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Photo by Rick Golden

Mat Cats win it all

By Michael Butler

Tallassee has another state champion. The youth wrestling program has bred individual champions on an annual basis. This year they added a team trophy.

The Tallassee Mat Cats bested 31 other teams on Saturday at the USAW Youth State Championships in Trussville for the program's first title.

13 individual wrestlers won their weight classes and claimed gold trophies. Eight wrestlers won "Battle for the Belt" titles.

Brent Tennyson predicted his team would win the overall prior to the season. He was true to his word.

"I told them at the beginning of the season this would be a special season. My good friend Marshall Stough and RJ (Stough) are the reason we got the building we train in."

Marshall Stough passed away last fall prior to the beginning of the season.

"On the back of our shirts it says rest in peace M.S. for Marshall," Tennyson noted. "This year was dedicated to him."

STATE CHAMPS!
Courtesy of Tallassee Mat Cats

Tallassee took 57 wrestlers to the tournament, up from 35 last year. One was Tennyson's son, Maddox. In his first year with the program, he is a state champion.

"He was the youngest one in the program this year. I'm very proud."

Two females were also champions.

"We don't know if we've had a girl state champion in the youth state tournament ever," said Tennyson. "We've not seen it. Alli Smith won. Ten minutes later Sara Wyatt won. Most guys don't like wrestling them. Those two girls probably work harder than anybody in the gym."

Tallassee won all divisions except school boy.

"Pee wee, bantam, intermediate and novice won state. It was first time we have won novice. School boy was third. School boy is the oldest kids. We just don't have a lot because we're a young program.

The youth wrestling program was started ten years ago by the late Jerry Beasley. It is a program under the Tallassee Recreation Department.

I can't say enough about the coaches and what they do with these kids on and off the mat," Recreation Department director Rick Golden said. "We were well represented by the conduct of the kids, the way the behave themselves, how they compete and wrestle and pull for each other. I've seen numerous times when one of our kids win he'll reach down and pick the other guy up and hug him."

Tennyson thanked his assistant coaches.

"Our coaches; Trey Rogers, Jeremy Ballentine, Brad Jones, Josh Epperson, Phillip Nelson, JR Robbins help out. Sometimes we've got 60 kids with three coaches. We make it work. It takes a community."

Team Results

1.  Tallassee Mat Cats 487.5
2.  Ironclad Wrestling Club 392.0
3.  Central Alabama Wrestling Club 130.0
4.  Mountain Brook Youth Wrestling 129.0
5.  Panther Paws Youth Wrestling 119.0
6.  Gravity Wrestling Club 108.5
7.  Skull & Crossbones Wrestling C 95.0
8.  Alex City Youth Wrestling 87.0
9.  Quest Wrestling Club 86.0
10.  KageFit 84.0
11.  Vestavia Wrestliing Club 77.0
12.  AuburnTakeDown 62.0
13.  Beauregard Swarm 48.0
14.  Homewood 24.0
15.  Icon Wrestling 20.0
16.  Huntsville Youth Wrestling 16.0
17.  Alabama Takedown Academy 9.0
18.  Alabama Wrestling Club 8.0
19.  Taurus MMA 8.0
20.  Auburn Mixed Martial Arts 5.0
21.  Warrior Wrestling Club 4.0
22.  Alexander 0.0
23.  Central Alabama Wrestling 0.0
24.  Clay Youth Wrestling Club 0.0
25.  Hoover 0.0
26.  Leeds Youth Wrestling 0.0
27.  Panther Paws Youth Wrestling C 0.0
28.  Ranburne Wrestling 0.0
29.  Russell County youth wrestling 0.0
30.  The Wrestling Center 0.0
31.  Trussville 0.0
32.  Vicious Wrestling Academy 0.0

Battle for the Belt Winners

Peewee - Hayden Bragg
Bantam - Dylan Price
Bantam - Brodie Jones
Intermediate - Chase Chumley
Intermediate - Land Bell
Novice - Jude Rogers
Novice - Aiden Cockrell
Novice - RJ Coker

Individual Results

Peewee 40 - Walker Johnson's place is 1st -  STATE CHAMPION
Peewee 45 - Maddox Tennyson's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Peewee 50 - Hayden Bragg's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Peewee 55+ - Titus Studdard's place is 4th

Bantam 45 - Barker Davis's place is 2nd
Bantam 50 - Drake Wood's place is 4th
Bantam 55 - Gavin Russom's place is 4th
Bantam 55 - Jace Nabors's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Bantam 60 - Dylan Price's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Bantam 70 - John Dollar's place is 2nd
Bantam 70 - Grayson Cole's place is 1st - -STATE CHAMPION
Bantam 75 - Warren Bethea's place is 2nd

Bantam 75+ - Brodie Jones's place is 2nd
Intermediate 50 - Thomas Patterson's place is 4th
Intermediate 55 - Stephen Bridgman's place is 2nd
Intermediate 60 - Mason Nelson's place is 1st -STATE CHAMPION
Intermediate 65 - Land Bell's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Intermediate 65 - Avery Brantley's place is 2nd
Intermediate 70 - Chase Chumley's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Intermediate 75 - Walker Wells's place is 3rd
Intermediate 80 - Thomas Lemmond's place is 3rd
Intermediate 80 - Devin Bragg's place is 2nd

Intermediate 120 - Alli Smith's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Intermediate 120 - Layton Mask's place is 3rd
Novice 70 - Bryant Hathcock's place is 2nd
Novice 75 - Carson Thomas's place is 3rd
Novice 85 - Parker McKee's place is 2nd
Novice 90 - Christian McCary's place is 2nd
Novice 100 - Brody Goodwin's place is 2nd
Novice 105 - Jacob Lawrence's place is 4th
Novice 105 - Jacob Smith's place is 3rd
Novice 112 - Jude Rogers's place is 2nd

Novice 120` - Sara Wyatt's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Novice 130 - Aidan Cockrell's place is 1st -STATE CHAMPION
Novice 130 - Brennan Clemons's place is 2nd
Novice 145 - Raymond Coker's place is 1st - STATE CHAMPION
Schoolboys 91 - Tanner Hill's place is 3rd
Schoolboys 98 - Preston Tidwell's place is 3rd
Schoolboys 98 - Andrew Thornton's place is 4th
Schoolboys 136 - Austin Gray's place is 3rd
Schoolboys 154+ - Jacob Strickland's place is 2nd

Photos (Submitted by Rick Golden)

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