Vestavia wrestlers close out 2015 with home tournament

The VHHS wrestling team hosts its Heart of Dixie Invitational on Dec. 29 and 30, inviting teams from across Alabama and the Southeast. Coach Steve Gaydosh said two top-ranked teams would be making the trip to Vestavia Hills for the tournament: Brandon High School from Florida, which has won the last 10 Florida state championships, and San Marino High School from California, which has three nationally-ranked wrestlers on the team.

The first two weeks of December were very busy for the wrestling team, Gaydosh said. This included a trip to South Walton High School in Florida for the Border Brawl Invitational on Dec. 5. 

The VHHS team won by a margin of 39.5 points against 23 other teams that entered. Gaydosh said six of those teams had placed in the top five in their home state last year.

The VHHS wrestlers also brought home three champions from the invitational: Hayden Hill, George Dazzio and James Edwards 220. Zach Nelson placed 2nd in his weight class.