STATE TOURNAMENT
At the completion of a emotionally draining action packed three days at the 6A State Tournament in Huntsville, the Spartans emerged with 4 state placers and a top ten finish!
All our guys competed with the intensity and heart that we have come accustomed to seeing here at Mountain Brook. The hard work paid off with a ninth place finish (out of 34 teams). This is Mountain Brook’s first top ten finish in over fifteen years!
In addition to our four state placers, Andrew Scofield (135) came up just short by losing a heart breaker in the consolation semifinal round. Andrew had won two big matches earlier in the tournament (defeating an opponent that he had not beaten the last two years), so the future looks very bright for this sophomore!
Robert Pritchett started the tournament with a loss, but charged back with four straight wins (including one over the same wrestler that beat him the first day). After a series of very tough victories Robert stood on the podium and was awarded 4th place in his weight division!
Joe Kyle wrapped up a great senior season by adding 4 wins to his total (this makes 50 wins on the season!). After a very close 2 to 1 loss in the semifinal round Joe bounced back with determination and took home his second straight 3rd place finish at the State Tournament!
Next was Sam Gray, who after a rough and tumble semifinal match that he won 16 to 8, emerged as the 6A State Runner Up! Sam’s only loss came to the tournament MVP who is widely known as the best wrestler in the state of Alabama. We are very proud of Sam!
Last but not least is Ben Bridell. Ben brought home Mountain Brook’s first state title sine 1987! Battling a serious injury the whole way, Bridell ran through the competition and won his state final match 8 to 2. This is a huge accomplishment and we couldn’t be happier for Ben!
All in all the state tournament was a very big step for Spartan wrestling. These seniors will be missed and we look forward to the challenge of next season. See you all then!
Individual standings on the weekend:
119 Cullom Walker
130 Tee Neely
135 Andrew Scofield: 2 wins
140 Robert Pritchett: 4 wins Fourth Place
145 Joe Kyle: 4 wins Third Place
152 Sam Gray: 3 wins (1 pin) State Runner Up
160 William Byrd
171 Ben Bridell: 4 wins State Champion
189 Adam Benjaminson
215 Creighton Rhodes
SECTION III TOURNAMENT
This past weekend the Spartans took the mat at Hewitt Trussville’s gym one more time battling to qualify as many wrestlers as possible for the 6A State Tournament in Huntsville next week. In order to qualify each wrestler needed to place in the top four.
After a day of clawing for each win the Spartans emerged in third place over all and we are qualifying 10 of the 12 wrestlers on our team. Taylor Buffington as a first year wrestler came away one win shy of qualifying, but we look for great things out of him next season. Peter Hall also came up a bit short, but I know that with his heart and work ethic he’ll be back next season not only to qualify but to place in state.
Freshmen William Byrd (160), sophomore Adam Benjaminson (189), and senior Creighton Rhodes (215) all qualified by placing 4th. All three of these Spartans give up at the least 15 pounds every time they hit the mat. They all put it on the line to make it state, but Creighton’s 13 point consolation semifinal win was the most crowd pleasing of the day!
Placing third was seniors Cullom Walker (119) and Robert Pritchett (140). Robert bumped up two weight classes from the beginning of the year and has been a rock for us at 140. While Cullom battled illness and put on an impressive display with two pins to come in third!
Tee Neely qualified second at 130. In his semi final match he looked like lightning in a bottle as he pinned his opponent in just over a minute. I believe Tee has all the tools to bring home a state championship next week.
The Spartans were blessed with four champions: sophomore Andrew Scofield (135), junior Sam Gray (152), senior Joe Kyle (145), and Ben Bridell (171). Our first champ Andrew Scofield avenged a loss from earlier to the season in his semifinal match as he won 4 to 1, and he added a pin in his finals match to become the champ. Sam Gray also avenged a loss as he won his finals match by throwing his opponent to his back not once but twice on his way to an 8 to 5 victory. Returning to action after a lay off was Ben Bridell and boy was he a welcome sight. With two pins on the day Ben was dominant in his weight class. Our last champion was Joe Kyle, and with 2 pins and 13 to 0 win in the finals Joe was named O.W. (outstanding wrestler) of the meet. Way to go guys!
As we look a head to the State Tournament we are very excited about our chances to compete at a very high level.
