Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Bayside Academy hadn’t recorded a podium finish before this year’s meet but it was last year the Admirals earned their first state placer.

History was made at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state wrestling championships in Huntsville over the weekend where Elberta earned its first individual podium finisher and Gulf Shores took fourth in the Class 5A team competition with seven top-four finishers.

Colton Sullivan represented the Warriors in the Class 5A 145-pound division and took down Jasper’s Garrett Caldwell by a 3-1 decision in the third-place match to record the school’s first podium position.

He was joined by Bayside Academy freshman Noah Breeland, who was only the school’s second state qualifier, in winning the third-place match.

Breeland scored a pin late in the second round over Corner’s Jacob Blanchard in the Class 4A 195-pound division to secure the Admirals’ second medal from the state championship meet in program history. Classmate Brennen Yamane captured Bayside Academy’s first state placement last year in the 182-pound division.

Also etching their names into their school’s record books were Joaquin Crook and Alia Vickrey from Baldwin County High School. It was the first time the Tigers had two state placers from the same meet and they were the first from Bay Minette to reach the podium since Braiden Williams did so in 2019 at 195 pounds.

Out of the 54 individual state qualifiers from Baldwin County, 19 of them found their way to the podium with top-six results against the best in the state. Orange Beach’s Shayd Arboneaux, Spanish Fort’s D’vonte Simpson and Lucas Salcedo and Sam Schepker from Gulf Shores all reached the finals of their weight class and finished as state runners-up.

Athletes from Bayshore Christian (Caleb Heger), Foley (Evan Catlin), Daphne (Ethan Lassere) and Robertsdale (Jaedon Hill) also returned with hardware after podium finishes in their weight classes.

Dolphins take fourth in team competition

After Gulf Shores won the consolation championship at the dual state finals, the Dolphins added a fourth-place finish from the traditional state championship meet.

Gulf Shores ended with two runners-up, three third-place wrestlers and two fourth-place finishers which helped rack up 95 points in the Class 5A team competition. The Jasper Vikings took the team title with 116.5 points.

Dathan Butt (126-pound division), Taylor Cheek (138) and Landon Everett (182) were the Dolphins’ third-place finishers and Hayden Cook (113) and Noah Guthrie (120) recorded fourth-place spots.

Six more teams finish in top 20

In addition to Gulf Shores, six more squads registered enough points to grab top-20 team finishes in their classification, including one each from 1A/4A and 5A and two each from 6A and 7A.

Orange Beach’s 32 points had them 19th in Class 1A/4A and Elberta’s 15 points registered 14th place in Class 5A. On the Class 6A circuit, Spanish Fort came in 15th with 32 points and Baldwin County was not far behind in 20th with 20 points. Daphne recorded 25 team points which earned a 15th-place finish and Foley finished 19th with 16 team points.

Below are championship results from local athletes at the AHSAA wrestling finals in Huntsville.

CLASS 1A/4A

113-pound division
Fifth-place match
Hayden Scelson – Orange Beach: 8-2 decision win over New Hope’s Cameron Sharp

132-pound division
Championship match
Shayd Arboneaux – Orange Beach: 5-0 decision loss to Dora’s Damon Clayton

160-pound division
Fifth-place match

Caleb Heger – Bayshore Christian: 9-1 major decision win over Ranburne’s Curtis Daniel

195-pound division
Third-place match
Noah Breeland – Bayside Academy: 3:57 fall win over Corner’s Jacob Blanchard

TEAM STANDINGS

19. Orange Beach: 32
30. Bayside Academy: 21
34. Bayshore Christian: 10

CLASS 5A

113-pound division

Third-place match
Hayden Cook – Gulf Shores: 5:57 fall loss to Tallassee’s Mason Nelson

120-pound division
Third-place match
Noah Guthrie – Gulf Shores: medical forfeit to Moody’s Erius Clark

126-pound division
Third-place match
Dathan Butt – Gulf Shores: 6-5 decision win over Jasper’s Antonio Clark

138-pound division
Third-place match

Taylor Cheek – Gulf Shores: 9-6 decision win over Scottsboro’s Thomas Rackler

145-pound division
Third-place match
Colton Sullivan – Elberta: 3-1 decision win over Jasper’s Garrett Caldwell

182-pound division

Third-place match
Landon Everett – Gulf Shores: 5-3 decision win over Tallassee’s Caden Griffith

195-pound division
Championship match
Lucas Salcedo – Gulf Shores: 3:48 fall loss to Jasper’s Cole Carter

285-pound division
Championship match
Sam Schepker – Gulf Shores: 7-2 decision loss to Elmore County’s Christopher Eyerly

TEAM STANDINGS
4. Gulf Shores: 95

14. Elberta: 15

CLASS 6A

132-pound division
Fifth-place match
Joaquin Crook – Baldwin County: 10-4 decision win over Mountain Brook’s Bill Bradford

152-pound division
Fifth-place match
Alia Vickrey – Baldwin County: 5:11 fall loss to Mortimer Jordan’s Jacob Horton

160-pound division
Fifth-place match

James McFadden – Spanish Fort: 3-1 decision loss to Athens’ Isaiah Unger

182-pound division
Championship match
D’vonte Simpson – Spanish Fort: 2:40 fall loss to McAdory’s Savian Graham

285-pound division

Third-place match
Jaedon Hill – Robertsdale: 2-1 tiebreaker win over Oxford’s Caleb Tinner

TEAM STANDINGS
15. Spanish Fort: 32
20. Baldwin County: 20

22. Robertsdale: 16

CLASS 7A

138-pound division
Third-place match
Evan Catlin – Foley: 15-4 major decision loss to Thompson’s Nick Dempsey

152-pound division
Third-place match
Ethan Lassere: Daphne: 2:53 fall loss to Hoover’s Ian Addison

TEAM STANDINGS
15. Daphne: 25
19. Foley: 16
22. Fairhope: 6.5