By Phil Gibson
The Hewitt-Trussville High School wrestling team brought home first place from the Benjamin Russell Duels on Saturday. To get there, the Huskies beat last year’s state champions, Thompson High School, 38-34 in the finals.
The Huskies also defeated Opelika (39-31), Jeff Davis (51-20), Wetumpka (55-21) and another team from Thompson (40-34). Hewitt-Trussville Wrestling Coach Mark Snider was pleased with the team’s progress as a whole.
“The entire team performed very well,” Snider said
. “Our young wrestlers are learning and improving with each match. Our veteran wrestlers are doing a great job of helping us bring the younger guys along and these veterans are really wrestling well.”
The Huskies also have two wrestlers who were undefeated after the duals- eighth grader Heath Williamson (106 pounds) and senior Marcus Elkins (182 pounds).
Despite the win, Coach Snider wants to see more progress from his team as they prepare for the state tournament in February.
“We still have several young guys who need to continue to improve for us to have any chance of doing well at the state tournament,” Snider said. “All of these guys need to improve on their takedowns and escapes.”
The Huskies’ wrestling team will continue its season Saturday at the Tuscaloosa County Duals.