Stephen Gaydosh went out a champion.
Vestavia Hills captured the Class 7A title today at the 61st AHSAA State Wrestling Championships to give the most successful coach in Alabama history his 12th blue map trophy. Gaydosh, who has led the Rebels for 33 years, is retiring at the end of the school year.
Vestavia Hills edged Oak Mountain 134.5 to 131 at the Von Braun Center's Propst Arena in Huntsville. The Rebels won their first title since 2009 and are now tied with Benjamin Russell for most AHSAA wrestling championships with 14.
RELATED: PELHAM DOUBLE AMPUTEE WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
"Especially the way we did it," Gaydosh said when asked how special this year's championship was. "That kid (Tuscaloosa County's Josh Smith) had beaten our guy (Toren Pollard (152) won individual titles for Leeds.
-- R. Sirvell Carter contributed to this roundup
AWARDS
Class 7A
Most pins: Tuscaloosa County's Zachary Van Alstt (132)
RELATED: A look back at the action from Thursday and Frida
TEAM STANDINGS AND INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
CLASS 7A
Team scoring
Vestavia Hills 134.5; Oak Mountain 131; Thompson 97.5; Hoover 97; Central-Phenix City 56; Tuscaloosa County 47; Hewitt-Trussville 43; Prattville 39.5; Bob Jones 35.5; Auburn 35; Mountain Brook 34; Huntsville 33; Buckhorn 24; Grissom 22; Sparkman 22; James Clemens 15; Jeff Davis 7; Smiths Station 4; Gadsden City 2.
Championship matches
106 pounds: T.J. Rayam (Thompson) 31-2, Sr. over Armond Lloyd (Oak Mountain) 33-11, Sr. (Dec 7-5).
CLASS 6A
Team scoring
Arab 197; Southside-Gadsden 148.5; Athens 144.5; Scottsboro 131; Pinson Valley 109; Homewood 107;5; Clay-Chalkville 106.5; Benjamin Russell 90; Gardendale 75.5; Oxford 71.5; Pelham 68; Stanhope Elmore 65.5; Wetumpka 57; McAdory 41; Spanish Fort 38; Chelsea 37.5; Hueytown 34; Fort Payne 29; Minor 28; Muscle Shoals 27.5; Austin 27; Park Crossing 22.0; Opelika 21; Pell City 20; Decatur 18; Shades Valley 18; Walker 18; Huffman 12; Daphne 8; Hartselle 7; Lee-Huntsville 5; Gulf shores 4; Brookwood 3; Paul Bryant 1.
Championship matches
106 pounds: Daniel Bland (Benjamin Russell) 50-1, Sr. over Jacob Andrews (Stanhope Elmore) 26-5, So. (Dec 7-2).
CLASS 1A-5A
Team scoring
Leeds 170; Tallassee 130; Weaver 105; Madison County 104; Deshler 98; Mortimer Jordan 82; Alexandria 76; JO Johnson 70.5; Moody 69; Oak Grove 63; Saint James 57.5; Hayden 54.5; Fultondale 54; Westminster Christian 50; Dora 46; St. Clair County 45; Cleburne County 41; Holtville 38.5; Piedmont 32; Saks 31; Montgomery Catholic 30; Susan Moore 29; Ohatchee 27.5; Beauregard 23; Montevallo 23; New Hope 22; Walter Wellborn 22; Alabama School/Blind 18; Lincoln 16; JB Pennington 15; Carver-Birmingham 14; American Christian 12; Corner 9; Helena 9; Columbia 8; Ranburne 6; East Limestone 4; Elmore County 4; Sumiton Christian 4; Ashville 3; Shelby County 3; Prattville Christian 1.
Championship matches
106 pounds: Colton Parton (Madison County) 43-1, Sr. over Caleb Montgomery (Ohatchee) 52-6, Jr. (Dec 5-1).
Huntsville's Brooks Schrimsher. (R. Sirvell Carter | AL.com)
HUNTSVILLE's SCHRIMSHER GOES BACK-TO-BACK
Huntsville senior Brooks Schrimsher beat Oak Mountain sophomore Barrett Blakely by a 7-3 decision in the Class 7A, 170-pound final.
The win marked Schrimsher's second straight state title. He won at 152 last year.
"I knew I was under the radar last year so I knew this year I was going to have people looking at me," Schrimsher said. "I knew it was going to be harder so I trained that much harder and I got it done."
Schrimsher (47-4) considered his second championship to be more impressive than his first.
"It's always harder the second time because everyone's looking at you...and staying focused (is a challenge),"Shrimsher said.
Schrimsher was also pleased with drawing more attention to Huntsville's wrestling program with the win.
"Our school hasn't had a state champion beside me and Payton Demos (in the 220-pound division in 2014) in about five or six years," Schrimsher said. "More people know my name and the high school. More people have been coming out. It's awesome what we're building as a team."
-- R. Sirvell Carter | AL.com
Montgomery Catholic's Zachary Van Alst. (R. Sirvell Carter | AL.com)
VAN ALST CLAIMS FIFTH TITLE
Montgomery Catholic junior Zachary Van Alst extended his streak of state title wins to five.
Van Alst defeated Beauregard senior Robert Childress by technical fall by outscoring him 17-2 in the Class 1A-5A, 132-pound final.
"I try to push the pace and score as many points as possible so they can't come back," said Van Alst (53-1), who becomes the seventh five-time state champ in AHSAA history. "This is my first time...teching...someone in the finals."
Childress finished 53-9.
Van Alst (53-1) won his previous championships in four at 120, 113 and 106 (twice).
"My technique has been the same since the seventh grade so I had to get stronger each time I went up in a weight class," Van Alst said. "So I used that technique over and over and over again."
When asked which title win stood out the most, he said, "either this one or the one in seventh grade when I beat a junior."
-- R. Sirvell Carter | AL.com
Fultondale's Macon Edwards, top, battles Dora's Zach Clayton in the 1A-5A, 106 championship match. (Jimmy Lay | AL.com)
FULTONDALE'S EDWARDS SETS TWO RECORDS
Fultondale's Macon Edwards continued to re-write the record books with his win over Dora's Zach Clayton for the Class 1A-5A, 106-pound title.
Edwards (90-0) moved into second place nationally for wins in a season, and he set the AHSAA record for victories in an undefeated season with a 6-3 decision. Edwards entered the tournament owning the AHSAA mark for wins in a season.
"This feels great," Edwards said. "I mean, to beat two records in a year, it's just crazy. I love to pin people, but I'd rather just win the match. A lot of guys end up getting pinned when they go into the match trying to get a pin."
-- Jimmy Lay | AL.com
Daniel Boyette covers Huntsville region high school sports for The Alabama Media Group and The Huntsville Times. Write to him at dboyette@al.com.
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