By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



HUNTSVILLE — No team trophies are coming to North Jefferson county this season, but five individual weight class winners hail from Fultondale, Gardendale and Mortimer Jordan.

A year after having the 5A and 1A-4A team runners-up, no school from the North Jefferson area finished higher than third in the team standings at the 2008 AHSAA state wrestling championships.

In 5A, Scottsboro repeated as champoin and the highest finishing school from North Jefferson was the youngest program in the county. Mortimer Jordan in only its third year of varsity competition, placed three wrestlers in the finals, with two—Brandon Brindley and Rob Glenn—winning titles, and finished in sixth place.

Gardendale, the 2007 5A, runner-up, finished seventh and Hayden finished eighth.

Gardendale placed two wrestlers in the finals, with one—heavyweight Joe Jones taking home a crown.

In 1A-4A, Fultondale, which was the 2007 runner-up, finished third behind defending champion Walter Welborn. The Wildcats finished only 15 points short of the champions this year.

Two Wildcats reached the state finals—Alec Williams and Brett Pennington, with both winning state crowns.

In all, 14 area wrestlers took home individual medals.