A Fan's Guide to the Alabama 7A State Tournament
Welcome to the Fan’s Guide for the Alabama 7A State Tournament
So what is a Fan’s Guide?
The Fan’s Guide is a look at the tournament as a whole and each individual weight class … from a fan’s perspective. But it is not a prediction of who will win or who will make the podium. In fact, a Fan’s Guide is a little different. It is a look at a few individual pieces from each bracket … they include:
Favorite: the wrestler that enters the tournament as a section champ and has the best shot to claim the top step.
Contenders: wrestlers we think that will most likely to make a run to the finals and challenge for the top step.
Darkhorse: someone off the radar that could surprise some people
Bracketbuster: a wrestler that finished 5 or 6 in their section, but could make a run for the podium.
The AHSAA seeds the tournament … in many respects our favorite, contenders, etc. match their seeds, but not always. We’ve included the seeds as well as our picks of who to watch.
Isn’t that kind of a prediction?
Yes and no. I do identify the favorite, but beyond that I have no idea of who will march through the bracket and claim a title (don’t get me wrong - I’ve watched a lot of wrestling this season so I have an idea of what will happen). I could give you an educated guess about a possible finals match and who will make the podium, but in the world of high school wrestling that is dangerous territory. Few wrestlers (if any) are unbeatable … but we do have past results and past accomplishments on which to make a guess or two. In reality, I am as much of a fan as any of you and like to talk wrestling. I hope each athlete goes out and performs to her ability and we, as fans, get an opportunity to watch some great wrestling.
Remember the sole purpose of the website, twitter, instagram, fan’s guides, pictures, etc. is to promote the sport in the Southeast. Have a great time this weekend, enjoy the wrestling, and best of luck to everyone competing.
NOTE: ALL INFORMATION BELOW IS ASSUMING THAT THE INFORMATION INPUTTED INTO TRACKWRESTLING EITHER BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR OR THE COACHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS CORRECT.
A Look Back at 2023:
Team Race:
Tough to beat a team that outs 12 on the podium. Vestavia brought 13 to the state tournament. One more than Thompson, two more than Huntsville, and three more than Smiths Station (the only teams with double digit qualifiers). I don’t think we can overemphasize the importance of placing in the team race … just look at Spain Park - brought half the qualifiers of Vestavia and Thompson, but put 5 of their 6 on the podium … good enough to put them 5th overall.
Seeding - Good, Bad and the Ugly
Things rarely work out the way we think they will and that is true in the seeding of a tournament. Rarely do you see all four of #1 seeds in the NCAA Basketball Tournament make the final four or the top seeds in the NFL playoff make the Super Bowl. We enjoy watching the underdogs (what we call in the Fan’s Guide the darkhorse or bracketbusters) make a mess of the bracket. Remember the point of the seeds - it is to reward someone for past performance - not to predict their future performance. Often those two things go hand-in-hand, but not always. Still a poorly seeded bracket can cause chaos and not see the two best individuals make the finals (which is what we want as fans - the best final the bracket can produce) … when two outstanding individuals meet in the first round or the quarterfinals and both dominate from that match through the rest of the tournament - something is lost.
We can generate a seed error based on where individuals are seeded and where they end up on the podium (if they end up on the podium). And that seed error is then translated into an error factor. Ideally you’d like to be at 0 - no error in the bracket. That rarely happens. If you can get a weight to be below .200 you are doing well and between .200 and .300 is what we might consider fair. It should be noted that the lines being drawn are my own based on looking at past events. Remember the labeling of bad isn’t a judgment on who won or who didn’t - it is an analysis of how good the committee did in seeding the bracket. That’s it. So - how did the seeding go last year?
Let’s just take a quick look at a couple of these …
113 - The top part of 113 was outstanding as the top 3 seeds finished as they were seeded. It was 4th, 5th, and 6th that blew up the bracket. Caleb Gray-Lowe and John David Shattuck were bracketbusters … coming from double digit seeds to make the top 6.
160 - all six seeded wrestlers made the podium. Four of the six in different spots than where the were seeded, but overall a bracket that was seeded well.
