Boys Class 2 State Wrestling Recap

02/28/2025 9:07 AM

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COLUMBIA — Out of the eight wrestlers Odessa qualified for the Class 2 Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships, just one was a senior.

The Bulldogs have a relatively young team but have proven to be a powerhouse in Class 2. That was evident on Thursday as they scored 142 team points to win their second consecutive state championship at Mizzou Arena.

Seneca finished in second place with 129 points, St. Genevieve was third with 123.5 points and Savannah took fourth with 115.5.

Odessa had two state champions – Blaine Wallace (132 pounds) and Jet Brown (144). Brady Jones (126, second), Kamden Hooper (138, second), Caiden Davidson (150, sixth) and Michael Scott (175, third) earned medals for the Bulldogs.

“We put in work non stop,” Wallace said. “We never stop going. It’s all gas. Not brakes.”

Below is the summary of the championship matches for each weight bracket:

106: Lutheran St. Charles freshman Caleb Dyer had to get through a pair of nail biters. Following a 5-4 win over Oak Grove’s Kale Martin in the semifinals, he was in a defensive battle with Mexico’s Carlos Juarez-Ramirez in the championship bout. He won another close one, earning a 3-2 decision to earn his spot atop the podium.

“I wrestled very smart,” Dyer said. “I knew I could beat him on the mat. I rode him for a period and got my reversal. He almost got away a couple of times but I stuck to my gameplan and kept him down.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Caleb Dyer of Lutheran St. Charles
2nd Place – Carlos Juarez-Ramirez of Mexico
3rd Place – Colby Schreck of Mid-Buchanan
4th Place – Ian Henderson of Sullivan
5th Place – Jason Schutter of Kirksville
6th Place – Kale Martin of Oak Grove

113: Eldon senior Jesiah Simmons finally broke through. After finishing as a runner-up the last two seasons, Simmons ended his high school career with a bang. He got a takedown in overtime over Father Tolton Catholic’s Graden Anderson to win 13-10 and to capture his first state championship.

“Praise God. I couldn’t have done it without him,” Simmons said. “This was my third time in the finals, I finally sealed it up.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Jesiah Simmons of Eldon
2nd Place – Graden Anderson of Father Tolton Regional Catholic
3rd Place – Perry Morgan of Oak Grove
4th Place – Will Erickson of Cameron
5th Place – Logan Bates of Excelsior Springs
6th Place – Cristian Mora Perez of Benton

120: Cameron senior Dylan Pratt didn’t give up a single point in his championship match with Hallsville junior Paxton Crane. He took a 9-0 major decision to earn a state title.

Medalists:

1st Place – Dylan Pratt of Cameron
2nd Place – Paxton Crane of Hallsville
3rd Place – Brody Winters of Ste. Genevieve
4th Place – Mason Grosz of Knob Noster
5th Place – Zion Hibbert of Logan-Rogersville
6th Place – Bradley Stumpff of Cassville

126: Father Tolton Catholic junior Christopher Ankenman wasn’t challenged in his bracket. He won his first match by pin and got tech falls in his next two to set up his championship match with Jones. He dominated that match, too, winning 17-4 to seal his third state championship. He will have a chance to be a four-time state champion next season.

Medalists:

1st Place – Christopher Ankenman of Father Tolton Regional Catholic
2nd Place – Brady Jones of Odessa
3rd Place – Steven Buddemeyer of Owensville
4th Place – Lawson Francis of Savannah
5th Place – Caden Thompson of Seneca
6th Place – Carter Blankenship of Sullivan

132: Odessa sophomore Blaine Wallace was strong in the neutral position and that helped him get through the tournament and win his second state championship. In the title match, he had five takedowns against Seneca’s Eli Manley as he won 16-5 to take first place.

“I stayed in with heavy hands and kept moving my feet,” Wallace said. “That was the best plan I could have had. My front headlock was working and got cradles in my first two matches.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Blaine Wallace of Odessa
2nd Place – Eli Manley of Seneca
3rd Place – Cole Blattner of Fulton
4th Place – Creighton Cook of Savannah
5th Place – Forfeit Forfeit of Unattached
6th Place – Conner Roach of Sullivan
6th Place – Carter Kempker of Blair Oaks

138: Seneca sophomore Brant Laughlin was confident when his title bout with Hooper went to overtime. Twenty-six seconds in, he got a takedown of Hooper and it helped him win 12-9 and get his first state championship.

