After a one-year absence of having a state champion, the Park Hill boys’ wrestling team regained that feat when sophomore Erik Egstad pinned Staley’s Parker Leverknight in 5:50 in the 106-weight class in the Class 4 State Tournament at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 25.
Egstad was s fifth place medalist a season ago and vastly improved to earn himself a gold medal to end his sophomore campaign on top. Park Hill ended in 15th place overall with 43 points after a seventh place finish a season ago.
Park Hill’s Erik Egstad pins Ft. Zumwalt North’s Jacob Bals in 1:14 before going on to be a state champion at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 25.
Egstad had an impressive run at state with all four of his matches being wins by fall, with the first three being 1:14 or less. The sophomore ended the season with a 41-5 record.
Jim Humphrey (190) joined Egstad as the only Trojan to make it past opening day, fighting back from a pair of losses in the quarterfinals and consolation semifinals and ended with a sixth-place medal. After winning three of his first four matches, the junior dropped his last two matches.
Coming off a 4-0 decision loss to Liberty North’s Trevor Thorn, the Park Hill junior matched up with Lebanon’s Cade Muscia in the fifth-place match. Muscia won on a 7-2 decision and Humphrey claimed sixth place.
There were three other Trojans who qualified for the Class 4 State Tournament, but they all failed to make it to the second day or medal. Sammy Mormino (138) went 0-2 after losing by fall in both state matches.
Noah Johnson was pinned in 4:48 by Canon Roark from Lebanon to start the tournament, then bounced back with a 1:29 win by fall over Samuel Yuede from Timberland. Johnson was eliminated by a 9-2 decision against Andrew Stubblefield from Eureka.
Ethan Vande Ven (150) went 1-2 at state for the second straight season with his sole win coming in the first round of the consolation side of the bracket with a 2:19 win by fall over D.J. Dillon (Francis Howell North). Vande Ven’s two losses were by decisions against Lucas Robertson (Poplar Bluff) and Drake Jenkins (Seckman).