December 29, 2021
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Saks junior completes three-year journey back to the top with outstanding wrestler award at Oxford Invitational, Alexandria wins team title
OXFORD – Jeremy Waters remembers what it was like when he first got back into wrestling. It was hard.
But today, three years later, the Saks junior can look at the plaque he received Tuesday for being the outstanding wrestler of the Oxford Invitational and know all the work he’s put in to get back was worth it.
Waters, J.J. as he’s known on the mat, earned the award after winning the 182-pound weight class by going 5-0 with a decision, a major decision and three pins. He pinned Alexandria’s Jackson Primm in 1:49 to win the division.
The tournament win and the award are both firsts in his career.
“It felt real good. It got my confidence up a lot,” he said. “After I won that semifinal match I felt going into the final it was just there for me, I just had to go in there and take it.”
Waters thought he was “pretty good, nothing real special” coming through the youth programs, but gave up the sport going into his seventh-grade year. When he got back into it in the ninth grade he admitted he was basically starting over and it was a challenge.
“I knew a little bit from back in youth but it was pretty much starting from scratch and having to build up what I knew,” he said. “When I started back up in ninth grade I got whupped. I lost about every match I wrestled. It was terrible. I hated the losing.
“Now it’s getting to the point where I’ve learned enough that I’m able to put it in a match and I’m able to wrestle better.”
He made it to the blood round at state last year and finished third in his weight class at Lincoln’s Golden Bear Invitational earlier this year. He is currently sixth at 195 in the latest 1A-4A Alabama Wrestling Coaches rankings.
And then Tuesday happened.
“Seeing people, especially from our team, getting that (in the past), I felt it was possible if I go in and do what I know to do,” he said. “I was hoping it was going to be me (Tuesday) because I knew I wrestled good that day. But it did surprise me whenever I heard they called my name.”
Alexandria had winner or runner-up in half of the weight classes and scored 237 total points to win the team title for its second tournament title of the season Tuesday.
The Valley Cubs won by 33.5 points over Opelika. Cleburne County was third and host Oxford fourth.
Alexandria won five weight divisions and had the runner-up in two others. Opelika won three weight classes and Oxford won two. Cleburne County, Leeds, Lincoln, and Saks won one each.
OXFORD INVITATIONAL
Team scores: Alexandria 237, Opelika 203.5, Cleburne County 193, Oxford 175.5, Leeds 159, Saks 157, Lincoln 145.5, Pleasant Valley 73, Shades Valley 36.
Championship matches
106: Fabian Kearse, Lincoln maj. dec. over Hayden Hartzog, Alexandria, 12-2
113: Preston Jones, Alexandria pinned Brayden Dodd, Saks, 3:15
120: Kaleb Shelton, Oxford maj. dec. over Austen Mayfield, Cleburne County, 10-2
126: Shamar Heard, Cleburne County pinned Brayden Wilson, Opelika, 0:38
132: Joseph Lomax, Alexandria pinned Micah Smith, Opelika, 2:58
138: Brad Campbell, Opelika pinned Blane Brasher, Leeds, 1:52
145: Michael Howell, Oxford tech fall over Ayden VanHoose, Saks, 16-0 (2:37)
152: Jaden New, Alexandria pinned Jacob Stokes, Leeds, 3:24
160: Landon Willis, Opelika pinned Jacob Jimenez, Cleburne County, 5:58
170: Hunter Scott, Leeds pinned Rhett Walters, Lincoln, 0:43
182: Jeremy Waters, Saks pinned Jackson Primm, Alexandria, 1:49
195: Jack Pritchard, Opelika pinned Will Johnson, Cleburne County, 1:32
220: Connor Hall, Alexandria dec. Russell Clanton, Cleburne County, 1-0
285: Juddson Cromer, Alexandria, pinned Clay Rucker, Saks, 2:41 [**read more]
**When you click read more you will be taken to the EA Sports Today website. Please make sure to come back to read more Calhoun County News.
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