It’s a two-horse race in the Class 4 Missouri State High School Boys Wrestling Championships.
Before the season started, much of the walk amongst Missouri high wrestling fans was who would win Class 4 between Liberty and Columbia Hickman.
After Day 1 of the state tournament, it’s a neck-and-neck race for first place as Liberty is in first place with 88 points and the Kewpies are right behind them with 87.5 points Friday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
St. Pius X is a distant third with 65.5 points and Neosho is fourth with 50.5. Lafayette Wildwood is still in the mix for a state trophy as they are fifth with 50.
Rowdy Angst (113 pounds), John Cox (120), Will Pfiefer (126), Cade Dunn (132), Roman Stewart (144), Ross Davis (150) and Donovan Hodges (175) all advanced to the semifinals for the Blue Jays.
Hickman saw Dominic Marchack (113), Aidan McMurtry (126), Quincey Crawford (144), Jordan Fincher (165), Luke Hayden (175) and Beau Waldron (190) all advance to the final four.
106: Seckman Kaemen Orine advanced to the semifinals after a 14-6 major decision win over Neosho Marztian Ioanis. Orine will take on Timberland Max Lindquist, who made it to the final four after a pin in 3:29 against Liberty freshman Kemper Thomas.
On the other side of the bracket, Ozark freshman Parker Hansen will face St. Pius X Kansas City freshman Alex Hall. Hansen won his match in a flash, getting a pin in 19 seconds over Ft. Zumwalt North freshman Dominick Ferranto, and Hall pinned North Point freshman Gavin Kell in the quarters.
Semifinalists:
Kaemen Orine of Seckman
Max Lindquist of Timberland
Parker Hansen of Ozark
Alex Hall of St. Pius X (Kansas City)
113: Lafayette junior Max Rowe made it to the semifinals following a pin in 4:31 against Park hill junior Caden Brayfield in the quarters. Rowe will take on Francis Howell North junior Wyatt Dannegger, who took a 21-6 tech fall victory against St. Pius freshman Dalton McDaniel.
At the bottom of the bracket, Marchack will take on Angst in the final four. Marchack pinned Kickapoo sophomore Garrett Cookman in 3:37, and Angst edged Francis Howell Central sophomore Colton Gray 3-1.
Semifinalists:
Max Rowe of Lafayette (Wildwood)
Wyatt Dannegger of Francis Howell North
Dominic Marchack of Hickman
Rowdy Angst of Liberty
120: Park Hill senior Mason Brayfield kept his hopes of his first state title alive after he won 7-6 against Christian Brothers College Kosta Hatzigeorgiou. In the semifinals, he will match up with Liberty sophomore John Cox, who won 12-3 against Neosho junior Sebastian Ioanis.
In the other semifinal, Jackson senior Graidy Rice will see St. Pius freshman Cruz Enderle in the final four. Rice won by a 14-3 major decision against North Point freshman Colton Russell, and Enderle got a 17-1 tech fall triumph in 2:33 against Raymore-Peculiar senior Kamden Van Holten.
Semifinalists:
Graidy Rice of Jackson
Cruz Enderle of St. Pius X (Kansas City)
Mason Brayfield of Park Hill
John Cox of Liberty
126: Lafayette Wildwood junior Riley Sumner won a big match against two-time state champion Jordan Bell of St. Pius X in a 5-4 decision. Sumner will take on Liberty senior Will Pfiefer, who won a 17-10 decision against Sedalia Smith-Cotton senior Adarein Hawkins in the quarterfinals.
On the other side of the bracket, McMurtry will face Fort Osage senior Kaison Schreier. McMurtry pinned Parkway West Eugene Wu in 3:41, while Schreier earned a 15-0 tech fall win over Christian Brothers sophomore Waylon Burress.
Semifinalists:
Riley Sumner of Lafayette (Wildwood)
Aidan McMurtry of Hickman
Kaison Schreier of Fort Osage
Will Pfeifer of Liberty
132: Seckman Carson Owens punched his ticket to the final four of his bracket following a 10-6 victory against Benter in the quarters. He will match up with Lafayette Wildwood junior Caleb Frankenberger, who won by fall in 1:50 over Francis Howell North sophomore Noah Brown.
On the other side of the bracket, Liberty senior Cade Dunn and Ft. Zumwalt North Carsten Burkemper will look for their first state titles. Burkemper got a 18-3 tech fall win over Jackson sophomore Mitchel Baker in the quarterfinals, and Dunn edged Christian Brothers junior Michael Poulette 7-6 to move on.
Semifinalists:
Carson Owens of Seckman
Caleb Frankenberger of Lafayette (Wildwood)
Carsten Burkemper of Ft. Zumwalt North
Cade Dunn of Liberty
138: Farmington senior Aiden Hahn was in a battle with Brady McMurtry and won 4-2 to keep his chances of a state title alive. He will take on Neosho junior Kelton Shaffer, who pulled off a big win against defending state champion Jaxson Shute of Platte County in a 7-3 decision.
On the other side of the bracket, North Point junior Brody Kell will take on Ozark sophomore Colton Wilson. Kell got a takedown in overtime to beat Fort Osage senior Tony Martinez 4-1, while Wilson got a 4-1 victory of his own against Liberty junior Gavin Shelton.
Semifinalists:
Aiden Hahn of Farmington
Brody Kell of North Point
Colton Wilson of Ozark
Kelton Shaffer of Neosho
144: Ft. Zumwalt North junior Patrick Provost moved on to the semifinals after a pin in the second period over Ozark senior Teagon Patterson. Provost will see defending state champion Roman Stewart, who got a 17-2 tech fall win over Republic senior Keaton Overcast.
