Story By Heath Hambrick

The Fort Payne wrestling team captured its fourth straight region championship Monday at Mae Jemison in Huntsville. The Wildcats posted wins over Mae Jemison 78-5, Hazel Green 60-39, and Buckhorn 40-39. 

The Region Championship came down to the Wildcats and Buckhorn, the last dual of the day. Fort Payne found themselves down 39-18 going into the 215 lb. weight class. The Wildcats rattled off four straight wins to take the lead by one point; Collin Wilson, Grayson Hester, and Raul Lopez all pinned their opponents, bringing us within a three-point deficit. And Francisco came out with a Major Decision to put us up 40-39. 

Other individual Wins:

106-Raul Lopez-2 pins, 113-Francisco Francisco-1 Decision, 1 Major Decision, 120-Ty Goggans-1 Pin, 126- Tucker Burkhead-2 Pins, 132- Alejandro Pascual-1 Pin, 144- Brayden Dobbs- 1 Pin, 150- Cooper Buffington- 2 Pins, 165- Josue Miguel- 1 Decision, 175-Chevy Clifton-1 Pin, 190- Cade Groghan-1 Pin, 215- Collin Wilson-3 Pins, 285- Grayson Hester-1 Pin. 

“This is a huge accomplishment for our team to win our fourth consecutive Region Title.” Said Fort Payne Head Coach Austin Panell. “ We were behind early in the dual, and finally gained some momentum coming out of the 215 lb. match with Collin Wilson. It was awesome watching our guys battle back from some adversity to take the lead. Wrestling is such an individual sport, and when you can get the whole team involved to achieve one outcome together, that’s very special!”