A year after missing the state tournament, A.J. Harvey wanted to go out on a high note. The Christian County senior won the 285-pound weight class at the KHSAA State Tournament Saturday and became the school’s 26th individual champion.
Harvey, who entered the final match with a record of 37-2, scored a pin of St. Xavier’s Carter Guillaume with 24 seconds left in the match. Harvey was leading 8-3 when he scored the win.
Harvey finished sixth in the 195-pound class as a sophomore. Last year, Harvey didn’t make the state tournament when a new postseason format that was the result of the pandemic thinned the number of state qualifiers.
He responded well in 2021-23 with a region title, a win at semi-state, and now his first state championship. It looked like his semifinal match may go to overtime, but he scored two points in the final 10 seconds to beat Madison Southern’s Stephen Whitehead 3-1.
Harvey is the fourth state champion from Christian County in as many years, joining Jakerion Merritt [2019], Niko Bussell [2020], and J.T. Adams [2021]. He is Christian County’s first state champion in the heavyweight division.
