Two of the four Park Hill South wrestlers advanced to the second day of the 88th Annual MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships.
The run for the Panthers ended on Friday, Feb. 16, when Andrew Mikuls lost for the second time in the double-elimination format.
Mikuls, a senior, came one win away from earning a spot in the medal rounds.
He took the long way there by losing his first-round match against Brandon Vaugier, of Jackson, by a 5-2 decision in a match in the 138 pound weight class in Class 4.
In the consolation portion of the bracket, Mikuls stayed alive in Day 1 thanks to a forfeit win from Holt’s Will Chambers.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Park Hill South’s Andrew Mikuls tries to fend off a shot by Lee’s Summit North’s Jaden Duran during the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships on Friday, Feb. 16, in Columbia, Mo.
That sent him into Friday where he drew quarterfinalist Jaden Duran from Lee’s Summit North.
The two Class 4 District 4 foes were scoreless after the first period, but Mikuls went up 1-0 on an escape in the second and then extended the lead to 5-0 — the final score.
The win vaulted him to the bubble match — a win would have him on the medal stand, however a loss ended his season and career.
Mikuls (43-14) faced off with another quarterfinalist in Jacob Smith from Francis Howell North and lost in the second period by a technical fall, 15-0. Smith, who placed third, led 7-0 after the first period.
Only one other wrestler joined Mikuls on the second day of the tournament.
Max Rosario went 1-2 in the tournament losing by two pins.
The sophomore opened up his 160 bracket with a loss to Raymore-Peculiar’s Mason Pratt by a pin, but rebounded by pinning Micah Feliciano of Lindbergh 44 seconds into the second period in the consolation bracket.
Rosario (32-14) faced quarterfinalist Nick Gladkov of Ozark, who pinned him at the 3:30 mark, leading 7-0 at the time.
Gladkov took a 5-0 lead in the first period and extended his advantage before getting the fall.
Kale Slater (120) and Cameron Gillespie (182) also qualified for the Panthers, both going 0-2 on the first day. Slater was pinned in both of his loses, while Gillespie lost a pair of close matches — a 6-5 decision to Hazelwood West’s Christian Brinkley and 3-1 to Lebanon’s Ty Glendenning.