Fort Osage’s top tier boys wrestlers used it as a warmup before the annual Kansas City Stampede.
Wrestlers like ranked seniors Kaison Schreier, Antonio Martinez and Isaac Ward and Luke Steffens were preparing for one of the biggest tournaments in the state this weekend.
Other Indians had their chance to shine Tuesday’s Independence City Championships at Fort Osage High School.
Competitors like freshman Brennan Leeds; sophomore William DuFour; juniors Dawson Lucas, Gabriel Allen and Brendan Mathis; and senior Ryan Rodriguez all had outstanding showings at the event as they all went 3-0 to help Fort Osage dominate all three of its duals.
The Indians topped William Chrisman 68-12, Truman 78-6 and Van Horn 59-18.
The Falcons finished 2-1 with a 69-12 win over Truman and a 57-23 triumph against William Chrisman.
The Bears got their lone win against the Patriots by a 42-29 margin.
“This is a really fun meet to have until we hit some really tough tournaments,” Fort Osage boys head coach Brandon Wackerman said. “I am really pleased with how our guys did. I have seen a lot of growth and the guys are wrestling.
“Some of the younger guys got to fulfill some roles and see what it takes to be successful at the varsity level.”
Mathis (132) is an under-the-radar competitor for Fort Osage, who showed what he could do Tuesday. He earned two pins and won due to a forfeit and finished 3-0.
“I think I had a good day,” Mathis said. “I say I need to work on some things. I was able to get to my shots. That’s what I was really good at today.”
Allen (157/165) is in his second year competing at the varsity level and he’s looking to work his way up to being a state-tournament level wrestler. He had a strong showing with two tech fall victories of 17-1 and 21-3 and a pin of Truman’s Kevin Padilla.
“I just got to my shots very well,” Allen said. “I was able to get to the legs quickly and it helped me get some techs. I used a guillotine to get my one pin.”
Steffens (138), who is one of the Indians top wrestlers and was a stat qualifier as a freshman, was using the City Championships as a tuneup for the Stampede, which will feature some of the best wrestlers from the Midwest.
On Tuesday, he pinned all three of his opponents.
“I wrestled pretty solid, but I have some things to clean up before Stampede,” Steffens said. “I need to clean up shots and work on my fakes. I also need to work on getting up from bottom.”
Ward (190), Martinez (144), Rodriguez (150), Leeds (106), Lucas (113) and DuFour (120) all earned 3-0 marks at the event, as well.
Van Horn had two wrestlers finish with a 3-0 record as Jaylin Mitchell (285) and Logan Chamberlin (165) led the way for the Falcons. Chamberlain had two pins and a forfeit win. Mitchell edged Fort Osage’s Nathan Parker 8-6 and had a pin and a forfeit in the other two duals.
Senior Logan Perrin (215/285) led the way for Chrisman as he went 3-0 and won by fall in all of his matches. Junior Eden Reed (175) was 3-0 with two forfeit victories and a pin.
Juniors Daylen Curry (157) and Maverick Eiserman (144) were the two Patriots with a winning record at 2-1.
Girls
Like the boys team, the Fort Osage girls squad dominated all three of its duals, even without one of their best wrestlers, freshman Jauzlyean Gray, who was out with an illness.
The Indians. rolled to a 66-17 win over Truman, a 72-0 victory against Van Horn and it cruised to a 66-10 triumph vs. William Chrisman.
Sophomore Hali Windes (235) was one of many Indians to finish without a loss. She pinned Truman’s A’Nyla Davis in 2:43 and won two other bouts by forfeit.
“There’s a lot of potential in our team,” Windes said. “Once we get all the weights sorted out, we will be doing really good.”
Sophomores Aliyana Grosko Gonzalez (190) and Hope Pearson (155); junior Memri Snow (105); and freshman Lexi Newman (100) had strong performances as each had two pins and a forfeit victory.
Others on Fort Osage to finish 3-0 were freshmen Ariel Biggs (140) and Lilly Veach (110); and juniors Madison Lightner (145) and Isabelle Adams (170) each went 3-0.
Seniors Kylie Dunn (130) and Alaina Wackerman both ended with 2-0 records in the quad dual.
Truman finished with a 2-1 record with a 36-24 win over the Falcons and a 48-17 victory over the Bears. William Chrisman topped Van Horn 30-21.
Junior Trinity Harrison (155) led the way for Truman as she finished 2-0. She was 2-0 with a forfeit win and a pin. Sophomore Kaniyah Coleman (115) was 3-0 with all forfeit victories.
Bears freshman Natalie Schollhammer (120) was the lone wrestler on her team to finish 3-0 as she earned a 18-4 major decision, a 25-7 tech fall and a forfeit victory.
For Van Horn, Alexa Albor (190) and sophomore Cristal Pena Sanchez (135) each finished 2-1 with all forfeit victories.