Team Notes
The table below is a list of every qualifier by school, along with their seed (not their place at sectionals). So we could talk about a number of different teams, but in reality there are just a handful that have enough to really make a run for a team title. They are discussed below the table.
Huntsville comes in with the edge because they qualified all 14 for the weekend. Three more wrestlers can be a significant number of points, but only if they gets wins and make the podium. Three of their qualifiers were 6th in the North - so that is something to watch. In actuality this is a three team race between Huntsville, Smiths Station, and Thompson. Daphne and Opelika both qualified 10 and are lurking outside the top 3 … it will tough for them to overcome all three and claim a title, but you never know. The key for each team is getting their qualifiers onto the podium and because the AHSAA seeds the tournament - you really need to be aware of the seeds … most times (as we showed above) the seeds work well and are fairly accurate in telling you who will make the podium. Keep in mind that Vestavia only had 1 Champ a year ago, but won the team title with 11 placers … if any of the top teams can get double digit placers they will be tough to beat.
106 lbs.
Favorite: Micah Swiger (Daphne) - South 1st
Contenders:
JAMESON THOMAS (Oak Mountain) - North 1st
Karter Stiffler (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
Gavin Bittle (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Darkhorse: Matthew Campbell (Vestavia Hills) - North 3rd
Bracketbuster: Braylen Johnson (Thompson HS) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Micah Swiger (Daphne) - South 1st
Karter Stiffler (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
JAMESON THOMAS (Oak Mountain) - North 1st
Gavin Bittle (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Matthew Campbell (Vestavia Hills) - North 3rd
Braylen Johnson (Thompson HS) - North 5th
Phoenix Ayers (Central) - South 2nd
Noah Krauss (Auburn) - South 4th
Thoughts: This is going to be a good bracket. Swiger is 41-6, but took many of those losses up at 113. He beat Jameson Thomas in early January and beat Ayers 9-5 .. has not wrestled Stiffler who lost to Ayers in overtime in the south sectional.
113 lbs.
Favorite: Kiyan Simon (Huntsville) - North 1st
Contenders:
Stone Phillips (Vestavia Hills) - North 2nd
Eli Sanders (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Will Atkinson (Thompson HS) - North 3rd
Darkhorse: Trey Denny (Oak Mountain) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Colton West (Bob Jones) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Kiyan Simon (Huntsville) - North 1st
Stone Phillips (Vestavia Hills) - North 2nd
Eli Sanders (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Will Atkinson (Thompson HS) - North 3rd
Trey Denny (Oak Mountain) - North 4th
Colton West (Bob Jones) - North 5th
Dalton Todd (Tuscaloosa County) - North 6th
Paxton Hanshaw (Enterprise HS) - South 2nd
Thoughts: Very good bracket with two state runners-up in Simon and Phillips. Simon beat Phillips 12-4 last week and has to be the favorite. Eli Sanders is an unbeaten freshman at 42-0, but hasn’t faced any of the top 113’s here this season … we will see how that plays out in Huntsville. Will he stay unbeaten and claim a title or not?
120 lbs.
Favorite: Clark Box (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 1st
Contenders:
Kaden Clark (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Wallace Blue (Huntsville) - North 3rd
John Adams (Auburn) - South 1st
Darkhorse: John David Shattuck (Grissom Hs) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Charles Noto (Vestavia Hills) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Clark Box (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 1st
Kaden Clark (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Wallace Blue (Huntsville) - North 3rd
John David Shattuck (Grissom Hs) - North 4th
John Adams (Auburn) - South 1st
Charles Noto (Vestavia Hills) - North 5th
Jackson Grant (Mary G Montgomery) - South 2nd
Sam Mock (Smiths Station Hs) - South 3rd
Thoughts: Box claimed a title over Simon last year at 106 and comes in 34-2 on the season. He beat Kaden Clark in the North final 4-2 last weekend so the pack is close to the favorite. The North has some hammers - it will be interesting to see how high on the podium Adams, Grant and the south can make it.
126 lbs.
