State of the Program ... McAdory (AL)
McAdory (AL)
Head Coach: Blake Dutton
Staff: Robert Wilkerson
A year ago McAdory finished 3rd in a very tough 5A-6A traditional state tournament … 13 points behind the eventual Champs - Mortimer Jordan. McAdory moves to 6A this season and will have to battle through Gardendale, Homewood, and defending Champs Mortimer Jordan if they are going to take the title in 2023. Fortunate for the Yellow Jackets - they return the bulk of their 112.5 points (actually return wrestlers that accumulated 102.5 of those points and 8 of 10 that competed at the state tournament a year ago).
The Jackets are led by returning State Champs Hudson Waldrop and Aiden Knight as well as State Placers Savian Graham and Wesley Miller. Waldrop and Knight can go compete with anyone and will be called on the lead the way in 2023 … all 4 of the above are Seniors and they will play a huge role in whether McAdory takes the team title or not. Christion Griggs, Marvin Barrera, Jaxon Hudgins, and Timothy Wilson each qualified a year ago and each had wins in Huntsville at the end of the season. If McAdory can put eight on the podium - they will be tough to beat. The key for the Jackets is the continued development of David Angel and CJ Mickle as well as the return of KeAndre Poellnitz who missed the post-season due to injury. Keep an eye on Erik Lessears, Braylon Hill, Jourdan Godwin, Tanner Raney, and Ryan McFarland. Mortimer Jordan won it a year ago with 6 Placers and another 4 qualifiers and in a competitive 6A … that should be the expectation - so who joins Waldrop, Knight, Graham, and Miller on the podium and who joins the others in getting points in Huntsville?
“This is a very seasoned group. This team should be led by 7 or 8 senior starters and a couple of juniors that have seen a lot of mat time. We should have 9 or 10 weight classes that can compete with anyone. They have worked hard all off season. This is a great group and should be able to compete for a state championship. We are very excited about this season. As a coach this group is very special to me.”
NOTE: All mentions of placers and qualifiers in the body are based on the 2021-22 season. If a wrestler placed higher or lower in a previous year it is not captured above.