Scottsboro’s Womack Sets State Win Record
Thompson, Arab, St.Clair County Hold Leads Entering Wrestling Finals
HUNTSVILLE -- Scottsboro High School freshman Brandon Womack won two matches here Friday en route to a state record while advancing to Saturday’s 112-pound state finals in the AHSAA Class 5A State Wrestling Championships at the Von Braun Center.
In the process Womack improved to 73-0 on the season with a pin over Josh Epperson of Tallassee in the quarterfinals and established a state record for match wins in a season. The previous record of 72 was set by Clay-Chalkville’s Ashton Jones, who was 72-7 in 2009.
His pin, which came at 3:39, extended his current match winning streak to 143 and moves him to second all-time behind Mike Sutton of Weaver, who won 201 in a row from 1999-2004. Steve Mordecai of Gardendale was second on the list with 141 set over a four-year period from 1875-78.
Womack was 61-0 last season as an eighth grader and earned MVP honors as he won his second straight state championship. He was 51-5 as a seventh grader and won his first state title by capturing the last nine matches of the 2009 season.
Womack takes on Morgan Franks (55-7) of Pinson Valley in the finals Saturday in quest of his third straight state title.
Arab leads the 5A team competition heading into Saturday’s final day. The Knights have 129.5 points with defending state champion Southside-Gadsden second at 101.0 and Tallassee third at 100.5. Fort Payne is fourth with 87 and Womack and his Scottsboro teammates are fifth with 78.
St. Clair County leads the 1A-4A competition with 88.0 points. Dora is close behind with 85.5, followed by Oak Grove with 73.5 and St. James with 61.
The Class 6A team race is as close as it’s been in years heading into the finals. Thompson is leading with 140.0 points, defending state champion Hoover second with 134, followed by Grissom 117.5, Vestavia Hills 93.0, and Bob Jones 92.
In Class 6A finals, brothers Jake Smith (48-0) and Jesse Smith (38-4) will be going for state championships in the 103 and 112-pound divisions, respectively. The Pell City grapplers will also be joined in the finals by their cousin, Zach Smith (48-5), who will be wrestling in the 140-pound finals against Jackson Poe (46-1) of Hoover. Jake Smith will meet Opelika’s Brian White (42-1) in the 103-pound finals and Jesse Smith faces Alex Cohen (56-4) of Grissom in the 112-pound finals.
Eric Lee (64-0) of Oxford will meet Taylor Garlington of Hoover in the 135-pound finals. Adam Wright (48-0), a Jacksonville State football signee from Clay-Chalkville, will also put his undefeated season on the line in the 285-pound finals against Bob Jones’ Tyler Ratliff (49-6). And in the 189-pound finale, Justin Woodall (71-1) of Oak Mountain will be going for his 72nd win of the year against Lee-Montgomery’s Terrence Smith (41-1).
In 5A, Mortimer Jordan’s Brandon Brindley (50-0) meets Zac West (40-9) of Southside-Gadsden in the 140-pound finals while Chris Allen of Brookwood (68-3) will be going for his 69th win of the season against Josh Highland of Tallassee (37-4) at 145 pounds.
Undefeated wrestlers in Class 1A-4A championship matches include Dalton Carroll (44-0) of Walter Wellborn at 140 pounds and Clay Dent (40-0) of Piedmont at 171 pounds. And Jeffrey Ingram (68-5) of Fultondale hopes to add to his win total in the 189-pound finals.
Class 6A Championship Bouts
103 pounds: Brian White, Opelika (42-1) vs. Jake Smith, Pell City (48-0)
112 pounds: Alec Cohen, Grissom ((56-4) vs. Jesse Smith, Pell City (38-4)
119 pounds: Reed Jacks, Thompson (50-5) vs. Michael Jordan, Auburn (42-0)
125 pounds: Josh Brown, Vestavia Hills (30-16) vs. Ben Smith, Buckhorn (57-0)
130 pounds: Jordan Simpson, Oxford (67-1) vs. Greg Atalona, Huntsville (36-5)
135 pounds: Taylor Garlington, Hoover (45-6) vs. Eric Lee, Oxford (64-0)
140 pounds: Jackson Poe, Hoover (46-1) vs. Zach Smith, Pell City (48-5)
145 pounds: J.A. Jones, Thompson (66-5) vs. Jimmy Whitt, Vestavia Hills (20-5)
