Alabama 1A-4A State Semifinals
Deshler downs Ohatchee 37-37 on criteria
The Deshler crowed erupted when Devin Pennington finally was able to get the fall at 126 to give Deshler a 37-37 win based on criteria and send the Tigers to the 1A-4A State Finals. Pennington hunted the fall the entire match (and for a brief time ended up on his own back at the end of the 2nd period) before getting the fall over Zane Calhoun with about a minute left. Deshler trailed 37-31 heading into that final match … both teams finished with 7 wins and 5 falls and criteria came down to “The team having the greater number (total match points) of first-point(s) scored shall be declared the winner.”
We began the dual at 132 where Brooks Balentine and Dathan Laster put Deshler up quickly with 2 falls and Deshler led 12-0 as we went to 145. Malachi Goble got Ohatchee on the board with a fall at 145 before Ross Mills got a huge major decision over Deacon Engle to push Deshler up 16-6. Matthew King and James Howard got falls for Ohatchee to put Ohatchee up 18-16 after 6 matches.
Devon Jeffreys downed Cody Freer 9-3 to put Deshler up 19-18 at the halfway point. Troy Galloway got a fall for Ohatchee and Jamarion Sanderson got a fall for Deshler to keep it a one point match. Ethan Thrash downed Lathan Jeffreys 10-3 (7 points - 1 from a major) to put the score 27-25 Ohatchee with 4 matches remaining. Briley Carter pushed the Ohatchee lead 33-25 with a quick fall at 106 before Hayden Adkins got a fall for Deshler at 113 … 33-31 Ohatchee. Kasin Bramlett downed Brian Hill 10-0 to add 4 points for Ohatchee but still keep the door open for a Deshler comeback. Pennington sealed the win and pushed Deshler into Friday’s final.
Ashville beats St James 40-24
It was over when … Bryan Hampton downed Pruitt Conner 8-6 in sudden victory at 145 to put the dual out of reach.
Ashville got off the a good start when Travis Smith downed Brooks Bacheler 1-0 at 160 and Dylan Harris beat Ariel July 5-2 to put Ashville up 6-0. Clayton Craft got St James in the match with a major decision of Cody Fincher to put the dual at 6-4. AJ Alozie received a forfeit at 195 to put St James up 10-6. Ashville got a 2-0 win from Layden Olson over Owen Penney at 220 and then falls by Mason Wilson at 285 and at 106 from Owen Meads to push the Ashville lead to 21-10. St James pulled ahead with pins by Braylen Corley and Logan Hartson and a 6-3 decision win by Granger Hicks over Nick Williamson to put the dual at 25-21 St James heading into the final 4 matches.
Unfortunately for St James that would be the last match they would win … Gavin Hare got a 11-1 major at 132 and Tyler Ebner nearly put the dual out of reach with a fall at 138 to put Ashville up 31-25 heading into the final 2 matches. Hampton (Ashville) and Conner (St James) were scoreless in the 1st period before we had a wild back and forth 2nd period … 5-5 to start the 3rd. Pruitt Conner got an escape with a minute remaining and then Hampton got a penalty point with 1 second remaining in the match to tie it at 6. I didn’t get to watch it so I have no idea of what happened at the end … but if St James had gotten the win then it would have been 31-28 heading into the final match. BUT a point was awarded and Hampton got the takedown in sudden victory to send Ashville to the finals. Given that St James forfeited at 152 - it is likely that the point at the end wasn’t the deciding factor, but I don’t know.
