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Oxford's Garrett Howell (top) works against Ohatchee's Matthew King in the 154-pound final of Monday's Calhoun County wrestling championship at Wellborn High School.
Alexandria's Preston Jones lifts White Plains' Mason Hahm during the 122-pound final at Monday's Calhoun County wrestling championship at Wellborn High School.
Oxford's Garrett Howell (top) works against Ohatchee's Matthew King in the 154-pound final of Monday's Calhoun County wrestling championship at Wellborn High School.
WELLBORN — Oxford’s Garrett Howell added the latest crown jewel to his stellar high school wrestling career Monday.
Alexandria added its second team Calhoun County title, catching veteran coach Frank Hartzog “off guard.”
Howell dominated the 154-pound bracket for his fourth individual county title, earning the coaches’ vote as most valuable wrestler, and Alexandria prevailed in the team standings over second-place Oxford 167-156.5 at Wellborn High School.
Weaver, ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A-4A division by the Alabama Wrestling Coaches Association, took third with 154 points after two wrestlers busted weight and an injury forced Kaden Gaines to forfeit the 128-pound consolation final against Alexandria’s Jaden Whitaker.
County coaches voted Ohatchee’s Chris Findley as coach of the year and Howell as most valuable wrestler after he scored two pins and an 11-0 major decision.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting it this year,” Howell said. “I’m glad I got it, though.
“I’m going to try to keep wrestling like this the rest of the year and, hopefully, do something big for Oxford after I graduate.”
Howell’s older sister, Sarah, starred in softball, earning Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 6A hitter of the year and The Anniston Star Class 4A-6A player of the year before signing to play for Clemson University.
She starred on Oxford’s 2016 state-runnerup team.
“I hope I can beat what my sister did, but we’ll see,” he said.
Garrett Howell won county titles as an eighth-grader, freshman, junior and senior. He didn’t wrestle in the county tournament as a sophomore, the year the county temporarily switched to a duals format because of COVID-19.
He was part of Oxford’s state-championship teams in 2017 and 2018.
“I’m hoping I can get an individual this year,” he said.
Howell was one of Oxford’s three individual county champions Monday. Xavier Deramus won in 222 and Caleb Tinner in 287.
“I feel like we would’ve won it, if we had some of our seniors,” Howell said. “We have three seniors out right now.
“Right now, we’re just a very young team. Im hoping, after I graduate, they’ll go get another state championship. I see a lot of good talent in our younger guys.”
Alexandria backed up its 2022 title, which the Valley Cubs won with the emotional backdrop of long-time assistant coach Tres Payne’s death from COVID-19. Payne died in September of 2021.
Hartzog didn’t expect his team to repeat.
“We went in here really anticipating, maybe, the best we could do would be runnerup (to Weaver),” he said. “Things just really went our way today to give us a chance to even get to where they were.
“I don’t know. It’s just kind of mind-boggling right now.”
Alexandria's Preston Jones lifts White Plains' Mason Hahm during the 122-pound final at Monday's Calhoun County wrestling championship at Wellborn High School.
Alexandria’ Preston Jones won the 122-pound division, and Joseph Lomax won in 140.
Another key for the Valley Cubs came in the consolation brackets. Whitaker’s third-place finish in 128 added six points.
Stacy Jenkins, a wrestler Hartzog projected to make the 197 championship finals, took third with a major decision and a pin after falling to White Plains’ Luke Campbell, the eventual 197 winner, in the second round.
“That’s what coach teaches us is just integrity and just never give up,” Jenkins said. “If we’re ever going to wrestle, he wants to see us do our best, no matter who we’re up against or what match it is
“Whether it’s ‘conso’ or championship, he still wants to see our best effort.”
Amorea Green took third in 147, winning two matches after losing his second-rounder to Weaver’s DaShawn Kirby Barnes.
Aiden Christopher took third in 184 with a surprise pin of Pleasant Valley’s Zeke Curvin in the consolation final.
“He was being dominated,” Hartzog said. “I want to say it was 11-1, but he didn’t give up. He knew that kid was bigger and stronger than him, and he weighed 166 pounds today. Zeke Curvin, he’s got to be an animal in that weight room, but he just ran out of gas, and we got lucky and landed on top.
“He had a pretty good strategy. Just make it to the third period, and anything can happen, and he did it.”
2023 Calhoun County wrestling championship
Monday
Wellborn High School
Team scores: Alexandria 167, Oxford 156.5, Weaver 154, Saks 107, White Plains 94, Piedmont 89, Ohatchee 86, Pleasant Valley 70.5.
Championship finals
108 pounds
Ohatchee's Briley Carter def. Weaver's Dalton Fink, SV-1 8-6.
115 pounds
White Plains' Tanner Jerrell def. Alexandria's Bryson Tatiano, SV-1 8-6.
122 pounds
Alexandria's Preston Jones def. White Plains. Mason Hahm, Dec. 8-1.
128 pounds
Piedmont's Izak Duke pins Saks' Truth Thurman, Fall 0:48.
134 pounds
Pleasant Valley's Baron House def. Alexandria's Caden Birchfield, TF-1.5 3:49 (18-1).
140 pounds
Alexandria's Joseph Lomax def. Oxford's Tristan Williams, Dec. 8-5.
