Gardendale won the 2020 Class 6A Wrestling Duals Tournament championship at the Birmingham CrossPlex Bill Harris Arean on Jan. 24, 2020. 

This time was different.

After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Class 6A Wrestling Duals Tournament, the Gardendale wrestling team broke through on Friday night at the Birmingham CrossPlex Bill Harris Arean. The Rockets (16-5) downed three-time defending state champion Oxford (19-14) by a score of 40-26. The Yellow Jackets beat Gardendale 42-27 for the title in 2019 and 30-23 in 2018 after holding off Southside-Gadsden in the first-ever duals title in 2017.

On Friday, the Rockets started fast and never let up on the way to their convincing win. Derrick Orvik posted a major decision win 11-0 in the 182-pound match, and Matt Franks followed with a pin at 195 pounds. Gardendale then won four matches in a row courtesy of Daishun Powe (106 pounds), Isaiah Powe (113), Melton Powe (120) and Brody Scoggins (126) to take a commanding lead.

Oxford did score big wins in the 130- and 140-pound range, but the Maroon and White put it away with a pin by Russ Boackle at 152 and a 14-8 decision by 160-pounder Carson Kim.

A pound-by-pound summary of Friday night’s match can be seen below.

106 pounds: Daishun Powe (G) pinned Zachary Follett (O), 4:39.

113 pounds: Isaiah Powe (G) pinned Kaleb Shelton (O), 3:23.

120 pounds: Melton Powe (G) pinned Preston Smith (O), 2:15.

126 pounds: Brody Scoggin (G) dec. Michael Howell (O), 7-6.

132 pounds: Chase Hicks (O) dec. Luis Sanchez (G), major dec. 10-2.

138 pounds: Jakob Chisolm (O) pinned Devyn Scoggins (G), 1:13.

145 pounds: Kendrick Young (O) pinned Vincent Ziegler (G), 4:10.

152 pounds: Russ Boackle (G) pinned Jaydon Thomas (O), 1:27.

160 pounds: Carson Kim (G) dec. Reed Hill (O), 14-8.

170 pounds: Tristen Latham (O) dec. Kenndy Wyatt (G), SV-1 14-12.

182 pounds: Derrick Orvik (G) def. Mason Blackwell (O), major dec., 11-0.

195 pounds: Matt Franks (G) pinned Chanceton Holifield (O), 2:28.

220 pounds: Octavius Adair (O) dec. Jeremy Simpson (G), major dec., 11-3.

285 pounds: Kobe Shumaker (O) dec. Gardendale, 13-11.

Gardendale’s tournament run consisted of a 54-21 first-round win over Helena, a 45-30 win over Chelsea in the quarterfinals, a 53-15 beating of Hartselle in the semifinals and a 40-26 finals win over Oxford.

Head coach Brian Brasseal and the Rockets will now gear up for the state wrestling playoffs, which begins with Super Sectional competition in Montgomery on Feb. 7-8 and concludes with the State Championships in Huntsville on Feb. 13-14-15.