as state champions.

Now, the title drought is over.

The Warriors claimed their 10th state title in program history and first since 2022 by scoring 221 points, beating out Vestavia Hills’ total of 182 points. The two teams were separated by just 8.5 points going into the final day of the three-day tournament before Thompson claimed four individual titles.

Braylen Johnson won the 106-pound state championship by finishing off his 22-6 record with three straight wins. After his sectional title gave him a first-round bye, he breezed into the semifinals with a 46-second pin of Oak Mountain’s Titus Slaughter.

Johnson then defeated Hewitt-Trussville’s Rivers Harbison by technical fall after racking up a 21-5 lead by the 2:22-mark. He won in the finals against Vestavia Hills’ Ryan McKelvey by the same margin but needed until the 4:12-mark to secure the technical fall and the state title.

Jordan Weltzin secured the state title in the 138-pound division, adding three wins to his 48-9 record. Weltzin also had a first-round bye and dominated his quarterfinals matchup against Hoover’s Mycah Martin, earning a 17-0 technical fall at the 2:38-mark.

From there though, Weltzin needed to go the distance and win on points. He defeated Hewitt-Trussville’s Bradley Hastings by an 8-3 decision in the semifinals and downed Bob Jones’ Kaden Clark by a 5-0 shutout decision to claim the state title.

Kiowa Vines didn’t even need to go past the first period in any of his matches during his route to a 157-pound state title.

Vines polished off a 31-5 record with a 59-second pin in the quarterfinals against Smiths Station’s Travis Barnes, a pin at the 1:05-mark of the semifinals against Vestavia Hills’ Grayer Manown and a pin at the 1:45-mark of the championship match against Sparkman’s Sean Lydon.

Jaiden Moore rounded out the four individual state titles for Thompson with a win in the 165-pound division. He kicked off the tournament with a first-round victory over Fairhope’s Trenton Cowles by way of a pin at the 3:29-mark before pinning Huntsville’s Chalie Sledge just 39 seconds into their quarterfinal matchup.

From there, Moore outlasted Tuscaloosa County’s Owen Wilbanks with a pin at the 5:29-mark of the semifinals and defeated Enterprise’s Kody Sigmon in the finals by way of a 10-4 decision. Moore finished off the year with a 43-9 record to go with his state title.

Brody Logan claimed third place in the 120-pound division after making a run through the consolation bracket. While he lost in the quarterfinals, he pinned Daphne’s Tobyas Boyett at the 2:48-mark, got a 19-2 technical fall against Alma Bryant’s Kent Henderson, earned a 12-6 decision win over Enterprise’s Karter Stiffler and an 18-4 major decision against Tuscaloosa County’s Owen Herbert in the third-place match.

Wyatt Massey earned third place in the 190-pound division after he bounced back from a first-round loss to claim four-straight victories in the consolation bracket. He earned a 52-second pin, a technical fall and a second-period followed by a 10-2 major decision in the third-place match against Vestavia Hills’ Cooper Cook.

Barron Criddle took third place in the heavyweight 285-pound division. He made it to the semifinals off a third-period pin but lost to the eventual state champion in Bob Jones’ Sammy Grimes.

Criddle then earned a second-period fall and a 10-1 major decision to secure third place and help the team win a state championship. The team title was Criddle’s second state title of the year after he played offensive line on Thompson’s state championship football team.

Turner Hutson came in fourth in the 144-pound division. He reached the semifinals with a 7-5 decision in the quarterfinals, but after losing there, he took a 9-5 decision win to make the third-place match.

Brady Walsh finished in fifth place in the 113-pound division. He reached the quarterfinals with a second-period pin in the first round but fell to Daphne’s Micah Swiger. From there, he got second-period pins against Baker’s Mason Irle and James Clemens’ Greg Worley in the consolation bracket to guarantee a top-six finish. He lost to Oak Mountain’s Jameson Thomas by a major decision before taking a forfeit win in the fifth-place match.

Will Atkinson came in fifth place in the 126-pound division. After reaching the semifinals off a major decision and technical fall, he lost to eventual state champion Trey Denny of Oak Mountain. While he also lost in his first consolation bracket match, he took a 12-6 decision in the fifth-place match against Grissom’s John David Shattuck.

Austin Owen overcame a quarterfinal loss to secure fifth place in the 132-pound division. He took an 11-6 decision and a second-period pin to guarantee a top-six finish, and after losing a tight decision in the consolation semifinals, he defeated Oak Mountain’s James Franklin by a 9-6 decision in the fifth-place match.

Rylan Davis came in sixth place in the 175-pound division with a 9-3 decision victory and a win in sudden victory in the consolation bracket to secure a top-six spot.

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