Individual standings on the day:
103 Taylor Buffington
119 Cullom Walker: 2 wins (2 pins) (3rd place)
125 Peter Hall
130 Tee Neely: 1 win (1 pin) (Runner-up)
135 Andrew Scofield: 3 wins (2 pins) (Champion)
140 Robert Pritchett: 1 win (3rd place)
145 Joe Kyle: 3 wins (2 pins) (Champion & O.W.)
152 Sam Gray: 2 wins (Champion)
160 William Byrd: (4th place)
171 Ben Bridell: 2 wins (2 pins) (Champion)
189 Adam Benjaminson: (4th place)
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win (4th place)
SENIOR NIGHT (MCADORY/SPAIN PARK TRI MATCH)
Senior night at Mountain Brook High School saw our first match of the year on television. We competed against he Jaguars of Spain Park for the last match of the night, but our first match pitted us against the McAdory Yellow Jackets.
In the McAdory match there were several twists and turns. Cullom Walker, Peter Hall, and Tee Neely started us off right with some pins (1:29, 0:24, and 0:31 respectively). Then there were three very intense battles at 135, 140, and 145. After falling behind early, Andrew Scofield clawed his way back to a dominating 13 to 7 finish. Robert Pritchett came up just short in a 2 to 4 loss that could have gone either way. The last of the big scraps saw Joe Kyle down 5 to 1 going into the final period. Joe scored 6 unanswered points to pull off a salty 7 to 5 victory. Charlie Williamson won a rough and tumble pin fall in his match in just 1:32. Sadly with forfeits and other tough losses we dropped a 36 to 39 decision to McAdory.
In the second match of the night, Head Coach Bert Newton put his mc skills on display as he introduced all the seniors and cheerleaders. Coach did a wonderful job talking about each of these phenomenal seniors.
The match was a sound 54 to 21 victory for the Spartans. Cullom, Peter, and Tee once again collected pins to start us off. Scofield, Pritchett, and Williamson all collected forfeits. Freshmen James Adams won a great match by pin fall while our other youngling, Will Byrd, collected a win by medical default.
Senior Joe Kyle bumped up two weight classes and collected a solid pin in 5 minutes and 48 seconds.
Individual standings on the night:
103 Taylor Buffington
119 Cullom Walker: 2 wins (2 pins)
125 Peter Hall: 2 wins (2 pins)
130 Tee Neely: 2 wins (2 pins)
135 Andrew Scofield: 2 wins
140 Robert Pritchett: 1 win
145 Joe Kyle: 2 wins (1 pin)
145 James Adams: 1 win (1 pin)
152 Winston Reed
160 William Byrd: 1 win
171 Adam Benjaminson: 1 win
189 Charlie Williamson: 2 wins (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes
GRISSOM DUALS
Here we are just less than a month away from the State Tournament and we find ourselves at Grissom High School in Huntsville. This weekend saw a shake up in the line up due in part to new strategy and also in part to injury.
Three of the young men that have changed weight classes since the first half of the season (Tee Neely, Robert Pritchett, and Sam Gray) all went undefeated on the day. Joe Kyle went 4 and 1 on the day with his lone loss coming to a multiple time state champion from Scottsboro High. Andrew Scofield also won all but one of his matches ( that loss was to the number one ranked wrestler in 5A at his weight).
We started our day with Christians Brothers High out of Memphis, TN. After giving up our normal amount of 18 points in forfeits we came out on the short end of a 24 to 49 decision.
In our second match we came out with a win of 42 to 36.
Our next match, ended in defeat 12 to 61 against the defending 5A State Champion Scottsboro Wildcats.
The fourth match of the day saw us get back in the win column with a 66 to 18 victory over Sparkman.
Our last match was a heart breaker of a loss 32 to 34 against Huntsville.
