Alabama 5A-6A - Day 2 Recap and Things to Know Heading into Day 3
Gardendale has taken control of the team race. Arab still has a mathematical chance to catch them, but it is beginning to slip from their grasp.
Team Scores (Top 10) After Day 2:
Gardendale 162.5
Arab 153.5
Wetumpka 141
McAdory 117
Ft Payne 109.5
Pelham 105
Homewood 103
Oxford 99
Southside-Gadsden 96
Jasper 86
Mtn Brook 86
Gardendale has control simply because of the numbers. They have 3 finalists (all three Powe’s - 113, 120, and 138) as well as Keenan Wyatt, Carson Kim, and Kennedy Wyatt in the consi semis in the morning, and Derrick Orvik, Matt Franks, and Riley Dunn wrestling for 7th.
Arab has two finalists (Jacob Holland at 120 and Caleb Roe at 170). Patrick Lawler, Jonathan Pugh, and Michael Robertson are in the consi semis. I assume the 2nd and 8th placement points have already been handed out (but that is an assumption) - if that is the case then Arab needs to win their consi semis and have Gardendale lose their consi semis to make things tight heading into the finals. Not likely, but not out of it yet.
Wetumpka has three finalist (Kyler Adams, Mason Blackwell, and Abe Preston) as well as Chad Strickland and Xander McWilliams wrestling in the consi semis. They are 12.5 points back from Arab for 2nd - they also will need some wins and some Arab loses to have a shot to take 2nd.
Those are your top 3 teams - that will not change. The fight for top 5 is close. McAdory is almost assured of a top 5 finish (I don’t think Pelham, Homewood, etc.) can overtake them at this point. But Ft Payne is close. The battle for a top 5 finish will be one to watch. Ft Payne has 1 finalist and 4 in the consi semis, Pelham has 2 finalists and 2 in the consi semis, Homewood has 1 finalist, 2 in the consi semis, and 2 wrestling for 7th. Oxford also still has an outside shot at the top 5 with their 2 finalists and 1 in the consi semis.
11 #1 seeds make the finals
All but 3 #1 seeds made the finals. That is why they were the “favorites” in the Fan’s Guide. This isn’t a surprise.
5 #2 seeds and 5 #3 seeds made the finals - this is a little lower for the #2’s than would be expected and we will see why in a minute.
3 #4 seed made the finals
1 #6 seed (Sam Sutton of Homewood made the finals (he beat both the #2 and #3 seeds today).
And the reason you have fewer #2’s than would be expected … you have 3 bracketbusters that broke their brackets. Each were identified as a bracketbuster in the Fan’s Guide and all 3 were on the bottom side of the bracket. These were 3 (of several) that I felt were grossly underseeded.
Jacob Dease was the easiest bracketbuster to pick. He is a 2x State Champ and missed all of last year with an injury. As a result, he didn’t get seeded in the top 8 at 132. He beat #2 seed Bryce Wanagat of Pelham in an exciting 7-6 quarterfinal and then Satsuma’s William Walker 8-2 in the semis to make it 3 for 3 on trips to the finals.
Damien Lawry of Benjamin Russell was the 3rd easiest bracketbuster to pick. He should’ve placed 2 years ago and didn’t beat out his teammate Curtis Norris who finished 5th last year in 6A. Lawry was state placer material last year - this year he is in the finals after beating #3 seed Demaria Jones, #6 seed CJ Williams, and #2 seed Izziah Williams.
Cale Tucker of Chelsea was my bracketbreaker at 106. He came in underseeded, but had limited matches (14-1 on the season) due to COVID-related issues (like much of the state). As a result he didn’t see some of the top guys and was put into the bracket much lower than what he should’ve been. He (like Dease) won a great quarterfinal match over the #2 seed (defending State Champ Peter Henderson) 9-8 and then beat #6 seed John Stewart to book his ticket to the finals.
Each “bracketbreaker” draws the #1 seed in the finals. Which of the 3 (or will all 3) finish it off and claim a State Title on Saturday?