Breakdown By the Numbers
7A has 102 returning State Qualifiers from last year. That means we have 66 Qualifiers who have graduated. Similar to 6A, we have a ton of open spots for wrestlers to fill, as well as returning Qualifiers to get knocked out.
Of those 102 returning State Qualifiers, we see a big difference from 6A, with only 4 returning Champions. In addition, there are 12 returning State Runner-ups, 12 Third place finishers, 6 Fourth, 10 Fifth and 8 Sixth. While there are a low number of State Champions in this group, there are a high number of overall place winners returning. with 52 of a possible 84 State placers returning in 7A this year.
The expected trend continues with lower weights accounting for 51 percent of State qualifiers and placers returning, with 52 of 102 Qualifiers coming from the 106-138 weights, less middleweights at 23 from 144-175 (22.5 %) and a lot more of the big boys than we saw in 6A, with 27 from 190-285 (26.5 %).
106 does something really interesting in 7A, it returns all 12 qualifiers this year. 113 is not far behind returning 10, including all place winners, and only losing two qualifiers. 120 returns 10, but loses its Champion and Fourth place finisher. 126 mirrors 113, losing 2 qualifiers and returning all place winners. 132 returns 5 total qualifiers, but loses 1-4 from the podium. 138 returns 6 total, but loses its Champion, as well as Third, Fourth and Sixth.
144 also loses its Champion as well as Third and Sixth. 150 is tied for the smallest group of returners with 4, down to Fifth, Sixth and 2 Qualifiers. 157 loses only the Champion and 1 Qualifier. 165 also only returns 4, but in this case all place winners are gone. 175 returns 7, losing the Champion, the Runner- up, Fifth and Sixth. 190 on the other hand returns its Champion, Runner-up, as well as Fourth, Sixth and 3 qualifiers. 215 returns a surprisingly large group of 9, accounting for the big man uptick in 7A. Second, Fourth and Fifth are the returning placements there. 285 is down to 4 qualifiers, with all place winners from last year graduating.
Our final numbers breakdown will be by class. Same expected trend continues in 7A, the older you get, the more likely you are to qualify and place. We do have 2 returning 8th graders in 7A, which we did not have in 6A. Titus Slaughter and Elijah Delong were 106 lb qualifiers as 7th graders last year. Four returners are entering their 9th grade year in 7A vs 3 from 6A. All of these wrestlers come from the lightweights, notables are Rivers Harbison who finished third at 106, Matthew Campbell who finished runner-up at 113 and Brady Walsh who finished fifth, also at 113.
The Sophomore class has only 14 returners, but 7 of them placed, including your 106 Champion Braylen Johnson. your 120 runner-up Griffin Gardner and your 138 runner-up Kaden Clark. Braylen is the only one from this class and division still alive to be a 4 timer. Curtis Watson (106), Will Atkinson (126) and Roman Morgan (150) all placed Fifth and Jaxon Lambert (106) was your final placer from the Sophomore class.
The Junior class has 34 qualifiers coming back this year, with 16 placers, including 2 of our 4 returning Champions, Eli Sanders (113) and Trey Denny (126). This group also includes two Runner-ups, Ryan Mckelvey (106) and Quinn Ivey (144). as well as 5 Thirds, 1 Fourth, 4 Fifths and 2 Sixth.
The Senior class accounts for 47 of our 102 returners (46 %) and our last returning Champion, Delvecchio Alston (190). This class also includes 4 Runner-ups, Stone Phillips (126), Sean Lydon (147), Gavin Whiteside (190) and Xerxes Ellison (215). Interestingly, no Senior finished Third in this division, but 7 finished Fourth, 2 Fifth and 5 Sixth. With so few retuning Champions in 7A, we would expect quite a few of these Seniors to win their first this year.
Top Returning Stars
The star role is up for grabs in 7A with a large group of big-time stars graduating last year. One or more from of the returning Champions winning their second this year, and setting them up for a third next year, would be a first class ticket to the front of the line for this title in 2026.
Conclusion
There are only 4 Champions returning, and no returning Champions have won two. 7A will truly be the Wild West this year, which is great for the kids that have been waiting in the wings for their chance, or who have knocked on the door multiple times. Those wrestlers from the 12 that placed Second and 12 that placed Third who put in the work this off-season should reap the rewards in this wide open division!
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!