At the bottom of the bracket, Crawford will take on Staley senior Miller Sipes. Crawford earned a 21-6 tech fall in 2:47 against Ray-Pec senior Evan Gatlin, while Sipes pinned Waynesville senior Lincoln Stearns in the third period.
Semifinalists:
Quincey Crawford of Hickman
Patrick Provost of Ft. Zumwalt North
Miller Sipes of Staley
Roman Stewart of Liberty
150: Blue Springs junior Jackson Paulsen pulled off a big upset as he defeated No. 1 seed Chance Ruble of Seckman 8-6 to make it to the semifinals. He will take on St. Pius sophomore Luke Cline, who won 6-3 against Hickman junior Shane Oswold in the quarterfinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Hazelwood West senior Tyson Forbes will see Davis. Forbes won a barnburner against Nixa sophomore Peyton Chainey in a 11-10 decision, while Davis pinned Marquette junior Connor McBride in 1:37.
Semifinalists:
Tyson Forbes of Hazelwood West
Ross Davis of Liberty
Jackson Paulsen of Blue Springs
Luke Cline of St. Pius X (Kansas City)
157: Christian Brothers junior Colin Rutlin advanced to the semifinals as he took down Hickman senior Taryn Nichols in a 17-2 tech fall victory. He will lock horns with St. Pius junior Landen McDowell, who won 12-5 against Neosho senior Carter Howard.
On the other side of the bracket, Columbia Rock Bridge Tyler Abell will take on Grady Mortensen. Abell earned a 22-3 tech fall win against Oak Park senior Elijah Redmond, while Mortensen advanced after an injury forfeit against Liberty junior Cooper Kirkham.
Semifinalists:
Colin Rutlin of Christian Brothers College
Tyler Abell of Rock Bridge
Grady Mortensen of Lee`s Summit West
Landen Mcdowell of St. Pius X (Kansas City)
165: St. Louis University senior Mike Williams edged Grain Valley junior Sjoeren Aumua 4-3 to advance to the semifinals. Williams will take on Fincher, who pinned Lee’s Summit junior Austin Cornett in the second period.
Ft. Zumwalt North senior Cole Aguirre will be in the final four on the other side of the bracket. He made it there after an 8-3 win over Neosho junior Lincoln Howard. He will see Northwest Jeremiah Clines, who got a third-period pin of Park Hill senior Noah Johnson.
Semifinalists:
Mike Williams of St. Louis University High
Jeremiah Clines of Northwest
Jordan Fincher of Hickman
Cole Aguirre of Ft. Zumwalt North
175: Lafayette Wildwood senior Carter Welsh will have a chance to win his first state championship as he made it to the final four after an 11-4 win over Nixa senior Owen Diemoz. He will have to get past Hodges to make it to the finals. The Liberty senior won 11-5 against Francis Howell North senior Cole Dillon.
On the other side of the bracket, Hayden will face Neosho senior Kaymon Rhone. Hayden pinned Fox senior Charles Chapman in just 59 seconds, and Rhone got a second-period pin against Jackson junior Joah Moore.
Semifinalists:
Carter Welsh of Lafayette (Wildwood)
Luke Hayden of Hickman
Kaymon Rhone of Neosho
Donovan Hodges of Liberty
190: Christian Brothers senior Trey Craig will look for his first state title on Saturday. He made the semifinals after a 17-2 tech fall win in 2:56 over Republic junior Ethan Montiel. Craig will have to get past Ft. Zumwalt North senior Deacon Moran, who got a takedown in overtime to get past defending state champion Isaac Ward in a 5-2 victory.
On the other side of the bracket, Waldron will face Neosho senior Chase Kivett. Waldron got a pin in just 19 seconds over Platte County senior Cooper Hammontree, while Kivett won 7-4 over Blue Springs South junior Cy Wilmes.
Semifinalists:
Trey Craig of Christian Brothers College
Beau Waldron of Hickman
Deacon Moran of Ft. Zumwalt North
Chase Kivett of Neosho
215: Lafayette Wildwood junior Carter Brown is looking for his second straight state title as he advanced to the final four following a 13-1 major decision against Nixa junior Weston Weldon. Brown will take on Liberty Wentzville senior Maddoxx Jones, who won a high-scoring affair in a 25-13 win against Park Hill junior Louis Van Batavia.
On the other side of the bracket, Waynesville senior Joseph Camelin will battle with North Kansas City junior Kobe Rhymes. Camelin pinned Francis Howell Central senior Garo Sams in just 27 seconds, while Rhymes pinned Oakville junior Kaden Updike in 2:47.
Semifinalists:
Carter Brown of Lafayette (Wildwood)
Maddoxx Jones of Liberty (Wentzville)
Joseph Camelin of Waynesville
Kobe Rhymes of North Kansas City
285: Jackson senior Brysen Wessell advanced to the semifinals following a 1-0 win against Staley senior Noah Cooper. Wessell will see Lee’s Summit West senior Noah Patton, who won 4-1 against Liberty junior Masen Bindel.
On the other side of the bracket, Blue Springs senior Carter Atagi will take on defending state champion Kyler Kuhn of St. Pius. Atagi won 6-3 against Christian Brothers senior Joe Kopp, while Kuhn earned a 9-1 major decision win against St. Louis University senior Albert Reinburg.
Semifinalists:
Brysen Wessell of Jackson
Noah Patton of Lee`s Summit West
Kyler Kuhn of St. Pius X (Kansas City)
Carter Atagi of Blue Springs