152 pounds: William Byrd, Mountain Brook (56-2) vs. Rush Hall, Hoover (43-3)
160 pounds: Harrison Hill, Vestavia Hills (40-5) vs. Marcus Elkins, Hewitt-Trussville (45-7)
171 pounds: Carl Brown, Hoover (45-1) vs. Ryan Clark, Bob Jones (31-6)
189 pounds: Justin Woodall, Oak Mountain (71-2) vs. Terrence Smith, Lee-Montgomery (41-1)
215 pounds: Luke Wilson, Central-Phenix City (52-2) vs. Brian Walker, Grissom (63-3)
285 pounds: Tyler Ratliff, Bob Jones (49-6) vs. Adam Wright, Clay-Chalkville (48-0)
Class 5A Championship Bouts
103 pounds: Lane Morrow, Arab (55-7) vs. Chris Jones, Erwin (39-5)
112 pounds: Morgan Franks, Pinson Valley (38-4) vs. Brandon Womack, Scottsboro (73-0)
119 pounds: Will Stephenson, Arab (51-8) vs. Haden Ryals, Southside-Gadsden (29-8)
125 pounds: Craig Malone, Scottsboro (51-10) vs. Layton Barker, Fort Payne (38-6)
130 pounds: Seth Perman, Southside-Gadsden (43-4) vs. Trey Howse, Hayden (39-5)
135 pounds: Ethyn Holbrook, Fort Payne (39-2) vs. Craton Bush, McAdory (35-7)
140 pounds: Zac West, Southside-Gadsden (40-9) vs. Brandon Brindley, Mortimer Jordan (50-0)
145 pounds: Josh Highland, Tallassee (37-4) vs. Chris Allen, Brookwood (68-3)
152 pounds: Nick Boyett, Scottsboro (61-17) vs. Chase Currier, Arab (47-13)
160 pounds: Chris Adams, Tallassee (51-2) vs. Colby Bernier, Chilton County (22-5)
171 pounds: Blake Suttles, Arab (38-3) vs. Chase Mathews, Southside-Gadsden (37-11)
189 pounds: Dylan Jackson, Chilton County (40-5) vs. Alex Whigham, Scottsboro (58-7)
215 pounds: Cary Pierce, Arab (50-5) vs. Davis Sims, Southside-Gadsden (39-11)
285 pounds: T.C. Robinson, Tallassee (29-2) vs. Levi Harper, Arab (50-7)
Class 1A-4A Championship Bouts
103 pounds: Alex Nickell, Leeds (41-8) vs. Christian Cortez, Weaver (45-12)
112 pounds: Stephen Kwan, St. James (39-5) vs. Steven Lindsey, St. Clair Clounty (35-7)
119 pounds: Ty Barnett, American Christian (21-1) vs. Blake Boshell, Dora (58-5)
125 pounds: Matthew Smith, Walter Wellborn (44-5) vs. Chris Miller, St. Clair County (39-4)
130 pounds: Juakeem Fuqua, Deshler (28-5) vs. Matt Kwan, St. James (33-2)
135 pounds: Zach Cummings, Fultondale (54-12) vs. Mason Ellis, Dora (55-9)
140 pounds: Dalton Carroll, Walter Wellborn (44-0) vs. Chandler Sartain, Deshler (27-4)
145 pounds: Dalton Sanders, Dora (55-8) vs. Jonathan Boston, Holt (27-4)
152 pounds: Brian Shockley, Leeds (49-6) vs. Hunter Edwards, Dora (38-14)
160 pounds: Robbie Cannon, Oak Grove (36-14) vs. Trey Carey, Dora (58-7)
171 pounds: David Harmon, Oak Grove (49-6) vs. Clay Dent, Piedmont (40-0)
189 pounds: Cody Self, Susan Moore (29-3) vs. Jeffrey Ingram, Fultondale (68-5)
215 pounds: Dillan Campbell, Oak Grove (51-4) vs. Stephen Abel, Deshler (28-11)
285 pounds: Antonio Weaver, Ala. School/ Blind (45-3) vs. Jerome Jefferson, St. Clair County (24-2)
Team scoring after Friday’s competition
Class 6A
Thompson 140.0
Hoover 134.0
Grissom 117.5
Vestavia Hills 93.0
Bob Jones 92.0
Lee-Montgomery 87.5
Oxford 72.5
Pell City 71.5
Oak Mountain 62.0
Hewitt-Trussville 60.0
Opelika 59.0
Central-Phenix City 53.0
Clay-Chalkville 52.0
Benjamin Russell 47.0
Tuscaloosa County 46.5
Buckhorn 44.5
Smiths Station 44.0
Mountain Brook 40.5
Auburn 38.0
Spain Park 36.0
Huntsville 28.0
Prattville 27.0
Gardendale 15.0
Pelham 7.0
Wetumpka 6.5
Homewood 4.0
Carver-Montgomery 3.0
Class 5A
Arab 129.5
Southside-Gadsden 101.0
Tallassee 100.5
Fort Payne 87.0
Scottsboro 78.0
Brookwood 60.5
Mortimer Jordan 50.5
Pinson Valley 34.0
Chilton County 32.0
McAdory 24.0
Hayden 21.0
Erwin 17.0
Athens 13.0
Muscle Shoals 11.0
Moody 5.0
Madison County 4.0
Hueytown 1.0
Class 1A-4A
St. Clair County 88.0
Dora 85.5
Oak Grove 73.5
St. James 61.0
Piedmont 52.0
Holtville 51.0
Deshler 48.5
Fultondale 47.0
Susan Moore 47.0
Weaver 46.0
Walter Wellborn 37.0
Leeds 36.5
Ala.School/Blind 34.0
American Christian 20.0
Saks 15.0
Lincoln 13.0
Montgomery-Catholic 11.0
Ashville 9.0
Cleburne County 9.0
Corner 3.0
Ranburne 3.0
Springville 3.0
Calera 2.0
Elmore County 2.0