Favorite: Kameron Stiffler (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Contenders:
Joseph Sowell (Huntsville) - North 1st
Bradley Hastings (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Zander Samargia (Bob Jones) - North 3rd
Darkhorse: Logan Odom (Baker HS) - South 2nd
Bracketbuster: Landon Sanders (Hoover) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Kameron Stiffler (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Joseph Sowell (Huntsville) - North 1st
Bradley Hastings (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Zander Samargia (Bob Jones) - North 3rd
Landon Sanders (Hoover) - North 5th
Jayden King (Tuscaloosa County) - North 6th
Logan Odom (Baker HS) - South 2nd
Derrick Hoyett (Opelika Hs) - South 5th
Thoughts: Stiffler or Sowell. Tough choice. They look like the two best in the field and they are on opposite sides of the bracket so we might find out Saturday afternoon. Little surprised Odom is seeded at #7, but I will say the north is stacked at 126.
132 lbs.
Favorite: Timothy Luttrell (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Contenders:
Grier Hunt (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
Gatlin Tate (Prattville) - South 2nd
Jordan Weltzin (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Darkhorse: Joseph Soto (Central) - South 4th
Bracketbuster: Cleo Clemons (Baker HS) - South 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Timothy Luttrell (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Gatlin Tate (Prattville) - South 2nd
Grier Hunt (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
Jordan Weltzin (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Joseph Soto (Central) - South 4th
Ethan Johnson (James Clemens HS) - North 2nd
Cleo Clemons (Baker HS) - South 5th
Ian Hodgin (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 3rd
Thoughts: Should Luttrell be the favorite? It is a great question. He has split with Hunt this season and is 1-3 vs. Tate, but he has the last win vs. both of them at the south section tournament. Hunt was the favorite, but I have a hard time giving the favorite tag to someone that didn’t win their section (ahead of someone that did). Truth is … it doesn’t matter. Luttrell will likely have to beat Weltzin (he did back in November) to get to the finals where he will likely need to beat either Hunt or Tate again. Interestingly, I don’t believe Hunt and Tate has wrestled this season - both from the south section but haven’t crossed paths.
138 lbs.
Favorite: Kiowa Vines (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Contenders:
Jake Ciccolella (Huntsville) - North 2nd
Landon Keith (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Toby Hymel (Daphne) - South 1st
Darkhorse: Max Bell (James Clemens HS) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: George Esparza (Central) - South 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Kiowa Vines (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Jake Ciccolella (Huntsville) - North 2nd
Landon Keith (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Toby Hymel (Daphne) - South 1st
Brayden Wilson (Opelika Hs) - South 2nd
Max Bell (James Clemens HS) - North 4th
Konner Galvez (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
George Esparza (Central) - South 5th
Thoughts: Thompson welcomes the return of state runner-up Kiowa Vines after missing the middle part of the season. Vines didn’t miss a beat and downed Ciccolella, returning State Champ at this weight, 8-4 for the North title. Don’t be surprised if we see a rematch in the state finals.
144 lbs.
Favorite: Bradley Williams (Spain Park HS) - North 1st
Contenders:
Jack Shaver (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Jay Colebaugh (Huntsville) - North 3rd
Denarvious Anderson (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Darkhorse: Henry Betke (Thompson HS) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Walker Hogue (Vestavia Hills) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Bradley Williams (Spain Park HS) - North 1st
Denarvious Anderson (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Jack Shaver (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Jay Colebaugh (Huntsville) - North 3rd
Henry Betke (Thompson HS) - North 4th
Walker Hogue (Vestavia Hills) - North 5th
Jesus Quezada (Tuscaloosa County) - North 6th
Cole Reid (Foley) - South 3rd
Thoughts: Few bigger favorites in 7A than Bradley Williams. Williams has been on the podium several times before and this year (now 51-0 on the season) looks like his chance to take the top step. Anderson, Shaver, and others are returning SQ’s, but it is hard to imagine anyone on the same level as Williams. As for the seeds … they look good to me.
150 lbs.
