PREP WRESTLING: Opelika's White, AHS' Jordan eye state titles

Brian White knows he’s short.

The 5-foot-4 Opelika sophomore accepts this fact of life and moves on, not letting himself get caught up too much when people mess with him about his size.

Because he also knows he’s one of the best 103-pound wrestlers in the state.

And you better not cross any lines with him.

“I’m cool to be around, so it really doesn’t get to me,” White said. “But sometimes I don’t like being messed with, and I think nobody would like to mess with me at some points.

“If they make me mad.”

It’s that attitude, that confidence, that “quiet determination,” as Bulldogs coach Ryan Thompson called it, that helped White not only qualify for states last year, but finish fourth.

It’s that certain something that has led to a 39-3 record so far this season, the second straight section title he won last week — by three pins — and the belief that he can be on the top of that 103-pound podium at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville after Saturday’s finals.

“(Last year) I didn’t really think I was going to place. I just wanted to wrestle my best and have fun,” White said. “I kind of got nervous, too.

“(This year) I’m not gonna be nervous, I know that. It’s not like, ‘I’m here and I’m glad to be here.’ It’s like, ‘I’m here and I want to accomplish my goal of winning the state championship.’”

And, as one of the highest returning placing wrestlers of the 35 area athletes that qualified for the state meet today through Saturday in Huntsville, White’s expectations seem extremely possible.

Of White’s three losses this year, one came to a Class 5A wrestler — who he won’t have to see at the state tournament — and two came to Oak Mountain’s 58-4 Jesse Smith, who he would probably run up against in the state finals.

The first time, White lost by 1 point. The second time, he lost by 2.

“The match will probably be won on their feet,” Thompson said. “Both matches the kid got more takedowns than us, and that was the reason we lost. We need to really stay one-up on him, wrestle smart.

“They may be wrestling 6 minutes for one takedown.”

Auburn High has its own serious title contender in 112-pounder Michael Jordan, as his fifth-place finish at last year’s states and 32-1 record this year show.

So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when he rode a pin, a technical fall and a major decision to the section title and the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award last week.

Tigers coach Nick Tucker expects the road to be a little tougher this weekend.

“When you get to the state tournament, no bracket’s easy,” he said. “To win, you’ve got to go through the other three best guys in the state. And that’s what you ask for. If you win, you’re not only proud you did it, but that you had to get through the best to do it.”

Auburn’s contingent of seven state-bound wrestlers includes another section champ, Corley Sims, who took the 119-pound crown by beating Smiths Station’s Andrew Wilkins, a wrestler that had beaten him two previous times this season.

Sims’ late pin was an added bonus.

“We put together a plan of attack, and Corley just went out and executed,” Tucker said. “That sent a message that he was ready for this week.”

Thompson said Opelika’s output of six wrestlers is just about right for his team, one that was hampered by the loss of three state qualifiers to graduation after last year and two more sure things that left the team during the season.

The Bulldogs even had an improbable bright spot at 189 last week, in which Mitchell Mowery beat two wrestlers that had previously defeated him to qualify.

But Thompson also said the number doesn’t mean a whole lot if none of them place.

“It comes down to how good the guys that you’re taking are,” Thompson said. “You can take 11 and get beat by a team that brought three, or two, or even one. It happens every year that someone who’s not supposed to get beat does and someone who’s not supposed to win does.

“That’s what makes it so fun. Unless you’re on the losing end.”

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568

2010 State Wrestling Tournament
Where: Von Braun Center, Huntsville
When: Today — 6A prelims, consolation round 1, quarterfinals, 1-7 p.m.; Friday — 6A consolation round 2, 5A quarterfinals, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; championship semifinals, 1-2:30 p.m.; consolation quarterfinals, semifinals, 3-6:30 p.m.; Saturday — consolation finals, 5th-6th place round, 8-9:30 a.m.; championship finals, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Area Qualifiers
Auburn High: Matthew McKinley (103), Michael Jordan (112), Corley Sims (119), Shelton Bledsoe (130), Cody Lane (135), DeTerrance Allen (145), Spencer Ramsey (189)

Central: Johnathan Mitchell (103), Quincy Lewis (125), Luke Wilson (215), Tori Bennett (285)

Opelika: Brian White (103), Cole McCarty (125), Jonathan Bright (135), Rico Lewis (160), Xavier Drake (171), Mitchell Mowery (189)

Smiths station: Anthony Green (112), Andrew Wilkins (119), Tim Hester (140), Kyle Bruffy (145), Gary Robinson (160), Calvin Clark (285)

Tallassee (5a): Josh Epperson (103), Jed Carter (112), Pierce Gowan (119), Joel Langley (125), Rhys Murphy (130), Josh Highland (135), Jonathan Robbins (140), Chris Adams (145), Bru Murphy (152), Tyler Lynn (189), Lucas Self (215), T.C. Robinson (285)