COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Centralia boys wrestling team seems like its on its way to steamrolling toward a Class 1 state championship.
The Panthers had eight wrestlers who won their first two matches and advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight brackets in the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships. Those big performances have allowed Centralia to take a commanding lead for first place as it has racked up 95 team points on Day 1 of the Tournament Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
St. Pius X (Festus) is in a distant second place with 54.5 points, Fatima is sitting in third with 52.5 points and Maceline is fourth with 48. Brookfield (fifth, 46.5) and Lathrop (sixth, 45.5) are just outside the top four.
Panthers who made it to the semifinals include Bryson Dubes (106), Waylon Adkisson (113), Charlie Robinson (132), Louis Suddarth (157), Rex Bryson (165), Wyatt Adkisson (175), Ian Tuggle (215) and Marshall Kable (285).
“All the seniors have been stepping up and have been leaders all year,” Robinson said. “The coaches have helped us so much to get there we are at. We are dominating right now.
Below is a breakdown of those who made the semifinals in each weight class:
106: Marceline junior Reece Shufflebean pinned Cash Hancock of St. Pius X in the first period to advance to the semifinals. He will face off against Stover freshman Brodie Zeller, who pinned Lone Jack’s Braden Ortiz in the quarterfinals to advance.
On the other side of the bracket, Dubes, a two-time state medalist, is looking for his first state championship. He is two wins away from doing just that as he pinned Summit Christian Academy freshman Garrett Gordon in the quarterfinals. Dubes will see Gallatin freshman Nicholas Larsen in the next round. Larsen earned a 15-0 tech fall Hollister freshman Carter Whitman.
113: Fatima junior Tucker Tune kept his hopes of winning a state championship alive after he won by fall in 2:37 over Vincent Smithson of Stanberry. Tune will Waylon Adkisson in the semifinals. Adkisson took a 15-5 major decision over Plattsburg’s Lincoln Burns.
In the other semifinal, undefeated Jayce Estes of Warsaw will see Trenton sophomore Jacob White. Estes, a defending state champion, advanced following a 15-0 tech fall win over St. Pius X’s Hunter Hodom. White punched his ticket to the semifinals after a 14-1 win against St. Mary Southside sophomore Gabe Harrer in the quarterfinals.
“I felt pretty strong, but there is always room for better,” Estes said. “My wing series was working and so was my neutral position.”
120: Fatima junior Nolan Laux won by fall in 1:34 over Palmyra freshman Emmett Lorenson in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. In that round, he will see Trenton junior Cooper Houser, who won by fall over Adrian junior Carter Dumas in 4:10.
“I felt like I wrestled pretty good, especially since I got a pair of pins,” Houser said. “I have been on and off the mat pretty quick.”
On the other side of the bracket Versailles junior Brandon Brewer and St. Mary Southside sophomore Audy Clark will clash in the semifinals. Brewer pinned Principia freshman Lee Furnace III in just 34 seconds to move on. Clark got a takedown late in the third period to clinch his semifinal spot and won 8-4 over Lone Jack junior Trayton Hook.
126: Brentwood senior Jesse Lane III was in a battle with Lafayette County junior Xavier Myers. He was ahead 10-9 before getting a pin in 5:28 to advance. He will take on Lathrop junior Garrett Beane in the next round. Beane pinned Macon junior Rhett Pollard in the second round to advance.
“I felt like I could have defended better,” Lane said. “I was overall pleased. I got into my head lever into my chicken wing. That worked well for me.”
In the other semifinals match, Gavin Utz of East Buchanan will face off against Brookfield freshman Jayce Keller. Utz earned a 18-0 tech fall over Centralia’s Blake Bodine to advance and Keller won by fall in 2:41 over Valle Catholic junior Kalan Fallert.
132: Marceline senior Andrew Griffin set up himself up to be two wins away from a state championship as he made it to the semifinals following a 10-3 victory over Maplewood’s Daishaun Wilbourn. Griffin will take on Gallatin junior Eli Sperry on Thursday. Sperry got a 17-0 tech fall win against Brookfield junior Ryder Techau to earn his spot among the final four.
On the other side of the bracket, Lone Jack freshman Ty White edged West Platte sophomore Cuin Vincent in the quarterfinals to make it to the next round. White will see Robinson on Thursday. Robinson earned a 19-2 tech fall win over Lathrop freshman Rylee Dupignac.
“I have been able to work the cross wrists and get to my tilts,” Robinson said. “In neutral, I have been able to keep the pressure against my opponents.”
138: Lathrop freshman Drake Coots found success at the youth level and won a freestyle state championship in eighth grade. He showed he could compete at the high school level, too. He advanced to the semifinals following a takedown with 6 minutes in regulation to beat Conner Clanton of Valle Catholic. He will see Brookfield senior Peyton Parn, who pinned Trenton senior Mason Rogney in 1:04 in the semifinals.
“I just kept shooting and believing in myself,” Coots said. “He was tired and I went to that shot. I got him to his back out of bounds. I was hyped.”
In the other semifinal match, Versailles senior Drake Schmidt will face Plattsburg freshman Colton Wilkinson. Schmidt edged Butler junior Preston Mallatt 10-8 to make it to the penultimate round, while Wilkinson won 5-3 over Tipton senior Dalton Doss in the quarterfinals.