Favorite: Yanik Simon (Huntsville) - North 1st
Contenders:
Nick Dempsey (Thompson HS) - North 2nd
Lemuel Lynon (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Garrett Grimes (Baker HS) - South 2nd
Darkhorse: Trace Gaither (Opelika Hs) - South 4th
Bracketbuster: Luis Melendez (Tuscaloosa County) - North 6th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Yanik Simon (Huntsville) - North 1st
Nick Dempsey (Thompson HS) - North 2nd
Lemuel Lynon (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Garrett Grimes (Baker HS) - South 2nd
Trace Gaither (Opelika Hs) - South 4th
Sean Lydon (Sparkman) - North 3rd
Luis Melendez (Tuscaloosa County) - North 6th
Jesse Palmer (Oak Mountain) - North 4th
Thoughts: Simon is a returning State Champ and downed Dempsey 14-5 for the North title. Dempsey was 3rd a year ago and has been 2nd twice … will he knock off Simon this week and claim a title for the Warriors? The seeds look good here … Lynon won the South over Grimes - so their seeds at #3 and #4 make sense. Fact is - unless there are some big upsets we will likely see Simon vs. Dempsey again.
157 lbs.
Favorite: Brady Campbell (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Contenders:
Paxton Miller (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Jacob Triplett (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Adam Cornwell (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Darkhorse: Coleman Sovine (Oak Mountain) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Airen McCoy (Tuscaloosa County) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Brady Campbell (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Paxton Miller (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Jacob Triplett (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Adam Cornwell (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Owen Eiland (Daphne) - South 2nd
Coleman Sovine (Oak Mountain) - North 4th
Airen McCoy (Tuscaloosa County) - North 5th
Brady Hicks (Baker HS) - South 3rd
Thoughts: Another situation where it is hard to imagine anyone knocking off returning State Champ Brady Campbell. Campbell is 47-0 on the season and is amongst our top 15 150-157’s in the SE. Paxton Miller won the North and looks like the favorite on the bottom side especially given he beat Triplett 15-7 in the North finals and that is his likely semis matchup assuming both get there. Eiland or Cornwell as the #4 seed - in reality it doesn’t matter - they share the same quarter of the bracket and will need to get a win in order to make the semis.
165 lbs.
Favorite: Andrew Sullivan (Vestavia Hills) - North 1st
Contenders:
Charlie Buttiker (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Brock Fields (Huntsville) - North 3rd
Kody Sigmon (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Darkhorse: Jaiden Moore (Thompson HS) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Kasey Zylstra (Hoover) - North 6th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Andrew Sullivan (Vestavia Hills) - North 1st
Charlie Buttiker (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Brock Fields (Huntsville) - North 3rd
Kody Sigmon (Enterprise HS) - South 1st
Darryl Honeycutt (Central) - South 2nd
CADEN BURGER (Grissom Hs) - North 5th
Tommie Johnson (Opelika Hs) - South 3rd
Jaiden Moore (Thompson HS) - North 4th
Thoughts: One of the bright spots for a rebuilding Vestavia dynasty is Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan was 2nd last year to Campbell at 145. Sullivan’s two losses this season have come to out of state competition … losing to PA’s Isaac Lacinksi and to LA’s Carter Macha. He beat Buttiker in last weend’s North final 9-4, but has yet to face Brock Fields or Kody Sigmon this year.
175 lbs.
Favorite: John McKinney (Huntsville) - North 1st
Contenders:
Dalton Wainwright (Prattville) - South 1st
Vincent Bianca (Grissom Hs) - North 2nd
Jabari Thomas (Central) - South 2nd
Darkhorse: Cooper Cook (Vestavia Hills) - North 3rd
Bracketbuster: Wyatt Massey (Thompson HS) - North 6th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
John McKinney (Huntsville) - North 1st
Dalton Wainwright (Prattville) - South 1st
Vincent Bianca (Grissom Hs) - North 2nd
Ben Crouse (Bob Jones) - North 4th
Cooper Cook (Vestavia Hills) - North 3rd
Jabari Thomas (Central) - South 2nd
Cayden Ervin (Tuscaloosa County) - North 5th
Wyatt Massey (Thompson HS) - North 6th
Thoughts: John McKinney is the returning 160 lb. State Champion. Dalton Wainwright was 4th at 160 a year ago and won the South section. It figures to be those two in the final, but don’t be surprised to see Ben Crouse or Cooper Cook make some noise on the top side … not saying either are beating McKinney, but both have wrestled well this season. Crouse has lost twice to McKinney - Cook has yet to face him. McKinney also has a win over Wainwright in early January.
