18 min read
By Michael Smith
If you ask any coach in the Kansas City area what the most difficult sectional tournament in Missouri is, most of them will say Class 4 Sectional 4.
Not only does the tournament have the No. 1 ranked team in the state in Liberty, there are other strong programs that seem to be among the best in the state every year including Blue Springs, Staley and Park Hill, all of which are ranked in the top 10 of the MissouriWrestling.com poll.
But the Blue Jays are the favorite to qualify the most wrestlers for state. Their team is absolutely loaded with 11 wrestlers in the top six in their respective weight classes. I would be shocked if Liberty doesn’t win the Class 4 title. It is just that good.
The Blue Jays have the second most wrestlers in the sectional tournament behind Lee’s Summit North, which qualified a wrestler at every weight class. Blue Springs, Staley and Liberty North each have 12 in the field, Blue Springs South has 11 and Oak Park has 10.
This sectional is loaded with top notch wrestlers and it will be difficult for a lot of wrestlers to make it to state, especially since only the top three from each weight class qualify. In recent years, the top four at district advanced to state.
So who do I think we will see on March 13 at Cable Dahmer Arena for the state tournament? Find out below:
106: Liberty freshman Hunter Taylor is a good best to make the state finals in his weight class in March. But he first has to get through sectionals. He is ranked No. 2 in his weight class in Class 4 and is a No. 1 seed who pinned No. 5-ranked Michael Domino in the championship match in District 8.