The Liberty boys wrestling team got a tune up before heading to the Gardner-Edgerton Tournament this week.
The Class 4 defending champions, which have won the last five titles, took on a rebuilding Blue Springs team in the season opener Tuesday on the road.
The Blue Jays were missing some of the starters in their lineup including senior and defending state champion Peyton Westpfahl, multi-time state medalist and senior Trenton Bindel, junior and returning state qualifier Donovan Hodges, freshman Rowdy Angst and senior Jayden Halter.
Even coming in shorthanded, Liberty had more than enough depth to make up for the absences as it cruised to a 56-22 victory.
Three-time state runner up Devon Harrison dominated as he normally does as he used a takedown and three tilts to earn a 15-0 tech fall win over Blue Springs senior Josh Wirfs in the 132-pound match. Two-time state medalist Cade Dunn (126), a junior, controlled his match with sophomore Aiden Bowman from start to finish, winning by a 17-2 tech fall in the second period.
Sophomore Gavin Shelton (120), a returning state qualifier, also had a strong performance as he countered a takedown attempt from Kooper Hannah and followed up with an armbar to get a pin in 57 seconds.
“The kid I wrestled was pretty strong, so I had to positionally beat him,” Shelton said. “I am proud of how I wrestled.