ORLANDO, FLA.- Madison and North Alabama is filled with tremendous talent among high school wrestlers and many of those with incredible proficiency showcased their wrestling skills at the AAU Scholastic Duals recently held in Orlando, Fla. Prep wrestlers from both Bob Jones and Hartselle High Schools representing the Tennessee Valley Wrestling organization, headed up by head coach Ken Clark, made the trek to the Sunshine State for the annual national competition where some of the top talent in the country meet each year for the AAU Duals.

The top performer among the local competitors was Evan Pippin a rising senior at Bob Jones. The 6-foot, 182-pound grappler posted an undefeated 11-0 record including 10 pins and one tech fall earning All-American status for his performance.

“Two years ago I won the bronze medal with an 8-2 record and this year earning the gold medal it feels nice to have the titles, but I do understand they are not everything,” said Pippin. “The medals are great as they show the hard work I’ve been through. In wrestling you have to be diligent about working out and being in top shape and to be successful.”

In the 2020-2021 regular season at Bob Jones Pippin was ranked No. 1 in the 182-pound division with a 34-2 record, but was unable to partake in the AHSAA State Tournament due to suffering a case of mononucleosis. He was anxious to get back to action and the AAU Duals was perfect timing and being with his teammates at the duals, in which the squad placed seventh overall, was indeed a great way to lead into his senior year with the Patriots.

“I’m from a wrestling family as my father, uncle and older brother, Ethan, were all involved with the sport that I began at age five,” said Pippin. “As for our Tennessee Valley Wrestling team, we had a great time and we all experienced a lot of growth and bonding and we’re all better wrestlers because of our experience at the event.”

The Tennessee Valley wrestlers finished seventh out of 30-plus squads in the Developmental Division of the annual AAU event and included some very impressive individual performances.

From Bob Jones, those highlighted performances included Maddox Sunderman in the heavyweight division. The second team All-State selection as an offensive lineman for the Bob Jones football team and who already earned an All-American ranking in the Virginia Beach Nationals by placing eighth, was 8-4 during the week in Orlando. The rising junior has been a backup to All-State performer Drew Lawson the past two years and looks to be on his way to a superior high school season.

Other notable performances included Scott Davidson (132-lb) was 6-4, Lincoln Bryant (126-lb) 8-2 and Payton Roberts (138-lb) also 8-2.

Head coach Ken Clark was presented with the Southeast AAU Person of the Year award for his work with the Tennessee Valley Wrestling organization and as President of the AAU in Alabama. The award is given for the continued growth of wrestling in the Southeast and centered around the fact the sport has doubled in participation in North Alabama.

The Scholastic Duals are regarded as an almost brutal competition as each wrestler faced the strongest competition possible from other states. The 15 wrestlers from Bob Jones performed well as the future looks bright with the Patriots’ program.

One Bob Jones member who was unable to participate in the Duals, but was on schedule to attend was Manny Marrero. He suffered an ACL injury Sept. 9 of last year while wrestling in a pre-season national tournament. He underwent surgery and is on track to return to his spot in the 152-pound division with Bob Jones this fall. He has been working out with his fellow wrestlers with the club team and has been praised for his dedication to his recovery and assisting his teammates.

Prior to his injury in 2020, Marrero had beaten four state title winners and was expected to contend for gold medals in AAU competition and possible state title in his high school schedule.