The team winner for the Class 4 District 4 Tournament came down to a two-horse race – Liberty and Staley.
The Blue Jays have won the last four state championships and have dominated the Class 4 wrestling team in that span.
Staley gave Liberty a run for its money Saturday at Grain Valley High School, but the Blue Jays had five wrestlers win their respective brackets and qualified eight others for the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships as they won the tournament with 269.5 points.
Staley finished in second place with 258 points, Park Hill was third with 155.5 and Fort Osage was fourth with 147.
Devon Harrison (132), Ross Davis (138), Roman Stewart (144), Peyton Westpfahl (190) and Masen Bindel (215) each won their weight classes for Liberty. Rowdy Angst (106), Gavin Shelton (113), Will Pfiefer (120), Cade Dunn (126), Dominic Stinson (157), Justice Williams (165), Donovan Hodges (175) and Trenton Bindel (285) all placed in the top four of their divisions to qualify for state.
Below is a breakdown of the results of each weight class:
106: Staley senior Gunner Dahms will get one last crack at winning his first state championship this season. He set himself up to have a good chance of doing just that as he earned four takedowns and grinded his way to a 16-9 victory over Park Hill freshman Caden Brayfield in the championship match and clinch a No. 1 seed at districts.
“He is a good wrestler, I just got to my attacks more,” Dahms said. “I held my defense pretty good. Just keep wrestling at all times.”
State qualifiers:
- 1st Place – Gunner Dahms of Staley
- 2nd Place – Caden Brayfield of Park Hill
- 3rd Place – Rowdy Angst of Liberty
- 4th Place – Ian Kephart of Blue Springs
113: Fort Osage junior Kaison Schreier has had another stellar year coming off a state championship from his 2023-24 campaign. He now has a 40-1 record, and he defeated Park Hill junior Mason Brayfield 14-4 in the finals of his bracket to earn his spot on top of the podium and clinch a No. 1 seed at state.
State qualifiers:
- 1st Place – Kaison Schreier of Fort Osage
- 2nd Place – Mason Brayfield of Park Hill
- 3rd Place – Gavin Shelton of Liberty
- 4th Place – Karsyn Redeker of Staley
120: Park Hill senior Erik Egstad, a former state champion, had a challenge on his hands against Pfiefer in the title bout. Pfiefer upset Staley senior Parker Leverknight by winning 8-5 in the semifinals.