The boys wrestling dual between Grain Valley and Fort Osage came down to the final match in a Suburban White Conference matchup.
The team score was tied at 33-33 going into the final match at the 285-pound bout.
Fort Osage junior Nathan Parker came up big for his team as he used a double leg takedown to get Braden Thomas to the mat. Parker got Thomas straight to his back and got a pin in 17 seconds to help the Indians take a 39-33 victory in both team’s final dual before the district tournament on Feb. 22.
“I tried to come out aggressive because that is what our coach has been teaching us the past couple of weeks,” Parker said. “I came in with a shot and I messed it up, so I tried to recover. I noticed his weight was forward but his hips were back and he was on his heels, so I reached and grab the back of his heels. I pulled those from under him and drove forward.
“I then secured his arms to make his back flat.”
His teammate, senior Colby Gray (150 pounds) made sure to give Parker praise following the dual.
“That was awesome, man,” Gray said. “He has been working his butt of in practice. He deserved it. We have all been working on the little details and getting ready for districts.”
Gray won his match, as well. He raced out to a 14-1 lead before locking in a half nelson on Grain Valley sophomore Sjoeren Aumua to get the turn and pin in 2:50.
“He put pressure in and took shots and I capitalized on them,” Gray said.
Others Indians to pick up wins were sophomore Dawson Lucas (106), who won a scramble and turned it into a pin in 1:20 against Kaeler Byrd; Junior Kaison Schreier (113), who used a head and arm move to pin Brady Jones in 33 seconds; Junior Antonio Martinez (126), who used a butcher to pin Cylus Andrade in 51 seconds; Senior Grayson Moore (144), who bumped up a weight class and defeated Kobe Hughes 9-2; and junior Isaac Ward (175), who won by forfeit.
Grain Valley senior Gavin Barker (215) got the Eagles into a position to potentially win the dual He faced off against Fort senior Isaac Fields, who is ranked No. 8 according to MissouriWrestling.com in the 215-pound weight class in Class 4.
Barker was aggressive early in the match, using a variety of takes before he countered a shot from Fields into his own takedown in the first period. From there, Fields managed to get two escapes – one in the first period and one in the second. Fields was on top in the third and Barker staved off his opponent’s attempts to turn him as he came away with a big 3-2 victory.
Some of the moves he used mimicked the style of wrestling his older brother Tanner Barker, a 2023 graduate, used when he wrestled for the Eagles.
“I did that a lot last year,” Barker said of the shot fakes. “They got me on that at districts last year, so I changed up my style this year. I am starting to bring that back into my routine, though.”
Last season, Barker made it to the bubble match at districts as he was one win away for qualifying for the state tournament. He fell in that match but is looking to get redemption this season and punch his ticket to state.
“Everyone who is seeded above me, I have wrestled them all once or twice,” Barker said. “They have all been close matches and have been decided by one or two points. I have been pushing myself in practice so I can get that edge over them.”
Fellow senior Colston Parks (138) looks ready for districts as he won his match easily against Fort sophomore Colton Lamb. He countered a shot from Lamb and turned it into a takedown of his own before wrapping his arm around the upper body of his opponent and turning him for a pin in 58 seconds.
“I was hoping to wrestle (Grayson Moore) but he bumped up,” Parks said. “I am feeling pretty good (going into districts. I think I am going to shock the world a little bit. They have me ranked a little bit low. I plan to make my statement there.”
Grain Valley junior Tyler Jones (120) controlled his match with Kaiden Johnson from start to finish and he used a reverse half nelson to turn his opponent and get a pin in 51 seconds; junior Zac Bleess (132), a two time state medalist, had three takedowns in a 11-5 win over Luke Steffens; Sophomore Brody Braa (157) overcame a 6-1 deficit against Gabe Allen as he had two near falls and two takedowns late in the match before getting a fall in 4:38; Freshman Dalton Burch (165) won by forfeit; and Freshman Grant Burd (190) came back from a 6-0 deficit to win 12-8.