Champions Crowned
Hoover dominates state tournament with four winning titles
By DAVID H. WHITE JR.
BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD
Hoover wrestling coach Randy Haught has said all season that the reason his team has been so successful is because of his Bucs’ work ethic and talent. The statement held up after they claimed the Class 6A state championship at the Pelham Civic Complex on Saturday.
“A village idiot could coach this team and win the state championship, “Haught said. “I can’t overemphasize the talent and the work ethic the kids on this team have. Also, Scott Knutson was the soul of this team. He’s an incredible assistant coach.”
Haught had four state champions: Sophomore Tyler Osborn at 125 took the victory for his third straight state championship. Senior Sam Thompson took the victory at 130, junior Khalid Arafeh was victorious at 135 and the wrestler whom Haught called “the heart of the team, “senior Will Cutchen, was victorious at 189. Hoover also had four second place finishers: Will Bross (103), Jonathan Pope (112), Ryan Romano (140) and T.C. Pendleton (152).
Cutchen was selected as the 6A Most Valuable Wrestler for the tournament.
“We were happy with the firsts but a little disappointed with the seconds, “said Haught, whose team scored 160 points to beat second place Robert E. Lee (94.5 points). “We really wanted Will Bross to win with this being his senior year. Will pinned the R.E. Lee guy (Marcus Bell) in the first round of our invitational and then he pinned him at sectionals. He didn’t think he had an easy match, it just turned out that he didn’t win the match that counted the most.”
While there was disappointment with the Bross defeat and with the Pendleton defeat since Pendleton had a good shot at 152 but lost to the outstanding eighth grader John Hayden Countryman of Prattville. Cutchen’s performance all season was maybe the most enjoyable thing to watch according to Haught.
“Will has got such a work ethic, “Haught said. “He’s blue collar. He may not have the best technique or moves, but you can’t find anybody with a bigger heart. When he wins, he credits everybody else and when he loses he takes complete responsibility. I think everybody is extremely happy that Will won.”
Cutchen was ecstatic after he pinned Quinton Smith of Sparkman for the title.
“I’ve been working for this for four years, “he said. “I would go in the Hoover High Wrestling Room and look at those plaques on the wall and knew that’s where I wanted to be.
“I’m proud of everybody from top to bottom. We earned it. It took a lot of hard work to get us here today.”
Arafeh credited three wrestlers on the team for the team’s success.
“We had three really good guys, Sam, Ryan and Tyler who were awesome leaders, “he said. “I thought about wrestling Chris Goodwin (Spain Park) all week. I lost to him at section. I felt pretty good when I beat him (in the semifinals).”
The Vestavia Hills Rebels finished fourth overall, but had three state champions: Rocky Alling (112) who was victorious at 103 last year, Keaton Thompson (119) and the dominating Jake Seitz at heavyweight. Seitz defended his state title with a victory over sophomore Ryan Pugh of Spain Park. We had a lot of ninth and 10th graders this year, but you can’t argue with three state champions, “Rebels Coach Steve Gaydosh said. “Keaton is a ninth grader.
“Hoover had a real good group this year, they were real strong. Jake and Rocky are going to go to Nationals in Cleveland (Ohio) in March and I think both of them have a chance to place there.”
The National Championships host the top wrestlers from across the country competing in their respective weight classes. There are 14 weight classes and 850 entries at the Nationals. The top eight wrestlers are selected as All-Americans.
Alling, a senior, was asked what the difference was between winning the state last year at 103 and winning it at 112 this year.
“There wasn’t much difference, “he said. “Some of the guys I beat last year were in 112 this year. It just means a lot with all the hard work my teammates and I went through. Jake and I were favored to win it but Keaton is probably the hardest worker on the team. He wrestled six days a week and he is a really tough kid.”
Seitz, who will be going to UAB in the fall on a football scholarship, was his typical workmanlike self in taking his second state title.
“Honestly I was a little more nervous this year, “he said. “I thought I was a little quicker this year because I lost the weight from football and that helped. I had a good run in wrestling and now I’m looking forward to football at UAB.”
Spain Park finished fifth in 6A, Clay Chalkville was sixth, Hewitt-Trussville was ninth, Pelham was 11th, Oak Mountain was 14th and Shades Valley was 17th out of the 18 teams that scored.
Eric Vincent, a junior from Hewitt-Trussville, took the victory at 171 and E.J. Graff, who claimed the state title last year at 160, finished second at 160 on Saturday.
In Class 5A, Homewood had two state champions, both of whom were undefeated this season: Josh Statum (32-0) at 112 and Forrest Millsap (31-0) at 145. Millsap was victorious at 140 last year and at 112 in 2002. This was Statum’s first state title after finishing runner-up last year.
“Josh is a great kid, “Homewood Coach Dickey Wright said. “He’s been a great leader for us. You don’t think that small kids can be great leaders, but he was.”
Scottsboro was victorious in Class 5A. Gardendale was third, Homewood was seventh, Hueytown was eighth, Erwin was 11th and McAdory was 12th out of 16 teams that scored.
Scottsboro’s Michael Cuthbertson won his fifth straight state championship, this year at 160. He is tied for second all time in the state with Jeremiah Wells of Weaver (1992-96) for total state titles won. Michael Sutton of Weaver has the record with six straight victories (1999-2004 ).
Tim Edwards of McAdory, who was victorious in 2003 and 2002 in lower weight classes, took the title at 125. He was runner-up at 119 last year.
“I wish I had 25 just like him, “said his coach, James Thompson. “He stays hungry and never gets complacent. We’re going to try and get him on a wrestling team in college.”
North Carolina State has shown interest in Edwards.
Another local 5A winner was Chad Bearden of Gardendale at heavyweight.
Heath Butler of Erwin finished second to Adam Faulk of Scottsboro in a hard fought match at 189. Faulk won the match 6-3.
In 1A-4A, Elmore County won the team tournament. Fultondale was fourth, Hayden was fifth and Oak Grove was seventh.
Adam Beavers of Oak Grove was victorious at 112, Chaz Buchanan of Fultondale took first at 125, Grant Posey of Oak Grove was the winner at 135 and was selected Most Valuable Wrestler in 1A-4A and Brandon Reaves of Leeds took the victory at 171.
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