Individual standings on the day:
119 Cullom Walker: 2 wins (2 pins)
125 Peter Hall: 2 wins
130 Tee Neely: 5 wins (5 pins)
135 Andrew Scofield: 4 wins (1 technical fall)
140 Robert Pritchett: 5 wins
145 Joe Kyle: 4 wins (1 pin 1 technical fall
152 Sam Gray: 5 wins (2 pins)
160 William Byrd: 3 wins (1 pin)
171 Adam Benjaminson: 2 wins (2 pins)
189 Charlie Williamson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win
PELHAM MATCH
An incoming tornado cut short or tri match and we were not allowed to wrestle Walter Welbourne. Instead we made due with the host Panthers of Pelham. In a great 46 to 19 victory several Spartans came away with pins. Cullom Walker pinned his opponent in 2:23 to start us off. In an upside down match Peter Hall came up short to drop a decision to the host team. Tee Neely spent as little time as possible nailing down a 58 second pin. Scofield and Robert Pritchett were next with two pins (1:22 and 4:31 respectively). Robert pinned his guy after being up by 16! Joe Kyle and Sam Gray won by technical fall by scores of 25 to 7 and 23 to 5. William Byrd clawed to a 6 to 8 loss, but showed a lot of grit. Ben Bridell and Charlie Williamson gutted out victories 6 to 3 and 6 to 5. Creighton Rhodes win by forfeit ended the night, as we left the Pelham gym for the comforts of home.
Individual standings on the night:
119 Cullom Walker: 1 win (1 pin)
125 Peter Hall
130 Tee Neely: 1 win (1 pin)
135 Andrew Scofield: 1 win (1 pin)
140 Robert Pritchett: 1 win (1 pin)
145 Joe Kyle: 1 win technical fall
152 William Byrd
160 Sam Gray: 1 win technical fall
171 Ben Bridell: 1 win
189 Charlie Williamson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win
SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
In the second annual Spartan Invitational the home team put on a great effort among a strong field. There were championship teams from Georgia and Louisiana in addition to the strong field of teams from Alabama.
After a long break we had several individuals place including scrappy finishes by Cullom Walker 8th, Peter Hall 8th, Winston Reed 8th, Robert Pritchett 7th, Creighton Rhodes 7th, William Byrd 6th, Adam Benjaminson 6th, and Andrew Scofield 5th.
Sam Gray clawed out a fourth place finish in a very hard weight class. Sam is just inches away from defeating the top two guys in his weight.
Joe Kyle and Ben Bridell both lost heart breakers in the last part of their matches as they both came away with very respectable second place finishes. Way to go guys!
But the top of the heap this week belongs to Tee Neely as he is the 2008 130 pound champion! Tee won all six of his matches by pin fall!
This tournament will be a spring board for the rest of our season as we build up steam heading toward the state tournament in February.
Individual standings on the weekend:
119 Cullom Walker: 1 win 8th place
125 Peter Hall: 1 win (1 pin) 8th place
130 Tee Neely: 6 wins (6 pins) 1st place
135 Andrew Scofield: 3 wins (1 pin) 5th place
140 Robert Pritchett: 3 wins (1 pin) 7th place
Carter Gannon
145 Joe Kyle: 5 wins (1 pin) 2nd place
152 William Byrd: 2 wins (1 pin) 6th place
Winston Reed: 1 win 8th place
160 Sam Gray: 3 wins (1 pin) 4th place
171 Ben Bridell: 4 wins (2 pins) 2nd place
189 Adam Benjaminson: 3 wins (2 pins) 6th place
Charlie Williamson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win (1 pin) 7th place
SCOTTSBORO DUALS
Following a tough week of exams, the Spartans of Mountain Brook took a trip north to Scottsboro. With only nine wrestlers out of a possible fourteen (giving up thirty points a match), we lost five matches.
During these matches there were some great battles.
In our first match we lost to 5A power 10 to 62. Joe Kyle won by pin and Andrew Scofield scored a major decision 16 to 1. Ben Bridell lost a very close match to one of the best wrestlers in the state and the nation by a score of 4 to 8. Robert Pritchett and Tee Neely also came up a little short but had hard fought battles with top ranked 5A wrestlers (both lost 1 to 6).
In the second match we took on the Huskies of Hewitt and dropped a heart breaker 31 to 33. Nailing down pins were Peter Hall, Tee Neely, Ben Bridell, and Adam Benjaminson (Adam’s was in just 0:30 seconds). Sam Gray won a dominant 13 to 1 major decision, while Joe Kyle beat a defending state runner up by a score of 3 to 2!
The third match put us against a perennial Tennessee State Championship team in Baylor of Chattanooga. During a match we lost 24 to 51, Robert Pritchett, Tee Neely, Joe Kyle, and Ben Bridell all gained pin falls!
In the next match we wrestled Oak Mountain, and we came out on the wrong end of a 20 to 41 decision. Joe Kyle and William Byrd won by pin fall. During Byrd’s match it was a very wild rough and tumble match that William came out on top of. We are very proud of how tough Byrd is! Ben Bridell was dominant with a 16 to 0 technical fall while Robert Pritchett pulled out a tough 3 to 2 victory in the last seconds!