FULL LIST BELOW
106
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 106 | Braylen Johnson | Thompson HS | 22-6 | 10 | Champion |
| 2 | 106 | Ryan Mckelvey | Vestavia Hills | 37-9 | 11 | Second |
| 3 | 106 | Rivers Harbison | Hewitt-Trussville | 49-11 | 9 | Third |
| 4 | 106 | Noah Krauss | Auburn | 58-3 | 12 | Fourth |
| 5 | 106 | Curtis Watson | Alma Bryant | 41-8 | 10 | Fifth |
| 6 | 106 | Jaxon Lambert | Grissom HS | 51-8 | 10 | Sixth |
| 7 | 106 | Bayani Galvez | Enterprise HS | 32-16 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 106 | Victor Pantaleon | Carver Montgomery HS | 23-19 | 10 | Qualifier |
| 9 | 106 | Jackson Mcgivney | Daphne | 35-19 | 9 | Qualifier |
| 10 | 106 | Greyson Todd | Tuscaloosa County | 26-29 | 9 | Qualifier |
| 11 | 106 | Titus Slaughter | Oak Mountain | 39-14 | 8 | Qualifier |
| 12 | 106 | Elijah Delong | Prattville | 18-12 | 8 | Qualifier |
113
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 113 | Eli Sanders | Smiths Station HS | 41-1 | 11 | Champion |
| 2 | 113 | Matthew Campbell | Vestavia Hills | 24-4 | 9 | Second |
| 3 | 113 | Jameson Thomas | Oak Mountain | 28-8 | 11 | Third |
| 4 | 113 | Phoenix Ayers | Central | 40-7 | 12 | Fourth |
| 5 | 113 | Brady Walsh | Thompson HS | 31-8 | 9 | Fifth |
| 6 | 113 | Micah Swiger | Daphne | 33-9 | 12 | Sixth |
| 7 | 113 | Adam Plaisance | Auburn | 32-20 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 113 | Gavin Bittle | Hewitt-Trussville | 37-21 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 9 | 113 | Mason Irle | Baker HS | 36-17 | 10 | Qualifier |
| 10 | 113 | Jordyn Smith | Robertsdale | 49-29 | 10 | Qualifier |
120
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 120 | Griffin Gardner | Oak Mountain | 42-10 | 10 | Second |
| 2 | 120 | Brody Logan | Thompson HS | 34-22 | 11 | Third |
| 3 | 120 | Karter Stiffler | Enterprise HS | 56-8 | 11 | Fifth |
| 4 | 120 | John Junkin | Vestavia Hills | 9-14 | 11 | Sixth |
| 5 | 120 | Tobyas Boyett | Daphne | 29-17 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 120 | Jaylon Ward | Dothan HS | 46-27 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 120 | George Kunz | Fairhope | 34-11 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 120 | Kent Henderson | Alma Bryant | 27-14 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 9 | 120 | Elijah Tatum | Smiths Station HS | 26-16 | 11 | Qualifier |
126
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 126 | Trey Denny | Oak Mountain | 53-5 | 11 | Champion |
| 2 | 126 | Stone Phillips | Vestavia Hills | 29-2 | 12 | Second |
| 3 | 126 | Cordell Lee | HSVE | 38-12 | 11 | Third |
| 4 | 126 | Zander Samargia | Bob Jones | 38-13 | 12 | Fourth |
| 5 | 126 | Will Atkinson | Thompson HS | 26-7 | 10 | Fifth |
| 6 | 126 | John david Shattuck | Grissom HS | 48-10 | 11 | Sixth |
| 7 | 126 | Jackson Grant | Mary G Montgomery | 27-6 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 126 | Luke Dudley | Prattville | 28-15 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 9 | 126 | John Adams | Auburn | 22-8 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 10 | 126 | Cooper Hall | Dothan HS | 49-19 | 12 | Qualifier |
132
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 132 | Austin Owen | Thompson HS | 35-19 | 11 | Fifth |
| 2 | 132 | James Franklin | Oak Mountain | 37-21 | 12 | Sixth |
| 3 | 132 | Austin Cherry | Mary G Montgomery | 15-8 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 132 | Greyson Scott | Prattville | 24-17 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 5 | 132 | Gavin Petersen | Fairhope | 22-8 | 11 | Qualifier |
138
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 138 | Kaden Clark | Bob Jones | 36-5 | 10 | Second |
| 2 | 138 | Charles Noto | Vestavia Hills | 29-11 | 12 | Fifth |
| 3 | 138 | Tytorrion Gilbert | Enterprise HS | 47-24 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 138 | Lewis Miller | Auburn | 38-17 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 5 | 138 | Mycah Martin | Hoover | 34-17 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 138 | Caden Lawerence | Mary G Montgomery | 21-9 | 11 | Qualifier |
144
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 144 | Quinn Ivey | Oak Mountain | 16-3 | 11 | Second |