“I knew I trained for that moment,” Laughlin said. “All that training I did and waking up at 5:30 (a.m.). I knew I was ready, and he wasn’t. When I got back to the line, I was ready to take him down.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Brant Laughlin of Seneca
2nd Place – Kamden Hooper of Odessa
3rd Place – Grant Anderson of Father Tolton Regional Catholic
4th Place – Cooper Collins of Excelsior Springs
5th Place – Justin Schutter of Kirksville
6th Place – Owen Drury of Ste. Genevieve

144: Brown had little trouble getting through his bracket. He pinned his way to the championship match, where he earned a 26-7 tech fall against St. Genevieve junior Drake Meyer as he clinched his second state title.

“My front headlock and my go behinds were working well,” Brown said.

Medalists:

1st Place – Jet Brown of Odessa
2nd Place – Drake Meyer of Ste. Genevieve
3rd Place – Ryne Marcum of Excelsior Springs
4th Place – Nolan Laughlin of Blair Oaks
5th Place – Luke Marlatt of St. James
6th Place – Elliot Kormeier of Father Tolton Regional Catholic

150: Mid-Buchanan senior Spencer Cunningham had a defensive battle in his championship match with Southern Boone junior Grant Leininger. Cunningham got a reversal in the second period and that’s all he needed in a 2-0 victory as he won his second state championship.

“I thought I wrestled really well,” Cunningham said. “I got to my attacks and scored. I felt good and I was doing really good on bottom. Those were my key strengths this weekend.

Medalists:

1st Place – Spencer Cunningham of Mid-Buchanan
2nd Place – Grant Leininger of Southern Boone
3rd Place – Elijah Avery of Knob Noster
4th Place – Jackson Snider of Logan-Rogersville
5th Place – Deagen Pasley of Savannah
6th Place – Caiden Davison of Odessa

157: Kirkwood junior Austyn Hunter finished third as a freshman and was a runner-up last season. Third time was charm for him as he won 7-4 over Mid-Buchanan sophomore Cooper Kirkham to win his first state championship.

I was good on my feet,” Hunter said. “On top, I could have been a little better. But I got back on track in the third period.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Austyn Hunter of Kirksville
2nd Place – Cooper Kirkham of Mid-Buchanan
3rd Place – Tristan Thompson of Cassville
4th Place – Owen Roth of Ste. Genevieve
5th Place – Carter Pyatt of Potosi
6th Place – Ian Chapin of Lafayette (St. Joseph)

165: Cassville junior Colton Roark said he felt strong in neutral for the entire tournament. That was evident in his championship match Hallsville freshman Colt West. He got a takedown in the first period and he cruised from there as he got a pin in in 2:49 to clinch a state title.

“I was feeling pretty good on my feet,” Roark said. “I was feeling good and feeling fast. I got on top and just did my thing and had fun.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Colton Roark of Cassville
2nd Place – Colt West of Hallsville
3rd Place – Mason Langeneckert of Ste. Genevieve
4th Place – Amos Mundy of Osage
5th Place – Kaiden Phillips of Savannah
6th Place – Tre`vyon Chatman of STEAM Academy

175: Mexico senior Grant Van Horn was consistently ranked in the top six of his weight class since his freshman season, but he had never won a state title. Well, that was the case until his championship match with Frank Hazelrigg Thursday. He got his third win of the season over Hazelrigg as he took an 8-3 decision to earn his first state championship.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Van Horn said. “I feel like I am dreaming right now. Pinch me. I am not sure if I won or not.”

Medalists:

1st Place – Grant Van Horn of Mexico
2nd Place – William (Frank) Hazelrigg of Father Tolton Regional Catholic
3rd Place – Michael Scott of Odessa
4th Place – Will Golder of Clinton
5th Place – Riley James of Cassville
6th Place – Kason Clark of Nevada

190: Seneca junior Jace Renfro broke through after finishing as a runner-up last season. He won 11-0 over Savannah junior Braylon Ellis as he took his first state championship.

Medalists:

1st Place – Jace Renfro of Seneca
2nd Place – Braylon Ellis of Savannah
3rd Place – Bryce Newham of Boonville
4th Place – Zachary Myers of Cassville
5th Place – Tucker Slattery of Chillicothe
6th Place – Landon Smith of Moberly

215: Savannah senior Cooper Burnsides finished his high school career on top. He controlled his match with Seneca’s Nolan Napier from state to finish in the title bout and won 12-1 to capture a gold medal.

Medalists:

1st Place – Cooper Burnsides of Savannah
2nd Place – Nolan Napier of Seneca
3rd Place – Luke Hornburg of Westminster Christian Academy
4th Place – Brooks Head of Moberly
5th Place – Joshua Carpenter of St. James
6th Place – Dj Glidewell of Nevada

285: St. Genevieve senior Jacob Schweigert ended his breakout season with a 48-0 record as he remained perfect following a pin in the first period over STEAM Academy senior Reggie Thomas in the title bout.

Medalists: