J.T. Adams won the 195-pound weight class, giving Christian County a state champion in three straight years. [David Rearic / KHSAA]
Christian County has an individual state wrestling champion for the third straight year after J.T. Adams won the 195-pound title Saturday at George Rogers Clark High School.
Adams defeated Fairdale’s Jerry Simpson 3-2 to win the state title. He advanced through the bracket Saturday with a 6-5 win over Fern Creek’s Joel Hatchett in the quarterfinals and a 12-6 decision over Anderson County’s Dyllan Davis in the semifinals.
Adams joins Jakerion Merritt in 2019 and Niko Bussell in 2020 as Christian County state champions. Adams is also the first Christian County wrestler to win a state title in the 195-pound class.
Austin Grant-Hall took second place in the 138-pound class, dropping a close 2-0 decision to North Hardin’s Devon Herron in the championship match. He advanced to the championship with a win by fall over Johnson Central’s Seth Davis in the quarterfinals and an 8-6 win over Woodford County’s Gavin Andreoni in the semifinals.
TyDarius Kelly appeared set to wrestle for a state championship in the 285-pound class but was disqualified in his semifinal match. Kelly bounced back to beat Ryle’s Tayshaun Marshall 4-0 in the consolation semifinals and beat Simon Kenton’s Ian Hughes by fall to claim third place.
Christian County finished eighth as a team with 94 points. Union County won its sixth straight state title with 244 points. Ryle was second, and Paducah Tilghman was fifth.
