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Thompson's wrestling team won the AHSAA Duals State Championship on Friday, Jan. 25, thanks to a dominant effort against Bob Jones. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

BIRMINGHAM – Following their historic 500th dual win on Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Thompson Warriors were back to the mat on Friday, Jan. 25, competing against Bob Jones in the AHSAA State Duals Championship.

The two best teams in the state, Thompson had struggled at times against Bob Jones earlier this season, but following that momentous wins just a few days earlier, the Warriors left no doubt in a dominant 501st dual win by a final score of 51-12 to take home the 2019 state title.

The dominant performance from Thompson featured four pins, two technical falls, three decision wins and two major-decision wins.

Two of the highlights early on were Dylan Lesueur and James Latona in the 113-pound weight class and 120-pound weight class, respectively.

Lesueur got a quick takedown in his matchup before staying in control the rest of the match to pick up an easy 11-2 major-decision win.

Latona’s matchup was more tightly contested, but may have been a big momentum boost for the Warriors.

He had an early takedown and picked up three near fall points, butalmost got pinned by a cradle before eventually kicking out of it. Jim Wilson of Bob Jones was then given an unsportsmanlike conduct after a tough cross face, which gave Latona another point.

That became a big difference, because despite Wilson controlling a lot of the match, Latona’s early three points, as well as the penalty point, ended up giving up a 6-5 decision victory.

Jeremiah Coney also added three points for the Warriors early in the 285-pound division thanks to a single leg takedown, which ended up playing a factor in the 4-3 decision victory.

The next three weight classes of 126, 132 and 138 pounds all saw at least five points put on the board for the Warriors, with two of those three being pins.

Chandler Akins was able to pick up a technical fall victory, while Emmanuel Oliver and Gabe Hixenbaugh each picked up pins after controlling the majority of their matchups.

After Braydon Gray dropped the 145-pound weight class via pin despite a valiant effort, Josiah Campbell bounced back with a strong showing in the 152-pound weight class.

He found himself in a fight and despite going to the mat three times, neither wrestler was able to control their opponent. In the second period, Campbell got a late escape and takedown to final put three points up before eventually holding on for the 3-1 win for a decision victory.

At that point, the Warriors had built up such a solid lead that it was almost insurmountable and that became the case when Derek Hussey basically iced it in the 160-pound weight class.

He got off to a great start and built his lead up to 12-2 in the second period, before eventually picking up a tech fall with 25 seconds left to grab five more points for the Warriors.

Ashunti Perry then added a major-decision victory in the 170-pound division, before Bob Jones picked up a tight decision win in the 182-pound weight class.

That, however, was followed by pins from Micahel Jackson and Isaac McAdams in the final two weight classes to close out the dominant 51-12 showing. Jackson got a takedown in the first before eventually using a reversal in the second to pick up hi spin, while McAdams also picked up his pin in the second period.

The Warriors will now turn their attention to repeating as the overall AHSAA state champions with the state meet with sectionals held Feb. 8-9 and the state tournament held Feb. 14-16.

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