In the last match we dropped a close 30 to 39 match. Robert Pritchett and Ben Bridell both won by pin fall. Andrew Scofield won a close 11 to 9 match, and this was a great demonstration of Andrew’s heart! Joe Kyle was also victorious with a 9 to 3 victory. Tee Neely and Sam Gray won by forfeit.
Individual standings on the day:
125 Peter Hall: 1 win (1 pin)
130 Robert Pritchett: 3 wins (2 pins)
135 Tee Neely: 3 wins (2 pins)
140 Andrew Scofield: 2 wins
145 William Byrd: 1 win (1 pin)
152 Joe Kyle: 5 wins (3 pins)
160 Sam Gray: 2 wins
171 Ben Bridell: 4 wins (3 pins)
189 Adam Benjaminson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes
DARYL COX/HUSKIE INVITATIONAL
After a long weekend in Trussville, and after many highs and lows, the Spartans came away with a seventh place finish out of sixteen teams. Ben Bridell lead the way with a second place finish at 171 pounds. Joe Kyle was right behind him with a third place finish. Tee Neely was fourth at his weight. Cullom Walker and Sam Gray placed fifth in their respective weights, and Andrew Scofield placed sixth in his division.
After a very productive Friday night, we took a small step back on Saturday. Despite the set back, our boys fought hard to come back and keep their pride intact with respectable finishes.
As we head into our exam week two things are certain: 1) our young men will wrestle as hard as they can, and 2) we still haven’t peaked yet. Our best wrestling is out on the horizon, as we hope to be at our best when it matters most.
This week brings exams and a trip to Scottsboro for one of our toughest weekends yet.
Individual standings on the day:
119 Cullom Walker: 3 wins (2 pins) fifth place
125 Peter Hall: 1 win
130 Robert Pritchett: 2 wins (1 pin)
135 Tee Neely: 3 wins (2 pins) fourth place
140 Andrew Scofield: 3 wins (1 pin) sixth place
145 William Byrd
152 Joe Kyle: 3 wins (1 pin) third place
160 Sam Gray: 2 wins fifth place
171 Ben Bridell: 3 wins (3 pins) second place
189 Adam Benjaminson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes
VESTAVIA MATCH
The Spartans took a trip over to Vestavia Hills and wrestled a very competitative match. All though they came out on the wrong end of a 22 to 47 loss there were a lot of hard fought battles. After giving up 18 points in forfeits, Cullom Walker started us off right with a pin in the second period of his match. Two matches later Tee Neely gained another pin in just thirty seconds! The next win was a commanding 19 to 4 victory by Joe Kyle. Ben Bridell earned the last win of the night with a dominant 18 to 3 victory.
Sam Gray dropped a very tough one point match to last season’s state runner up. Robert Pritchett also fought hard and lost a very close 4 point match. Several of our guys may have lost but showed great promise for the future.
Individual standings on the day:
119 Cullom Walker: 1 win (1 pin)
125 Peter Hall
130 Robert Pritchett
135 Tee Neely: 1 win (1 pin)
140 Andrew Scofield
145 William Byrd
152 Joe Kyle: 1 win
160 Sam Gray
171 Ben Bridell: 1 win
189 Adam Benjaminson
215 Creighton Rhodes
CLEVELAND DUALS
Our Spartans took a trip up to the mountains of Tennessee this past weekend. After all four matches were done the green and gold had two wins and two losses.
We started the day with a match against Brookwood High School of Georgia. We dropped a 27 to 41 loss that was sparked by the three forfeits we had to surrender (giving Brookwood an eighteen point advantage). Robert Pritchett collected our only pin of the match. Meanwhile Andrew Scofield clawed out an 18 to 3 technical fall. Cullom Walker, Tee Neely, Joe Kyle, Sam Gray, and Ben Bridell all came away with victories.
In our second match we lost a bizarre 36 to 36 match to Franklin High (Tennessee). In a tie situation, there are several criteria you look to. The referee had to go all the way to the seventh criteria to shake the tie standing (the seventh criteria is first points scored). Nailing down a pin was Cullom Walker and Andrew Scofield. Joe Kyle and Sam Gray won identical 4 to 2 decisions against tough opponents.
