Five area schools joined a 22-team pool on Friday and Saturday at the Gardendale (wrestling) Invitational, as Pinson Valley tore away the top prize with a score of 241.

Led by head coach Gene Richardson, the Indians rode three first-place finishers to the top of the overall team podium. George Vazquez bested Gardendale’s Russ Boackle in the 106-pound finals. Josh Walker, a Pinson Valley senior, went for a 5-2 decision over McAdory’s Steven Bill in the 132-pound finals. At 170 pounds, Khymel Chaverst beat Nathan Dunaway for the Indians’ third and final gold finish.

Gardendale Invitational team standings

1) Pinson Valley, 241 points

2) Gardendale, 188.5

3) Tuscaloosa County, 163.5

4) Dora, 157

5) Hayden, 144.5

6) McAdory, 141

7) Helena 114

8) Fultondale, 96

Gardendale matched Pinson Valley with three champions of its own. Junior Trevor Muncey got the best of Tobias Garrison in the 160-pound finals. Gardendale’s Trey Lewis came away on top of Hayden’s Jacob Sulzby, 4-0, in the 182-pound first-place match. Andrew Freeman powered his way to a 220-pound title for the Rockets, who placed second overall.

For Hayden, senior Chase Phillips placed first in the 138-pound division with a win over Jake Vella of Homewood. At 182 pounds, Jacob Sulzby finished the weekend in second place. Zach Cochran placed second in the 145-pound bracket. Hayden’s Landon Castleberry also came through with a second-place finish. Colby Hallmark finished behind Sulzby at 182.

Macon Edwards, a state record holder out of Fultondale, did plenty of damage on the 113-pound mat. He improved to 9-0 on the young season with a win over Agustin Gonzalez in the tournament finals on Saturday. Edwards went 90-0 as a sophomore last year, becoming the first Alabama wrestler to record 90 wins in a single season.

Chase Melton also represented Fultondale with a third-place finish in the 126-pound division.

Pinson Valley posted strong outings from Christian Hopkins (138 pounds), Zac Eshghl (145), Eric Rogers (152), Tracy Reed (160), David Pike (195), Tyler Johnson (195), Zeke Lawerance (220) and Taylor Rhodes (285).

Also placing high for the Rockets was Connor Bensko (285), Jared Beasley (132) and Russ Boackle (106).

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.