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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

MONTGOMERY – The Shelby County Wildcats continued a strong wrestling season this past weekend with an impressive showing at the AHSAA Class 5A South Super Sectional tournament Feb. 10-11, while the Montevallo Bulldogs also had their share of success in the 1A-4A portion of the event.

Both saw several wrestlers qualify for state, but it was Shelby County who finished third in the overall team standings with 129 points, which finished behind Tallassee (198.5) and Gulf Shores (251).

The Wildcats had three individual wrestlers win section championships this year, while three others also claimed top three finishes, which put them inside the necessary top four to qualify for state.

Montevallo also had a winner at the 1A-4A level, while two others finished high enough to qualify this year.

For Shelby County, Nick Sykes, Caleb Mooney and Cole Sykes all won individual titles to enter the state tournament as heavy contenders, while Xander Shook  finished second in his weight class and both Keith Castleberry and Tanner Stogner finished third.

Nick Sykes was dominant in his path to winning the 120-pound weight class after using two pins and a 14-4 major decision win to claim the top spot.

Mooney had to wrestle one more time than his teammate, but he was no less dominant. Wrestling in the 138-pound weight class, Mooney put together three straight pins to kick off his run before finishing with a 6-2 decision victory.

As for Cole Sykes, he competed in the 170-pound classification and was the only one of the three winners to win all of his matches with pins. He picked up pins in the first, second and third rounds to claim the title.

Shook just narrowly missed out on a championship of his own. Following a bye, a pin and a 4-0 decision, he ultimately fell in the first-place match thanks to a tight 6-4 decision.

As for Castleberry and Stogner, both picked up three wins to just one loss en route to claiming third in the 220-pound and 285-pound weight classes, respectively.

Montevallo’s big highlight came from Gavin Monk, who claimed the top spot in the 145-pound weight class.

Monk received a bye in the first round and the put together three consecutive pins before finishing off with a tight 8-7 decision win in the title match.

Just behind him was Charlie Adams, who claimed third in the 220-pound weight class. Adams picked up a pin and major decision to start 2-0 before falling in the semifinals. He bounced back, however, with two pins in a row to claim third in the weight class.

The final highlight for the Bulldogs was Gabe Haynie in the 160-pound weight class. He won three of his five matches after receiving a bye in the opening round and a double forfeit in the fifth-place match. His wins consisted of a forfeit and two pins.