In our third match we had our first victory of the day as we defeated Severe County (Tennessee) 53 to 24. Pinning their way to wins was Cullom Walker, Peter Hall, Tee Neely, William Byrd, Joe Kyle, Sam Gray, Ben Bridell, and Creighton Rhodes. Cullom got his pin in just 32 seconds and then Tee beat his time with a 24 second pin but that time didn’t last long as Sam Gray took the fastest pin in just 15 seconds. In addition Andrew Scofield dominated with a 22 to 7 technical fall.
In the last match of the day the good guys defeated McCallie (Tennessee) 36 to 32. William Byrd got our lone pin of the match. Peter Hall’s 9 to 1 major decision sealed the victory for us. Andrew Scofield and Joe Kyle both won by major decision (10-2, 13-4). This last match was a great way to finish a good day.
Individual standings on the day:
119 Cullom Walker: 3 wins (2 pins)
125 Peter Hall: 3 wins (1 pin)
130 Robert Pritchett: 2 wins (1 pin)
135 Tee Neely: 2 wins (1 pin)
140 Andrew Scofield: 3 wins (1 pin)
145 William Byrd: 2 wins (2 pins)
152 Joe Kyle: 4 wins (1 pin)
160 Sam Gray: 4 wins (1 pin)
171 Ben Bridell: 3 wins (1 pin)
189 Adam Benjaminson: 1 win
215 Creighton Rhodes: 2 wins (1 pin)
OAK MOUNTAIN/ASB TRI MATCH
In the night’s first match the Spartans took on ASB, and came away victorious with a 58 to 15 victory. Taylor Buffington started us off with the first win of his career! Way to go Taylor! After that there was a slew of pins by the likes of: Cullom Walker, Peter Hall, Tee Neely, William Byrd, Ben Bridell, and Creighton Rhodes. Joe Kyle won by technical fall with a 19 to 4 victory. Sam Gray was also victorious in his return to the mat with a 22 to 10 victory!
In our second match we dropped a decision to Oak Mountain 48 to 26. After giving up eighteen points in forfeits our boys wrestled their hearts out. Pinning their Eagles to the mat was Tee Neely, William Byrd, and Joe Kyle. Ben Bridell and Robert Pritchett won in dominant fashion, 15 to 1 and 9 to 0 respectively. Fighting valiantly but coming up a little short was Andrew Scofield (Scofield has bridged the gap on this opponent and we expect good things in the future).
Individual standings on the night:
103 Taylor Buffington: 1 win
119 Cullom Walker: 1 win (1 pin)
125 Peter Hall: 1 win (1 pin)
130 Robert Pritchett: 2 wins
135 Tee Neely: 2 wins (2 pins)
140 Andrew Scofield: 1 win
145 William Byrd: 2 wins (1 pin)
152 Joe Kyle: 2 wins (1 pin)
160 Winston Reed
160 Sam Gray: 2 wins (1 pin)
171 Ben Bridell: 2 wins (1 pin)
189 Adam Benjaminson
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win (1 pin)
JV
Andrew Arnold: 1 win (1 pin)
Knight Holbrook: 2 wins (1 pin)
Charlie Hartley: 1 win
Mims Windham: 1 win
HEWITT MATCH
After the first match back from Louisiana, the Spartans were dragging their feet a little. As we ran into Hewitt Trussville (one of the best teams in Alabama year in and year out), we came out on the losing end of a 24 to 52 defeat.
On the bright side we collected three pins on the night (Tee Neely, Joe Kyle, and Ben Bridell), and one forfeit was gained by Robert Pritchett. Andrew Scofield dropped a heart breaker of a one point match, and we know he will learn from this! Cullom Walker and William Byrd also went the distance but fell short of victory.
Now it is time to pick ourselves back up and take on Oak Mountain on Thursday.
Individual standings on the night:
119 Cullom Walker
125 Peter Hall
130 Robert Pritchett: 1 win
135 Tee Neely: 1 win (1 pin)
140 Andrew Scofield
145 William Byrd
152 Joe Kyle: 1 win (1 pin)
160 Winston Reed
171 Ben Bridell: 1 win (1 pin)
189 Adam Benjaminson
215 Creighton Rhodes
CATHOLIC INVITATIONAL
The Spartans came away with a strong showing during their recent trip down to the bayou. At Catholic High School, in Baton Rouge, the green and gold came away with a third place finish out of 26 teams. Only perennial Louisiana powers Catholic High (first place) and Jesuit from New Orleans (second place) finished a head of our boys.
