With Park Hill teetering on the brink of losing control, Tommy Lisher faced a big deficit in a big matchup.
The Trojans’ senior 152-pounder then staged a big comeback, capping off a win with an overtime takedown of Charley Genisio. A 9-7 decision victory put Park Hill back in control of a dual between the top two teams in Class 4, according to missouriwrestling.com, on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Staley High School in Kansas City, Mo.
Ranked No. 1 all season and the four-time defending team state champions, Park Hill ended up needing the bonus points on pins from Austin Kolvek (120) and Weston DiBlasi (126) to hold on for a 27-21 victory.
“It was a great dual for our boys, not many high school kids get a chance to wrestle in that type of environment with that type of crowd,” Park Hill coach Jeff Davis said. “It was a great evening of wrestling for both teams.”
The dual featured 15 wrestlers in missouriwrestling.com’s top six for Class 4 individual rankings. Park Hill freshman Trey Crawford (No. 5) opened with a 3-1 decision against Staley’s Khyler Brewer (No. 2) at 106 pounds behind a second period takedown. The Trojans then lost the next four decisions in the dual with Lisher (No. 3 at 152) coming up against Genisio (No. 4 at 160) and Staley within 15-12.
Genisio took a 5-0 lead but tired as the match wore on. Lisher came back to tie the score late in regulation to force overtime and then scored the winning takedown in the 1-minute sudden death period.
“That’s what we train for every single day, all the hours that we put in every single day,” Lisher said. “Once I got down 5-0, it just clicked. I’ve got to put it in. This is my team. They’re counting on me.”
Lisher’s win reestablished a six-point lead, and Park Hill sophomore Blake Hopson followed with a 7-1 decision at 160 and Devin Winston added a 3-0 win at 170. Up 24-12 with four matches left, Staley won three more times — all by decision — but Trojans senior Nate Smith won 5-0 at 220 to wrap up the win.
The two teams evenly split the 14 matches, but all seven of Staley’s wins were by decision. The pins from Kolvek and DiBlasi early provided the cushion needed for Park Hill to hold on.
Liberty North triangular
Park Hill South lost a Suburban Conference Red Division dual with Liberty North but just held on to earn a 40-39 win against Lee’s Summit on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in Liberty, Mo.
The two teams split the 14 matches with each giving up one forfeit. Park Hill South rolled from 120 to 145, picking up pins from Erwing Ordeus (120), Carter Thomas (132), Andrew Mikuls (138) and Max Rosario (145) in addition to a 9-0 major decision for freshman Gage Baska at 120. Park Hill South’s Cameron Gilliespie also had a first-period pin at 160.
Lee’s Summit won four straight from 170 to 220.
Against Liberty North, Park Hill South won just three head-to-head matches in a 59-24 loss. Rosario, Andrew Anderson and Gillespie all won by fall from 145 to 160 after Mikuls took a forfeit for the Panthers at 138.