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The Mountain Brook High School wrestling team won the Class 6A state championship on Feb. 17, 2024.
Hundreds of wrestlers filed out of Huntsville’s Von Braun Center on Feb. 17 at the conclusion of the 2024 Alabama high school state wrestling tournament. The three-day tournament saw over 600 athletes compete across four classifications. One local team and three local individuals emerged as champions, while one more Birmingham-area school finished on the podium.
Led by head coach Justin Ransom, Mountain Brook capped off a historic campaign with its first-ever traditional state title. The Spartans scored a total of 184 points, securing the Class 6A crown before the championship round began. Nine Mountain Brook athletes finished top four in their respective weight classes, a school record.
“Wrestling is often viewed as an individual sport; however, when you look at how we won the state championship, it might say different. We had nine placers and five finalists, with no individual champions,” Ransom said.
With top wrestlers William Courtenay and Bill Bradford injured, Mountain Brook’s depth won them the title. Upperclassmen Stephen Springfield, Jude Smith, Sam Carroll, Stuart Andrews and Daniel Ellis all finished second in their weight classes. Ellis, who entered the tournament a No. 7 seed after competing for just half the year due to football, upset his weight classes’ Nos. 2 and 3 seeds.
Bobby Rutkoff, Davis Smith, Ham Mandell and Wyatt Chavez rounded out the Spartans’ placers, each appearing in third-place matches.
“I hated that we did not have any individuals win their titles, and it is hard as a coach seeing them not achieve their goals of standing on top of the podium. However, every one of these young men can still know that they are state champions,” Ransom said.
Mountain Brook ends the year with a long list of accolades. The Spartans boast an 18-0 duals record, the best mark in program history. Along with the traditional title, MBHS won its second straight state duals title, the regional duals title and the South Super Sectional tournament.
Ransom’s tenure at Mountain Brook began in 2013 when the team had just six total wrestlers. He views the program’s improvement as a “huge product of our culture in our room. From the battles in practice to the commitment to moving weights to make the team stronger, we all work together for the common goal: to win state championships.
“I am excited to see how we respond in the offseason with two goals: to three-peat as dual champs and to repeat as traditional champions,” he added.
At the 7A level, Hewitt-Trussville finished third in the team race, the Huskies’ fourth consecutive top four finish. Eight Huskies qualified for state, six of whom placed. Four were runners-up in their respective weight classes: Clark Box at 120 pounds, Bradley Hastings at 126, Deuce Alston at 190, and Zack Chatman at 285.
Box finished fourth at 106 in 2022, won the 106-pound championship in 2023, and finished second at 120 this year. The senior concludes his decorated career having placed top four at state in each of the previous three seasons.
Spain Park didn’t place in the team standings, but two athletes capped off dominant seasons with individual state titles. Sophomore Bradley Williams claimed the 144-pound crown, defeating Opelika’s Denarvious Anderson in the championship match. Williams’ pin of Anderson marked the 100th of his career, and he was voted 7A’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Teammate Kyle Oliveira went on to win the 215-pound title, recording two decisions and a pin before edging out Tuscaloosa County’s Blake Christian to claim the trophy. The teammates conclude the year with combined records of 107-0, the first pair of Spain Park wrestlers to each go undefeated in a season.
Oak Mountain’s efforts were spearheaded by Jameson Thomas, a freshman who took home 7A’s 106-pound championship. All three of Thomas’ victories came by decision; he held Vestavia’s Matthew Campbell to no points in the tournament’s deciding match.
As a team, the Eagles finished ninth in the classification, buoyed by their youth. Alongside Thomas, sophomore Coleman Sovine placed fourth at 157, freshman Trey Denny placed fifth at 113, and eighth grader Griffin Gardner placed fifth at 120.