All the boys battled hard as we placed five guys in the top four! Placing fourth at 125 was Peter Hall. Winning third at 140 was Andrew Scofield. Ben Bridell was the runner up at 171 pounds. Tee Neely (135) and Joe Kyle (152) both brought back championships to the littlest kingdom.
Peter Hall really stepped up and uncorked a huge weekend. After winning his first match he pinned a very tough competitor from Jesuit. Unfortunately he dropped his semifinal match, but bounced back like a champ to finish fourth on the weekend. Way to go Pete!
Andrew Scofield also ran into trouble in the semifinals with a loss. Fortunately he showed great heart and grit as he wrestled two solid matches to claim third. Those two wins at the end were a great way for Andrew to get back in the saddle.
Our runner up at 171 was Ben Bridell. Bridell dominated his field all the way through the semifinals. In the finals Ben ran into one of the best wrestlers in the state of Louisiana from Comeaux High School. We were proud of Ben as he wrestled hard and he wrestled with class.
Our two champions won their matches against the two best wrestlers from host school Catholic High. Tee Neely won an amazing over time victory as he scored a take down with tremendous shot defense. Joe Kyle alos won late in the match as he gained a last second take down by throwing one of the most solid wrestlers in the gym out of Catholic High.
Individual standings on the night:
119 Cullom Walker: 2 wins
125 Peter Hall: 3 wins (2 pins)
130 Robert Pritchett: 1 win (1 pin)
135 Tee Neely: 4 wins (3 pins)
140 Andrew Scofield: 4 wins (2 pins)
145 William Byrd: 1 win (1 pin)
152 Joe Kyle: 4 wins (2 pins)
160 Winston Reed
171 Ben Bridell: 3 wins (2 pins)
189 Adam Benjaminson: 2 wins (2 pins)
189 Charlie Williamson: 1 win (1 pin)
215 Creighton Rhodes: 1 win (1 pin)
OTM DUALS
The Over the Mountain Duals provided our guys a great opportunity to measure themselves against some of the other teams from the area. In the three matches we wrestled we wrestled Shades Valley, Spain Park, and Thompson. The first match of the night saw our boys taking on the Mountaineers of Shades Valley. We won in dominant fashion with a 60 to 24 victory. Pinning their way to victory was Cullom Walker, Peter Hall, Robert Pritchett, Tee Neely, and Adam Benjaminson.
In the second match the good guys won again by a margin of 60 to 24 this time against the Spain Park Jaguars. Pin falls were notched by Peter Hall, Robert Pritchett, Tee Neely, Andrew Scofield, Joe Kyle, Ben Bridell, and Adam Benjaminson.
Heading into our last night we took on a feisty and young Thompson Warrior squad. This time we won 51 to 27. Dominating by pin was Cullom Walker, Robert Pritchett, Tee Neely, Andrew Scofield, William Byrd, Joe Kyle, Ben Bridell, and Adam Benjaminson. Bridell’s match only lasted 17 seconds!
On the night we lost one individual match out of 30! This is a great accomplishment.
Individual standings on the night:
119 Cullom Walker: 3 wins (2 pins)
125 Peter Hall: 3 wins (2 pins)
130 Robert Pritchett: 3 wins (3 pins)
135 Tee Neely: 3 wins (3 pins)
140 Andrew Scofield: 3 wins (2 pins)
145 William Byrd: 3 wins (1 pin)
152 Joe Kyle: 3 wins (2 pins)
160 Winston Reed: 2 wins
171 Ben Bridell: 3 wins (2 pins)
189 Adam Benjaminson: 3 wins (3 pins)
HOOVER MATCH
Our boys showed great heart as they took on perennial power house Hoover. Giving up 30 points in forfeits the Spartans went on the rampage as they won a commanding 43 to 33 decision. Out of the eight matches wrestled our boys won seven of them. Gaining a hard fought 4 to 1 decision Robert Pritchett started us off in a solid way as he defeated a state qualifier from last year. Tee Neely then got the fastest pin of the night in just 21 seconds. There were three other pins by Joe Kyle, Ben Bridell, and Adam Benjaminson. Technical falls were won in dominant fashion by Cullom Walker and Andrew Scofield. This was a very solid win indeed for the Green and Gold.