190 lbs.
Favorite: Avery Clark (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Contenders:
Delvecchio Alston (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Jake Mcconnell (Prattville) - South 1st
Porter Schott (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Darkhorse: Sheldon Sharp (Bob Jones) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Kourtlan Kendrick (Florence) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Avery Clark (Thompson HS) - North 1st
Delvecchio Alston (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Jake Mcconnell (Prattville) - South 1st
Porter Schott (Chelsea) - North 3rd
Sheldon Sharp (Bob Jones) - North 4th
Colton Rainer (Daphne) - South 2nd
Brandon Denson (Opelika Hs) - South 3rd
Amari Allen (Smiths Station Hs) - South 4th
Thoughts: Avery Clark was 4th at 220 in 2023 and beat Alston 4-0 to claim the North title last weekend. Both of his losses this year came up at 220 to Kyle Oliveira and Christian Preston. He has beaten Alston twice this year, but has yet to face Jake McConnell of Prattville. McConnell was 6th at 182 last year and is 29-3 on the season (losing to Preston and Lance Peterson up at 215 - he hasn’t faced either Alston or Clark this season).
215 lbs.
Favorite: KYLE OLIVEIRA (Spain Park HS) - North 1st
Contenders:
Lance Peterson (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Gideon Roll (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Blake Christian (Tuscaloosa County) - North 3rd
Darkhorse: Kamron Powell (Austin) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Griffin McKinney (Huntsville) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
KYLE OLIVEIRA (Spain Park HS) - North 1st
Blake Christian (Tuscaloosa County) - North 3rd
Lance Peterson (Smiths Station Hs) - South 1st
Gideon Roll (Bob Jones) - North 2nd
Kamron Powell (Austin) - North 4th
Griffin McKinney (Huntsville) - North 5th
Early Young (Davidson HS) - South 2nd
Jace Himes (Enterprise HS) - South 3rd
Thoughts: No big men in the state of Alabama have made a bigger jump over the last two years than Kyle Oliveira. Oliviera has gotten better every time I’ve watched him compete. He is 49-0 on the season with wins over Roll, Christian Preston, Falciani, Clark, etc. He hasn’t faced Blake Christian or Lance Peterson and that’s something to keep an eye on. Peterson is 39-1 with his only loss coming to Blake Christian back in November.
285 lbs.
Favorite: Tafari Alcime (Bob Jones) - North 1st
Contenders:
Zack Chatman (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Kyle Epperson (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Jacob Wilson (Baker HS) - South 3rd
Darkhorse: Zachary Teter (Huntsville) - North 4th
Bracketbuster: Rodney English (Hoover) - North 5th
Seeds (top 8 - #1 seed is listed first on down to 8)
Tafari Alcime (Bob Jones) - North 1st
Zack Chatman (Hewitt-Trussville) - North 2nd
Kyle Epperson (Opelika Hs) - South 1st
Jacob Wilson (Baker HS) - South 3rd
Marley Cholewinski (Thompson HS) - North 3rd
Zachary Teter (Huntsville) - North 4th
Kyle King (Auburn) - South 2nd
Rodney English (Hoover) - North 5th
Thoughts: Really good weight with several 285’s that are evenly matched. Alcime is 38-5 with two wins over Chatman - the lost being in sudden victory in the North finals. Chatman has only lost to Alcime and Georgia Runner-up JaQuavian Daniels … he also has some quality wins (one over the 3 seed and South Section Champ Kyle Epperson) back in early November. Truth is the distance separating all of the contenders here isn’t significant and any that are dictating their strategy can come out on top and claim a title. Right now we lean to Alcime, but don’t be surprised if Chatman, Epperson, or someone else makes a run.