25-26 6A Returning Boys State Qualifiers and Placers

Breakdown By the Numbers

In what was arguably the most competitive division in Alabama, 6A has 99 returning State Qualifiers from last year. That means we have 69 Qualifiers who have graduated. This leaves a ton of open spots for wrestlers to fill, as well as returning Qualifiers to get knocked out.

Of those 99 returning State Qualifiers, an incredible 10 were Champions! This means 10 of 14 weight classes will be returning Champions this year in 6A and we will likely see State Champions face off at the 2026 State Championship Tournament next year. In addition, there are 6 returning State Runner-ups, 7 Third place finishers, 7 Fourth, 7 Fifth and 8 Sixth.

This gives us 45 of a possible 84 State placers returning in 6A this year.

As we would expect, the lower weights have a much higher percentage of State qualifiers and placers returning. Look forward to a tough road to the podium from 113-132 this year. 55 of 99 Qualifiers come from the 106-138 weights, 27 from 144-175 and only 17 of the big boys from 190-285.

106 and 113 return all placers, except fourth place in each. Expect these wrestlers to spread out across weights this coming season. We could see some of them as high as 132 and 138 this year. 120 and 126 each return 4 placers, with 120 being one of the few weights without a returning Champion. Back to 5 returners at 132, with Third being the graduating placement in this group. Down to 3 returning in what was a juggernaut of a weight class at 138, only the Champion, Jaxon Unger returns from the top 4, with 5th and 6th place also returning. 144 returns the top 3 joined by 6th place, for a total of 4 returners. 150 has 3 returning placers, but no Champion, 165 returns two, as does 175, but another one of our graduating Champions was in this group. 190 only returns third and could be wide open, or could be a very tough weight, depending on who grows into it from last year. 215 returns 2, including Champion Porter Schott and 285 returns 3 with Champion Dominic Sager.

Our final numbers breakdown will be by class. No surprise here, the older you get, the more likely you are to qualify and place, with only 3 returners entering their 9th grade year. Maddox Mcdaniel and Joaquin Salas both placed third as 8th graders. Jake Ayers is your only other 8th grade qualifier from the 6A group. 19 returners are entering their Sophomore year with Dylan Yarema and Eli Carter winning Championships as freshmen, and giving themselves a shot at a coveted 4 peat, that mission starts this year with winning number 2. There are also two returning fifth place finishers, and one fourth, from the Sophomore class. Dominic Sager and Davis Smith are two of your Sophomores looking to keep the dream of 3 alive with another Championship this year. Returning Juniors jumps all the way up to 36, with 5 Champions and 17 placers. 41 of your 99 returners are heading into their Senior season, 20 of those were placers last year. 3 Champions and 3 Runner-ups return for their Senior year to either win their first, or make it 2 State titles.

Top Returning Stars

This group is headlined by Senior Maryland commit, and undefeated State Champion, Bradley Williams of Spain Park. Bradley had a great summer and will look to three peat at 157 this year. Bradley placed Second at 106 all the way back in 2021 and has a run of consecutive State titles going, 2024 7A 144 and 2025 6A 157. He is one of only two 6A wrestlers looking to make it 3 in a row this year. There are no sure things in wrestling, but in the AL 6A division this is as close as you are going to get.

Junior Coreu Powe îs coming off a 1 loss campaign that concluded with a State Championship. Coreu is also on a run of back to back State Championships after winning it at 6A 106 in 2024 and is your other 6A wrestler looking for 3 in a row. Coreu is only a Junior, so he still has a shot at being a 4 timer. From 106 to 126 last year, it will be interesting to see where he fits into the mix this year.

Be on the lookout for Chelsea Senior Porter Schott, who had an impressive 43-1 record, and Athen’s Junior Austin Campbell at 30-2. Both had breakout campaigns last year, winning their first State Championships, and are also stud Linebackers for their respective schools, proving once again how wrestling makes great football players!

Conclusion

We are really excited to see where everyone ends up this year. This post will serve as a baseline for future posts on how wrestlers shift across the divisions based on weight certs. Expect some surprises once weight certifications complete, with a few standout wrestlers possibly calling it a career and others jumping 5 or 6 weight classes. Will be very interesting to see it all settle out. Let the game begin!

Message and tell us what we got wrong please so we can update as needed. Be on the lookout for our follow up posts on the remaining divisions and we will take a deeper team by team look by the numbers as well!

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