STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS- SPARKMAN FINISHES 8TH; LAWSON FINISHES RUNNER-UP

On individual results, the lone survivor to make it through to the finals was Drew Lawson of Bob Jones. Stepping onto the mats in the 285-pound weight class, the Southern Miss football signee went into double overtime before falling 2-1 to Dawson Ray (17-2) of Vestavia Hills. The two heavyweights battled to a 1-1 tie after regulation before they headed into the first extra period of 1-minute where the first competitor to score a point wins the match. The two brawny athletes failed to score forcing a second overtime period of 30 seconds. Lawson drew the top position in the period only to see Ray escape to earn the match and championship point. One of the bitter pills to swallow for Lawson (36-2) is the fact he defeated Ray 3-2 during the regular season. “Our match was certainly one of the most competitive of the entire State Tournament, but did not go the way I was hoping,” said Lawson (6-2, 290), who completed his career at Bob Jones with a 92-22 overall record. “I feel good about my years as a varsity wrestler and I’m proud of how everything went.”