Michael Smith
With some big tournaments coming up like national duals and the Southern Plains Regional Championships, some wrestlers got some competitive mat time in at the Kumite Championships.
Those two big tournaments will take place in late May and early June, so competing at the Kumite Tournament was a chance for some of the top-level wrestlers to get warmed up before then.
Wrestler Video Interviews include:
- Zachary Butler, Summit Christian Academy
- Rhett Wilborn, Moberly
- Davion Wilson, Raytown South
- McKency Mason, Marshall
- Brant Laughlin, Seneca
- Tanner Faulkner, Christian Brothers College
- Temperance Lowe, Park Hill South
- Grady Mortensen, Lee’s Summit West
- Lucia Henriquez, Park Hill South
- Parker Lutz, St. Michael The Archangel Catholic
- Austin Stevick, St. Michael The Archangel Catholic
There were wrestlers from around the Midwest that competed in the event, with most being from Missouri. There were freestyle and Greco weight divisions for both boys and girls from elementary school age to high school.
Below MissouriWrestling.com breaks down each weight bracket in which a high school state wrestler won their bracket:
Boys Freestyle
106-113: St. Michael The Archangel Catholic’s Parker Lutz won by a 10-0 tech fall in the first round and semifinals before winning by forfeit against Seneca’s Calan Manley in the finals to capture first.
120-126: Wyatt Weekley of Garden City won 10-0 in the semifinals before matching up with Staley’s Conner Anderson in the finals. He was locked into a high-scoring affair, but he came away with a 22-11 tech fall win to take first place.
132: St. Michael’s Austin Stevick took both of his matches by tech fall including a 12-2 win over Jacob Reitz of Shawnee, Kan., as he cruised to a bracket victory.
138: Raytown South’s Davion Wilson admitted both his matches with Kansas City’s Cameron Graham were tough, but he was able to get tech fall victories of 17-6 and 12-2 to come out on top in his weight class.
“I feel like I wrestled pretty good,” Wilson said. “There are some things I need to work on. The kid was kind of difficult. I am used to people attacking me and not necessarily backing away so I had to adjust to that.”
144: Seneca’s Brant Laughlin was one of those wrestlers trying to get work in before the Southern Plains and National Duals Tournament. He looked like he was ready as he had two wins by a 10-0 tech fall and he edged Pacific’s Timothy Link 9-8 to take first place.
“I thought I wrestled fine,” Laughlin said. “I just came out here to compete and get some more matches in before Virginia Beach and Southern Plains. I just had a good time…..