Individual standings on the night:
119 Cullom Walker: W 17-2
125 Peter Hall: L 16-10
130 Robert Pritchett: W 4-1
135 Tee Neely: W 0:21
140 Andrew Scofield: W 22-7
145 William Byrd: WBFF
152 Joe Kyle: W 2:49
171 Ben Bridell: W 3:56
189 Adam Benjaminson: W 1:08
HEWITT DUALS
The Mountain Brook Spartans kicked off their season with the Hewitt Duals. A tough field of teams gave our boys a chance to get five matches in before we all sit down with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. The first match of the day pitted the Spartans against the Sparkman Senators. All though we were giving up 18 points worth of forfeits we were victorious 48 to 24. It was a great way to start the season as pins were collected by Cullom Walker (3:35), Peter Hall (0:32), Tee Neely (1:08), Andrew Scofield (3:01), Ben Bridell (0:48), and Adam Benjaminson (1:14). Gaining wins by forfeit was Robert Pritchett and Joe Kyle. The most exciting match of the day involved Winston Reed. Winston barely lost a 16 to 14 nail biter, but even in defeat Winston showed the tenacity we look for in all of our Spartan grapplers.
The second match had our boys locking horns with Redbank out of Chattanooga. Giving up 12 points in forfeits, we came out on the wrong end of a 28 to 41 loss. Bright spots were provided by Andrew Scofield’s pin (3:07), and forfeits by Cullom Walker, William Byrd, and Joe Kyle. During the 135 pound bought tensions were running high. Coaches came out of their seats and the Redbank assistant almost got an early exit from the referee. Through out all of this craziness our defending State Runner-up, Tee Neely, displayed the kind of class and focus that we have come to expect from him as he put on a great show with a 22 to 13 victory over a very tough opponent.
Our third match came against the Eagles of Oak Mountain. The 18 points of forfeits weighed down the good guys as we dropped a 33 to 39 decision. Locking down pins for the green and gold was Tee Neely (1:01), William Byrd (1:24), and Ben Bridell (0:38). We were all thankful that our defending state placer, Joe Kyle, was finally given his first match as he took very little time disposing of his opponent with a pin at 1:44 of the first period. After what seemed like an eternity of over times, Robert Pritchett won an extremely hard fought 1 to 0 decision in his 130 pound match.
In the fourth match provided on the day we were looking across the mat at the host school, Hewitt Huskies. After a hard fought match, where we gave up 18 points in forfeits, we lost a 28 to 32 nail biter. Leading the way with pins was Tee Neely (0:45) and our first thirty second club pin as Ben Bridell nailed his opponent to the mat in 29 seconds! Winning by technical fall was freshmen sensation William Byrd (18 to 2) and takedown artist Joe Kyle put on a clinic with 11 takedowns on his way to 25 to 9 victory! Andrew Scofield showed tremendous determination as he won a gritty 6 to 5 match. In our second over time match Peter Hall did everything he could to give Coach Knutson a heart attack as his extremely exciting match was won in sudden victory on a great takedown 10 to 8! Pete showed the kind of heart we have come to know from all the Hall family wrestlers.
In the final match of the day, whew we were tired of being in Hewitt’s gym, we looked as fresh as we did in our first match. This dominant, 46 to 23, win showed that all our long hours of hard work is paying off. Pinning their way into the record books was Peter Hall (1:24), Robert Pritchett (1:11), Andrew Scofield (0:31), and William Byrd (1:48). Tee Neely also won by pin in a scorching time of just 14 seconds! Ben Bridell won in dominant fashion in an 11 to 2 match over a very solid opponent. Cullom Walker and of course Joe Kyle received forfeits. Ha Ha, sorry Joe.
As the day came to an end we look back on an action filled day. There was a lot to be proud of, and several things we need to improve on. Over all I was very pleased with the way we competed and as always I was proud of the way our Spartans and our fans conducted themselves.
Individual standings on the day:
119 Cullom Walker: 4 wins (1 pin)
125 Peter Hall: 3 wins (2 pins)
130 Robert Pritchett: 3 wins (1 pin)
135 Tee Neely: 5 wins (4 pins)
140 Andrew Scofield: 4 wins (3 pins)
145 William Byrd: 4 wins (2 pins)
152 Joe Kyle: 5 wins (1 pin)
160 Winston Reed
171 Ben Bridell: 4 wins (3 pins)
189 Adam Benjaminson: 1 win (1 pin)
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