Park Hill brought a partial lineup to the Panther Classic and still ended up third out of eight teams on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Oak Grove High School in Oak Grove, Mo. Minus five standouts and still without two-time state champion Sean Hosford, the Trojans still advanced six to the finals and won a pair of individual titles. They totaled 139 points and finished behind Oak Grove (176½) and Fort Osage (177).
Ethan Koan (120, two-time state medalist), Hunter Roberts (132, two-time state medalist), Ke-Shawn Hayes (138, three-time medalist and two-time champion), Colston DiBlasi (170, three-time medalist and two-time champion) and Anthony Enriquez (285, two-time state qualifier) were all absent from the tournament for various reasons. Park Hill coach Jeff Davis cited injury, sickness and a conflicting ACT test date that left the Trojans without eight expected regulars, also including Emerson Gardner and Jacob Sobbing.
Weston DiBlasi (126) and Canten Marriott (152) were Park Hill’s champions.
In the 126 field, Weston DiBlasi needed a 6-4 decision in the semifinals against Maryville’s Nathaniel Alexander, but he pinned Oak Grove’s Shawn Kavadas in the third period to win the championship match. Marriott won a technical fall in the semifinals at 152 and beat Fort Osage’s Tyler Selemaea 8-1 in the championship to remain unbeaten (25-0).
Kelvin Eblen (106), Lucky Brockman (145), TJ Hullaby (182) and Nate Smith (220) all reached the finals for Park Hill.
Smith gave up a pair of takedowns in the first period against William Chrisman’s Hunter Soule and lost a 5-4 decision, unable to score a winning takedown in the third period. Eblen lost by fall in 42 seconds to unbeaten and Class 2 top-ranked Connor Brown of Oak Grove in the finals, while Class 4 third-ranked Jesse Jeffries of Fort Osage pinned Brockman in the second period.
Davis expects Enriquez return from an ankle injury suffered two weeks ago at the Winnetonka Tournament for this weekend’s Class 4 District 4 tournament, hosted Feb. 13-14 at Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Mo. The Trojans are the defending champions and looking to qualify enough wrestlers to win a third straight Class 4 Missouri State Wrestling Championships’ team title.
Park Hill 68, St. Joseph Central 6
The Trojans went 13-1 in head-to-head matchups on Thursday, Feb. 5, moving one win away from an undefeated dual season in the Suburban League Red Division. They traveled to Truman on Tuesday, Feb. 10 with a chance to complete the sweep, but results were not available at The Citizen’s deadline.
Taylor Mathews improved to 3-0 in place of Enriquez with a 3-2 win against Josh Wright at 285 in the opening match.
Park Hill (13-1) built a 25-0 lead before the Indians won their only match of the dual. Of the final eight matches, seven were victories by fall or technical fall for the Trojans, who have won eight straight duals since an early September loss against Lee’s Summit.
Park Hill 61, Lee’s Summit West 12
The Trojans opened with four straight victories, including the first two of six forfeits received in the Tuesday, Feb. 3 matchup.
Only two of Lee’s Summit West’s five ranked wrestlers were in action. Austin Eveler — No. 1 at 145 — won the Titans’ first match with a 20-3 technical fall against Lucky Brockman, while Park Hill’s Canten Marriott (No. 2 at 152) turned DJ Brasfield-Thogerson (No. 5 at 160) to his back and pinned him 39 seconds into the third period of a 160 match previously tied at 2.
Platte County 51, Kearney 26
The Pirates closed the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 3 by winning their first conference title since 2008. They went 5-0 in Suburban League Blue Division duals, finishing off the run against their chief rival.
Platte County (7-2 overall) went 9-5 in the dual’s matches and left little doubt in a matchup of two teams expected to compete for a top-four spot in the Class 3 Missouri State Wrestling Championships next week. They will also meet up in this weekend’s Class 3 District 4 Tournament, which starts Friday, Feb. 13 and concludes Saturday, Feb. 14 at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Mo.
Eight of Platte County’s victories came by fall, including a wild 59-second pin for Austin Kincaid against Sawyer Granger at 120. The score was 6-4 when Kincaid scored the win.
Zach Rolofson (113), Matthew Schmitt (126), Trey Dockery (132), Caleb Crabtree (152), Johnny Blankenship (160) and Adam Muehlebach (195) also scored first-period pins. Casey Jumps (220) held on for a 7-5 decision win after outscoring Cale Garrett 4-2 in the third period.
Park Hill South 38, Liberty 37
Dylen Propes sealed a victory for the Panthers with a first-period pin of Brennen Hicks at 170 on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Park Hill South (6-10) lost the final two matches by fall, but the result had already been decided. Liberty won seven head-to-head matchups but also gave up three forfeits and 18 critical points to the Panthers’ full lineup.
Kevin Nollett won a 14-6 major decision against Chance Thompson at 145 to start a string of four straight wins for Park Hill South. The run included a forfeit win for Bailie Wiley at 152 that helped push the lead to 38-25 after Propes’ pin.
Park Hill South finished 4-1 in Suburban League Red Division duals with the only loss to Park Hill.
Oak Park 50, Park Hill South 18
The Panthers won just four matches in the other half of the triangular. Propes bumped up to 182 and won by fall there, and Andrew Mikuls pinned Oak Park’s Tyler Depetre in the second period of the 120 match.
Park Hill South 63, North Kansas City 18
The Panthers lost only three matches and benefited from six forfeits in one half of a triangular held Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Travis Fisher (182) won a 6-4 decision for Park Hill South at 182 in the only match to go all three periods. North Kansas City had five opens between 113 and 145.
Park Hill South 66, Ruskin 18
The Panthers won only one head-to-head match — a pin for Kaleb Lenhart at 132 — but still easily won their other leg of the triangular.
Ruskin only brought four wrestlers but scored pins at 195, 220 and 285. There were 10 forfeits, accounting for 60 of Park Hill South’s points.
West Platte 42, St. Pius X 12
The Bluejays closed out the regular season with a split of a triangular held Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Even without standout Justin Rhodes, West Platte easily topped St. Pius X, which only brought five wrestlers. Rhodes did not wrestle after reaching his 50-match regular season limit on the other side of the triangular.
Kyle Howerton (160), Mitch Moppin (170) and Dillon Mosier (182) all scored wins by fall for West Platte, which led 30-0 before St. Pius’ first win at 285.
Plattsburg 48, West Platte 18
The Bluejays finished 0-6 in KCI Conference duals with only two head-to-head wins in a loss to resurgent Plattsburg.
Rhodes’ final match of the regular season ended in a 4-1 decision victory against John Beem. He takes a 49-1 record — the lone loss the previous week to Lawson’s Collin Bradley — into the Class 1 District 3 Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 13-14 at Lathrop High School in Lathrop, Mo.
Howerton followed with a 10-4 decision at 160, and West Platte’s only two other wins came by forfeit.