By Erik Harris
MCCALLA – The Pinson Valley wrestling team has done it again.
With a first-place finish at the Jefferson County Wrestling Tournament at McAdory, the No. 5 Indians have now taken the last five county championships.
The 2016 crown came in convincing fashion, as Pinson Valley finished the two-day tournament with a score of 294.5, which was 94 points better than second-place finisher Clay-Chalkville.
The final standings
- Pinson Valley, 294.5
- Clay-Chalkville, 200.5
- Mortimer Jordan, 193
- Oak Grove, 156
- Gardendale, 119
- Fultondale, 116
- Minor, 114
- McAdory, 73
- Corner, 66
- Shades Valley, 60
Pinson Valley, under the direction of head coach Gene Richardson, sent ten wrestlers to the tournament finals. George Vazquez (106 pounds), Josh Walker (120), Cameron Hamby (126), Christian Hopkins (132), Zac Kuziak (145), Tate Brannan (152), Khymel Chaverst (160), Zac Cole (170), Tyler Johnson (182) and Taylor Rhodes (285) all advanced with semifinal wins.
Three of those finalists finished as individual county champions on Saturday. Brannan, a senior, finished on top of the 152-pound division. Hamby and Cole, who are both juniors, found equal success in their respective weight classes.
With only a single loss on its resume against No. 1 Arab and another championship trophy to squeeze into the locker room, fifth-ranked Pinson Valley is sure to climb up the Class 6A rankings.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.