Staley senior Miller Sipes ended his high school career with a bang.
Not only did he win his first state title following a thrilling 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker win over Liberty’s Roman Stewart last month, he got to compete in Tuesday’s Kansas City Metro Classic at the Mabee Fieldhouse on the campus of Avila University.
In an all-star event that featured some of the best senior high school wrestlers in the region from the Kansas and Missouri sides, he faced arguably the best wrestler on Team Kansas – Paola’s Brock Johnson – a four-time state champion – in the 144-pound bout.
Sipes’ match started out competitive as both wrestlers went back and forth, scoring points. After Johnson got a reversal in the second period to go up 5-4, Sipes got a reversal of his own and earned a pin in 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
His win in a marquee matchup was a big highlight in Team Missouri’s 42-18 blowout win over Team Kansas.
“Once I got him to his back, I felt I was in a pretty good position,” Sipes said. “Going into the match, I didn’t think I would get the pin, but I thought there was a possibility to put him in his back.”
Sipes faced Johnson previously in the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Dec. and won that matchup, as well, 5-2 in overtime. Sipes said wrestling him before helped him know what to expect in the bout.
“I knew he had a good riding single, so I tried to circle to his trail leg,” Sipes said. “I knew he was trying to go for an over tie.”
After the win, the Missouri crowd erupted in cheers.
“It was super cool,” Sipes said. “It was also good to see the Kansas side quiet. The match ended in a dominant victory and put us ahead by a lot.
“It meant a lot to me to be able to compete in this event. It was fun to get to wrestle with kids from different teams and compete against some of the best wrestlers in Kansas City.”
Lee’s Summit West senior Grady Mortensen (157 pounds) was the only other Team Missouri winner to get a pin as he overcame a 3-0 deficit to pin against Tonganoxie’s Brady Martin in 3:01. After getting a reversal, Mortensen got some back points of a cradle and transition to a reverse headlock to get a pin.
“I did my quick stand up right off the whistle, and he was kind of just standing there,” Mortensen said. “I had a quick turnaround and saw the cradle and locked it up and I wasn’t going to let go of it.
“I was a little heavy footed at first. I wrestled OK on my feet and got it done on bottom.”
Mortensen was able to end his high school career with a win in the Metro Classic after finishing as a runner-up at the state tournament last month.
“Glad I ended on my terms,” Mortensen said. “It’s now onto freestyle and Greco.”
He got to team up with West senior Noah Patton (285) one last time, and saw him win his match 7-3 over Blue Valley Southwest’s Ben Traw 7-3.
“We have been grinding it out on the same team for the past four years, and he has improved a lot,” Mortensen said of Patton. “He was on (junior varsity) for a year and he bounced back and made varsity as a sophomore. I am proud of how he wrestled today. I haven’t seen him wrestle like that in awhile. He had a couple of good takedowns.”
Grain Valley senior Zac Bleess’ season didn’t end the way he wanted.
He fell just short of earning his third state medal at state. He fell in the bubble match 4-2 against Christian Brothers College junior Michael Poulette.
However, Bleess had a chance at redemption in his match with Olathe North’s Jaxson Scott in the 132-pound bout, and won 8-6.
Bleess was strong on his scrambles and won a critical one to get a takedown of Scott in the third period to go up 8-5. After Scott escaped to make it 8-6, he nearly got a takedown in the final 10 seconds, but the Grain Valley senior narrowly avoided giving his opponent control and came out with the victory.
“That is exactly where I am used to wrestling … in those scrambling positions,” Bleess said. “It looks kind of wild and it’s 50-50, that’s where I am most comfortable and that’s where I spend most of my time in practice.
“The more I force those wrestling positions, the better chance I have of winning. Some guys want to hang out in ties, but I know if I am forcing the action, I am more likely to get to those positions.”
After the match, Team Kansas fans booed, while the Missouri side erupted in cheers. The event was a memorable experience for Bleess.
“It means the world to me,” Blees said of competing in the Metro Classic. “We all go to different high schools, but we are Team Missouri. We spend the summer wrestling with each other at MO West (a local wrestling club) and at the Fargo (N.D.) training center.
“We are truly friends and hang out with each other. Me and Jaylen Civil wrestled each other earlier in the year and got to be teammates. I also got to team with Grady Mortensen and Miller (Sipes). It was great to be teammates with those guys for a little bit.”
The event was the last time Grain Valley head coach Donald Horner, who was a part of the Team Missouri coaching staff, got to coach Bleess, who is a wrestler he’s raved about all season.
“Coaching Zack is a little bittersweet,” Horner said. “It breaks your heart. I will probably never get to be in the corner of a Zack Bleess match. There are no other Zac Bleess out there. He’s such a great kid.”
Horner joked about the end of Bleess’ match coming down to the wire, but was happy to see his senior get the win.
“In typical Zac fashion, he was trying to give me a heart attack and make me nervous,” Horner said. “I think he’s trying to send me to an early grave.”
Fort Osage senior Kaison Schreier (126) was also a major contributor to Team Missouri’s victory as the three-time state champion took down two-time Kansas State champion Henry White of Blue Valley Southwest, 8-1.
Schreier, who won his third state championship in February, was strong on his feet and got to his single leg takedowns against White and also won a scramble for a takedown early in the match.
“It was a straight forward match, but I felt I could have circled a little bit more,” Schreier said. “I could have got my hands on him a little more and wrestled at a faster pace.
“He didn’t get a takedown. I felt good about it and felt my defense was good. He didn’t take many attempts, so I felt I was in a pretty good stance for him not to shoot on me.”
Like Bleess, Schreier was pumped to be a part of the event and team with one of his longtime friends and opponents.
“The atmosphere was really cool. I loved wrestling in this,” Schreier said. “Mason Brayfield is one of my best friends. We have been opponents for a long time in high school, but I was glad to be on the team with him today.”
Other wins for Team Missouri included:
113 pounds: Pleasant Hill’s Victor Schmalz won by a 10-2 major decision against Landon Cooper of Olathe South.
120: Park Hill’s Mason Brayfield nearly missed out on a tech fall, but still defeated Mill Valley’s Jeredy Nilges 16-2.
132: Warrensburg’s Jaylen Civil earned a 13-8 major decision over Washburn Rural’s Cooper Stivers.
165: Belton’s Quinten Attebury won by injury forfeit over Olathe South’s Jovani Caudill.
175: Smithville’s Tristan Waters won by a 20-3 tech fall in 3:23 against Shawnee Mission East’s Noah Jewell.
2026 KC Metro Classic Results
Missouri 43
Kansas 18
113 – Victor Schmalz MO maj dec Landon Cooper KS
120 – Mason Brayfield MO maj dec Jeredy Nilges KS
126 – Mason Schreier MO dec Henry White KS
126 – Bryson Rockers KS dec Garrett Beane MO
132 – Zach Blees MO dec Jaxson Scott KS
132 – Jaylen Civil MO dec Cooper Stivers KS
138 – Landen Kocher-Munoz KS maj dec Evan Gatlin MO
144 – Miller Sipes MO pinned Brock Johnson KS
152 – Blake Samuelson KS dec Cooper Collins MO
157 – Grady Mortenson MO pinned Brady Martin KS
165 – Quinten Attebury MO by inj def Jovani Caudill KS
175 – Tristan Waters MO tech fall Noah Jewell KS
190 – Tad Forsyth KS tech fall Haze Middleton MO
215 – Steven Brown KS dec Barret Lawless MO
285 – Noah Patton MO dec Ben Traw KS
