The Rockhurst wrestling team could be one to look out for during the 2024-25 season.
Well, it at least appeared that way at Thursday’s tri dual against Ruskin and Grandview at Ruskin High School. The Hawklets dominated as they only lost one contested match between both duals as they cruised to a 62-12 victory over the Bulldogs and a 59-21 rout over the Eagles.
Ruskin edged Grandview 41-36 in the other dual.
Rockhurst dealt with a lot of injuries in their lineup last season, but got several wrestlers back this season who are healthy and are looking to make a big impact in the 2024-25 season.
One of those wrestlers was senior Kade Tholen (138), who couldn’t wrestle for nine months due to an injury. He looked like he didn’t miss a beat on Thursday as he pinned Grandview’s Matthew De La Cruz in the first period and he ended his match by a 16-0 tech fall in the first period against Rashad Obie of Ruskin.
“I hit the underhook,” Tholen said. “I got six takedowns off that. I have been working on that a lot. On top, I used my leg riding and used those to get to my tilts.”am Reyna
Senior Sam Reyna (120) dealt with some injury issues last season, as well. He had a broken hand during the season and was suffering from appendicitis. Now, he’s fully healthy and said he felt good going into the tri dual.
He showed that as he dominated, pinning both Ruskin’s Roshan Khan and Granview’s Devin Brown in the first period.