By Erik Harris
PINSON — Pinson Valley won its fourth consecutive Jefferson County Wrestling Championship at Gardendale last Saturday.
The Indians cruised through the 12-team field behind big outings from Jonathan Duke (220 pounds), Hank Turner (152), Deon Gregory (170) and Cameron Hamby (120), all of which took home first place in their respective weight classes.
The Pinson Valley wrestling team
photo courtesy of the Pinson Valley Twitter account
Coach Gene Richardson and the four-time champs amassed 197 points, which placed them 22 points higher than silver medalist Gardendale. Mortimer Jordan came in third place with 150.5 points and Clay-Chalkville placed fourth with 141.5 overall points.
Duke and Turner handled their matches with pins, while Gregory and Hamby won by way of decision.
Duke pined McAdory’s Frank Gonzalez in the second minute of the 220-pound finals. Turner took the gold from Mortimer Jordan’s Bragan Swindle by pinning him inside the first minute.
Gregory won by decision over Clay-Chalkville’s Tyler Chatman 12-4 in the 170-pound championship match.
Three other Indians medaled. Tate Brannan took third place in the 132-pound weight class, Zac Kusiak finished third at 138 and Taylor Rhodes placed third in the heavyweight division.
For the Cougars, Justin Carty (138) and Austin Weldon (160) won championships at their weight. Carty won by technical foul over Jamar Fields of Fultondale, and Weldon pinned his way to a first-place finish.
