Piedmont, AL – With four starters out, Weaver bags season’s fourth tournament victory at Piedmont Dogfight, looks primed for postseason run
By Joe Medley
The Alabama high school wrestling season has rounded the turn toward postseason, and defending Class 1A-4A state champion has that look again. Resting four starters, the Bearcats rolled to victory in the 21-team Piedmont Dogfight on Saturday at Piedmont Middle School, beating second-place Ranburne 155-120. Weaver added its fourth tournament victory of the season, including Ranburne’s Bulldog Invitational, Cleburne County’s Rumble in the Jungle and Weaver’s own Gene Taylor Invitational. “We just have to keep working, but I feel its kind of like it was last year,” senior Anthony Usry said. “We’re getting to that moment where we’re about to peak going into sections and state.”
Usry came away as one of Weaver’s two bracket winners Saturday, holding off Ohatchee’s Freer in 2-0 decision in the 184-pound final. Freshman Dalton Fink won the 108 division, pinning St. James’ Noah Raines. Sophomore Caden Thornton reached the 162 final. The Bearcats got a third-place finishes from sophomore Brandon Jolliff (197), and seventh-grader Haiden Hise reached the 115 consolation final.
Resting were senior 172 and two-time state champion Joshua Johannson, sophomore 154 Hunter Hise, junior 132 Kaden Gaines and seventh-grade 126 Dylan Brown. Gaines had just returned from injury, but Weaver coach Andy Fulmer chose to rest him. “They were just minor things and trying to rest them and get them healthy for sectionals,” Weaver coach Andy Fulmer said. With sectionals set for Feb. 10-11 and state Feb. 16-18, Weaver looks the part of 1A-4A’s top-ranked team in the Alabama Wrestling Coaches Association poll. The Bearcats entered championship and consolation-bracket finals with a 140-109.5 lead over St.James, and Fink started the finals with his pin of Raines.
Fink had four pins on the day, ranging from 15 seconds to 1:50. None of his matches made it out of the first two-minute period. “I feel this was the best tournament I’ve had all year,” he said. “I wrestled really good on my feet, something I’ve been working on. I just kind of had good backing and had good teammates pushing myself to do better.” Usry had three pins on the day, covering 1:28, 1:14 and 2:41 before his final with Freer went the distance. Fulmer called Usry’s victory over Freer “very workmanlike.” “He’s wrestled Freer five or six times,” Fulmer said. “The more you wrestle somebody, the harder it is to score. It’s always been close. “He moved a lot but just didn’t have an opportunity to score a whole lot until the last period.” [read more…]