| 2 | 144 | Turner Hutson | Thompson HS | 29-17 | 11 | Fourth |
| 3 | 144 | Colyn Finley | Vestavia Hills | 28-14 | 11 | Fifth |
| 4 | 144 | John walla Baxley | Prattville | 30-12 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 5 | 144 | Jacob Sweet | Daphne | 26-23 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 144 | Connor Cunningham | Baker HS | 30-19 | 10 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 144 | Carter Lindsey | Bob Jones | 25-18 | 10 | Qualifier |
150
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 150 | Roman Morgan | Foley | 32-10 | 10 | Fifth |
| 2 | 150 | Brady Coggin | Oak Mountain | 26-13 | 12 | Sixth |
| 3 | 150 | Alexander Braman | Enterprise HS | 35-30 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 150 | Cole Motzenbecker | Dothan HS | 43-19 | 11 | Qualifier |
157
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 157 | Sean Lydon | SPAR | 44-4 | 12 | Second |
| 2 | 157 | Bo Reynolds | HSVE | 42-7 | 11 | Third |
| 3 | 157 | Grayer Manown | Vestavia Hills | 26-10 | 12 | Fourth |
| 4 | 157 | Clayton Williams | Daphne | 41-10 | 12 | Fifth |
| 5 | 157 | Maciej Paszek | Auburn | 38-9 | 12 | Sixth |
| 6 | 157 | Peter Kalisky | Prattville | 23-19 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 157 | Sidney Frierson | Hoover | 15-15 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 157 | Malcolm White | Dothan HS | 35-23 | 11 | Qualifier |
165
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 165 | Owen Wilbanks | Vestavia Hills | 18-13 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 2 | 165 | Kohwen Kirkpatrick | Daphne | 33-20 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 3 | 165 | Braxton Garner | Auburn | 29-17 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 165 | Greyson Samargia | Bob Jones | 36-21 | 10 | Qualifier |
175
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 175 | Brandon Bethea | HSVE | 36-9 | 11 | Third |
| 2 | 175 | Trip Cole | Hewitt-Trussville | 34-13 | 12 | Fourth |
| 3 | 175 | Amari Allen | Smiths Station HS | 31-11 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 175 | Jayden Mooneyham | Hoover | 32-11 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 5 | 175 | Levi Hoots | Daphne | 41-16 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 175 | Garrett Hartley | Prattville | 19-14 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 175 | Jahiem Howard | Robertsdale | 44-21 | 11 | Qualifier |
190
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 190 | Delvecchio Alston | Hewitt-Trussville | 25-3 | 12 | Champion |
| 2 | 190 | Gavin Whiteside | Enterprise HS | 43-6 | 12 | Second |
| 3 | 190 | Cooper Cook | Vestavia Hills | 36-6 | 12 | Fourth |
| 4 | 190 | Kourtlan Kendrick | Florence | 40-6 | 12 | Sixth |
| 5 | 190 | Cayden Ervin | Tuscaloosa County | 38-11 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 190 | Hunter Williams | Robertsdale | 47-16 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 190 | Jordan Bighems | Dothan HS | 25-30 | 11 | Qualifier |
215
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 215 | Xerxes Ellison | Smiths Station HS | 39-4 | 12 | Second |
| 2 | 215 | Braxton Reaves | Hewitt-Trussville | 38-28 | 12 | Fourth |
| 3 | 215 | Sheldon Sharp | Bob Jones | 45-6 | 11 | Fifth |
| 4 | 215 | Alexander Baca | Foley | 13-14 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 5 | 215 | Pieter Slinkman | Fairhope | 31-13 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 6 | 215 | Jayden Milledge | Carver Montgomery HS | 22-9 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 7 | 215 | Colt Dickson | Opelika HS | 33-17 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 8 | 215 | Peyton Gamble | Oak Mountain | 45-14 | 11 | Qualifier |
| 9 | 215 | Eguensley Cerant | Albertville | 21-12 | 10 | Qualifier |
285
| Count | Weight | Wrestler Name | School | 24-25 Record | 25-26 Grade | 24-25 Placement |
| 1 | 285 | James Keers | Foley | 24-12 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 2 | 285 | Evan Smith | Oak Mountain | 27-27 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 3 | 285 | Wesley Sandefur | Fairhope | 39-11 | 12 | Qualifier |
| 4 | 285 | William Froberg | Prattville | 31-11 | 11 | Qualifier |