It was senior night for the Raytown South boys and girls wrestling teams, but Suburban Red Conference rival Excelsior Springs spoiled the party.
The Tigers won five out of six contested matches and were awarded 30 points due to Cardinals forfeits as they cruised to a 65-15 victory Wednesday at Raytown South High School.
The dual was sandwiched by two wins in the opening match and final one. Junior Cooper Lester (215) got his team off to a great start as he dominated his match against Ebrimah Jallow. After a pair of takedowns, he used a bar and a half to turn his opponent and earned a pin at 1 minute at 4 seconds.
“I felt like I wrestled well,” Lester said. “I went out strong and went out heavy. I got a nosebleed and that didn’t stop me from winning. I snapped him down and got him down to the ground and stuck the half in and got him on his back.”
Fellow junior Owen Anderson (190) lost his tooth after the final match of the dual, which caused him to bleed from the mouth. Despite that, he was still smiling afterward following an 8-0 win over Kenton Hampton.
“I just wish I would have been more productive on top,” Anderson said. “I was trying to be productive on my feet and get to my ties so I could get to my shots. My standup was decent.”
Senior Justin Wright (285) also was a major contributor for the Tigers as he pinned Siquon Moss in 5:13; Junior Cooper Collins (138) rolled to a 19-4 tech fall win over Julius Vajda; and Senior Ryne Marcum (157) wrestled up a weight class and still won easily, pinning Lucas Richardson-Quarn in 1:14.
Those to win by forfeit for Excelsior Springs were freshman Vincent Holsey (106), freshman Logan Bates (113), junior Race Meador (120), senior Wyett Shipman (126), sophomore Carson Van Doremalen (132) and junior Gaige Carr (144).
It was a special night for Raytown South senior Jorge Gaytan (157) as he had an extremely competitive match with Conard Purnell. The junior Tiger led by 12-5 at one point so it was an uphill climb for Gaytan. However, the South senior came storming back and got a takedown and four-point near fall in the final 30 seconds to take a thrilling 17-14 victory.
After the win, Gaytan got a long and audible cheers and claps form the home crowd.
“It feels very special,” Gaytan said. “I played soccer, too, and we didn’t do very well on Senior Night. I am really proud of how I did. It was a big win for me. It makes me feel so much better to have everyone be happy to me.
“This was so emotional to me. This meant everything to me.
Senior Keith Byers (165) and Marcus Simpson (175) both added forfeit wins for the Cardinals.
Girls
Senior Night was spoiled on the girls side for Raytown South as well as Excelsior Springs dominated in a 48-15 rout.
Excelsior Springs freshman Haylee Ray, who normally wrestles at 155 pounds, bumped up to 170 to allow sophomore Reaghan Lawrence (155) to get a match in. She took advantage of the opportunity as she pinned Kaydynce Thompson in 1:08.
“I felt like my match could have gone better, but I am glad with the results,” Lawrence said. “I got the pin because she got me to the ground but I got a reversal. I just did a half form there to get the pin.”
Ray (170) wasn’t affected by bumping up a weight class as she dominated and won by fall in 1:08 against Aisatu Jallow.
“There are some advantages to it because I am a lot faster when I wrestle up,” Ray said. “I hurt my shoulder so I didn’t shoot very much. I did get a sweep single and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
Freshman Emily Hilliard (140) and junior Wamble Tunstall (145) both won by pin for the Tigers, while Shayla Wilder (100), Analese Happy (110), Lilly Goetz (120) and Kaitlynn Foster (125) all won by forfeit.
Abibatau Vilane (190) picked up a win for the Cardinals as she edged Adrien Crawley 9-7.
Sandra Mancera (235) and Eve Guevara (135) both won by forfeit for South.