Michael Smith
Some wrestlers were preparing for the Super 32 Challenge. Others were gearing up for the Preseason Nationals Tournament.
There were even a few who wanted to get in work so they could prepare to compete in both of those large tournaments. Some sprinkled in just get a little bit of work before the high school season.
Last Saturday’s Fall Brawl Tournament at Staley High School in Kansas City provided that opportunity for wrestlers wanting to compete in the aforementioned late October Tournaments, which feature some of the best wrestlers in the nation.
The Fall Brawl tournament featured elementary school-, middle school- and high-school aged wrestlers from around the Midwest and Rock Mountain areas. Some even came from the East or West coast.
That gave the competitors a chance to face off against some opponents they may have not faced before. In the high school boys class, there were 14 weight classes. MissouriWrestling.com breaks down the results of the top state finisher in each weight class.
106: Fort Osage sophomore Kaison Schreier finished 6-1 and took third place in his bracket. He fell in the quarterfinals against Branson’s Kyzen Isringhausen 4-2 in overtime, but rebounded to win his next four, including a 6-5 nailbiter against Aidan Hahn of Farmington in the consolation finals.
113: Cameron Duffield of St. Louis made it to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual winner Jarrett Patty of Oklahoma by pin. He finished 5-2 and fell to Nebraska’s Kiernan Mink in the consolation finals by fall.
120: Hannibal’s Reign Creech had a tough matchup against returning state medalist Zac Bleess of Grain Valley in the championship bout. He was up to the challenge, though, as he scored five unanswered points in the third period to take first place following a 7-3 decision. Creech finished 5-0 with two wins by fall and three by decision.
126: Israel Borge of Richland, Mo., steamrolled his way to the finals with two wins by tech fall, one by pin and one by major decision. In the final bout, he took on Marcus Williams of New Mexico and he ended winning the third period 5-0 as he cruised to a 8-2 decision to take first.
132: Richland’s Curtis Borge pinned his way through his first three matches before edging Jaylen Burge of Colorado 3-1 in the semifinals. In his final bout, he gave up an escape in overtime to Rockwall, Texas’ Dominic Wilson as he fell 2-1 to take second place.
138: Liberty North senior James Lovelady finished 7-2 and took fifth place following an injury-forfeit win against Nebraska’s Miles Anders in his last bout.
145: Seneca’s Andrew Manley said his success was all about his mindset. He was confident coming in and he proved that feeling was justified. He took first place as he finished 5-0, which included a 9-1 win in the semifinals and a 4-3 decision in the finals against Oklahoma’s Dylan Bratt.
“Today I wrestled some good guys,” Manley said. “I just had confidence in myself the whole time. I knew I was better than everyone here.”
150: Liberty senior Gavin Linsman is a three-time state champion for a reason. He showed why on Saturday as he went 5-0, including a 2-0 decision over Smithville’s Alex Hutchcraft and a 4-0 win against Nebraska’s Logan Glynn in the championship.
“I have been training and I am starting to get back into it,” Linsman said. “I am starting to feel good and I am getting back on top. I felt like I was in control and I didn’t give up a takedown (in his final two matches)”
157: Columbia Rock Bridge’s Tyler Abell had a few close matches, but was able to go 5-0 and win his bracket. He topped Texas’ Diego Barron in the semifinals, 10-4 and pinned St. Peters’ Coen Erickson in the finals during the third round.
“The finals match was a tough one,” Abell said. “I put in a scramble and ended up on top and pinned him.”
165: Staley’s Merrick Murray cruised to the finals after earning three pins and taking a 12-6 decision Iowa’s Owen Laughlin in the quarterfinals. However, he ran into a buzzsaw in the finals as he fell to Illinois’ Owen Uppinghouse 11-2 in the championship.
175: Staley’s Sage Wilson also made a deep run in his bracket as he started off with three wins, including a 6-5 edge over Arkansas’ Bruce Quayle in the semifinals. In the finals, he was pinned by Kansas wrestler Tad Forsyth in the third period as Wilson ended up in second place.
190: Calvin Gross of St. Peters took third place after going 5-1 and rebounding from a second-round loss by taking third place following a pinfall over Kansas’ Jaelyn Sides in the consolation finals.
215: St. Pius Rylan Kuhn had a tough matchup in the finals against former state champion Jake Fernandez of Platte County. He was up for the challenge as Kuhn, a defending state champion himself, as he took a 5-1 victory, which was powered by his escape and takedown in the second period.
“Jake is a really tough opponent,” Kuhn said. “I knew if I could stay heavy on the head, I could keep him moving and keep him off balance. That allowed me to get to my leg attacks and dominate the match.”
285: Hamilton’s Dawson Miller earned pins in his first two matches to set up a finals match with Junior Rudd of Fort Zumwalt South. He was challenged in that bout, but came away with a 4-2 win thanks to a reversal and takedown.
“I didn’t wrestle that good,” Miller admitted. “I am a little rusty. I have been doing football all summer.”