144: Lawson senior Drew Wilson had a pair of pins to make it to the semifinals. His last one came against Macon sophomore Heinrich Wooten in 3:23 as he advanced to the semifinals. In the next round, he will see Sherwood senior Blake Eads, who earned a 15-0 tech fall win over Brookfield junior Kameron Perry.
“I just kept working the wrists and they usually get burned out,” Wilson said. “I was catching their elbows and getting in armbars and rolled them over.”
On the other side of the bracket, Butler junior Damien Alkire will face Tipton sophomore Cooper Doss. Alkire won by a 15-3 major decision against Versailles senior Gage Judd. Doss punched his ticket to the semifinals after getting a pin in 1:14 over Polo sophomore Chase Wilson.
150: St. Pius X senior Owen Staat kept his chances for his first state title alive as he won 14-2 in the quarterfinals over Lone Jack junior Barrett White. In the semifinals, he will see El Dorado Springs sophomore Emory Crawford, who won 10-0 over Plattsburg senior Caden Mclallen.
“I really pushed the pace,” Staat said. “I scored a lot of points, but I wish I could have got the pin for the team points. Other than that, I did pretty well.”
In the other semifinal matchup, undefeated Butler junior Kellen Long will wrestle Lexington freshman Braxton Emerson. Long pinned East Buchanan’s Reece Dixon in 52 seconds, while Emerson won by fall in the second round over Penney senior Tyler Thompson.
157: Lathrop senior Gabe Provin and Suddath advanced to the semifinals at the top of the bracket. Provin, won by fall over Warsaw freshman Bostyn Wilson in 4:49 to advance, while Suddath won by pin in 4:27 over Hollister junior Bryson Whitman.
In the other semifinal, North Callaway sophomore Collin Moore will take on Diamond junior James Lafever. Moore took down St. Pius X’s Matthew Thomas by pin in the second period and Lafaver won by a 20-4 tech fall against Lawson freshman Ryan Kisner.
165: At the top of bracket Lawson sophomore Paxton Pyle, will see Palmyra senior Brayden Pillars in the semifinals. Pyle won 17-2 in 2:52 over Fatima sophomore Ryder Herzing in the quarters. Pillar got one step closer to a state championship after winning by pin over Cole Camp junior Grant Rodriguez in the quarterfinals.
Bryson and Lawson junior Conner Menke will see each other in the other semifinal bout. Bryson improved to 49-1 following a pin in 52 seconds over Warsaw senior Drake Murrell. Menke got his pin in the quarters in 2:25 over University Academy sophomore Givanni Atkins.
“I got knocked out for a few seconds in my last match,” Menke said. “He took me down and I got up and I was thinking, ‘What is happening?’ Then in the second period, I got a reversal, got him on his back and pinned him.”
175: St. Pius X senior Peyton Shaver didn’t have much issue making it to the semifinals as he earned a 14-2 major decision in his first round match before pinning Lathrop sophomore Jesse James in the third period of the quarterfinals to advance. In the next round, he will see Lafayette County senior Braxton Ernst, who had two pins, including one in 3:42 vs. Cole Camp junior Clayton Archambault in the quarters.
On the other side of the bracket, Wyatt Adkisson will take on Maysville sophomore Carter Harms. Adkisson won 11-7 in the quarterfinals against Warsaw junior Josh Harvath. Harms won by injury forfeit in the third period in his bout with Marceline sophomore Jagger Sportsman to move on.
“I feel like I wrestled good,” Harms said. “I thought my shots were good. (Sportsman) was a little banged up. I wish we could have had that match we were waiting for.”
190: Central New Madrid County senior Connor Henderson advanced to the semifinals after he pinned North Callaway’s Casper Safranski in 4:29. In the next round, Henderson will face off against South Harrison senior Mayson Edwards, who won 5-3 over Mason Adkisson in the quarters.
“I felt like I wrestled the best I could,” Edwards said. “I kept pushing the pace. I wanted to come out here and show everyone what I could do.”
The other semifinal will feature Sherwood junior Eli Ferrell and Brookfield senior Devan Parn. Ferrell pinned Lift for Life junior Lavelle Peete Jr. in just 38 seconds, while Parn won by tall against Trenton senior Logan Wilson in 3:36 to get one step closer to a state championship.
215: St. Pius X Jusitn Lehn punched his ticket to the semifinals after he got a first-period pin against Lone Jack Aaron Mcclellan in the quarterfinals. In the next round, he will see Marceline senior Scout Gooch, who pinned Lathtop junior Andrew Scott in 1:45.
The other semifinal will feature Tuggle and South Harrison junior Crae Coffey. Tuggle won by fall in 2:43 over Diamond senior Brayden Clement and Coffey took a 5-2 decision over Versailles Wyatt Burks in the quarters.
285: Kable came up clutch in overtime to secure his spot in the semifinals. He got a takedown to win 5-2 over Fatima senior Trevor Herzing. He will take on Rock Port junior Ryder Herron, who pinned Lone Jack senior Jax Cromwell in just 53 seconds.
On the other side of the bracket, Holden senior Aden Christian will face off against North Callaway sophomore Gunnar Wenneker. Christian pinned Kipp Legacy senior Jabbar Granberry in 1:09, while Wenneker edge South Harrison’s Ruger Johnson 4-2.