Rebels claim state wrestling title
The Vestavia Hills High School wrestling team won this year’s Class 7A state tournament, held Feb. 16-18 in Huntsville. The Rebels totaled 210 points to beat runner-up Thompson, which scored 195 points. Huntsville placed third.
Hewitt-Trussville, Spain Park, Hoover, Bob Jones, Enterprise, Chelsea and Smiths Station rounded out the top 10.
It was the Rebels’ 17th team state title, the last one coming in 2021. Vestavia snapped Thompson’s streak of three straight with the 2021 win, but the Warriors reclaimed the title last year. Vestavia previously won state titles in 1976, 1985-86, 1991, 1993-94, 1998-2001, 2007, 2009 and 2016-17.
Andrew Sykes was the Rebels’ top wrestler at the tournament, winning the 220-pound weight class. He went 4-0, beginning with a win by fall over Huntsville’s Todd Whitmire. In the quarterfinals, Sykes won by fall over Baker’s Jacob Wilson. Sykes took down a local rival in the semifinals, beating Hewitt-Trussville’s Chris Hawkins by fall. He finished things off with a takedown over Chelsea’s Kalob Johnstone in the final.
Vestavia had three second-place finishers, with Stone Phillips (113), Andrew Sullivan (145) and Harris Mitchell (160) all reaching the championship match.
Phillips beat Daphne’s Chay Long in the opening round, beat Smiths Station’s Dustin Dunbar in the quarterfinals and won by decision over Huntsville’s Wallace Blue in the semifinals. Oak Mountain’s Camden Tipton took the title with a win in the final.
Sullivan won his first match in the quarterfinals against Enterprise’s Kaemon Smith. In the semifinals, Sullivan won by fall over Huntsville’s Brock Fields. Brady Campbell of Opelika took the title, beating Sullivan by fall in the final.
Mitchell won three matches on his way to the final. Mitchell won by decision over Sparkman’s Jaylin Bellamy, then defeated Nathaniel Jarmon of Smiths Station by fall. In the semifinals, Mitchell won by decision over Prattville’s Dalton Wainwright. John McKinney of Huntsville won by decision in the final.
The Rebels had three third-place finishers as well, with Cale Tucker (106), Hastings Roberts (132) and Clay Johnston (170) winning their final matches. Davis Reiff finished fourth in the 126-pound division.
Tucker won in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals. In the consolation bracket, Tucker defeated Enterprise’s Paxton Hanshaw and won by decision over Bob Jones’ Kaden Clark to take third place. Roberts won in the opening round before falling in the quarterfinals. He then won three times in the consolation bracket to reach the third-place match, which he won by major decision over James Clemens’ Ethan Johnson.
Johnston took wins in his first two matches, before falling to Spain Park’s Jackson Mitchell in the semifinals. Johnston rebounded to beat Enterprise’s Kody Sigmon in the consolation bracket and won by major decision over Baker’s Dalton Kovacs in the third-place match.
Reiff won four of his six matches in the tournament as well. He won in the opening round, before falling in the quarterfinals. Reiff then ripped off three straight victories, beating wrestlers from Auburn, Smiths Station and Thompson. In the third-place match, Reiff lost by fall to Huntsville’s Joseph Sowell.
Riggs Manown (195) and Mitch Taylor (285) each placed fifth, while Bennett Ashley (120) and Mac Chandler (152) were sixth. Luke Dutton (182) also wrestled for the team.