Michael Smith
The St. Michael The Archangel Catholic wrestling team is a force to be reckoned with 2023-24.
The Guardians are currently ranked No. 2 in the MissouriWrestling.com poll in Class 2, they have six wrestlers ranked in the top six of their respective divisions and have their sights set on winning a state title this season.
Wrestler Interviews:
- St. Michael’s Austin Stevick (120)
- St. Michael’s Lucas Barry (138)
- St. Michael’s Lucas Estes (175)
- St. Michael’s Landon Lane (106)
- St. Michael’s Brodie Purtle (190)
- St. Michael head coach Matt Infranca
- Van Horn’s CJ Nelson (215)
In Wednesday’s Crossroads Conference tri dual, St. Michael showed its superiority as it earned wins of 57-24 over Summit Christian Academy, 71-12 against University Academy and 63-15 vs. Van Horn at Van Horn High School.
Van Horn took second place with wins of 72-9 against the Griffons and 58-24 over the Eagles. Summit Christian took third after beating University Academy 42-24.
“We’re starting to wrestle well, but we are not a finished product,” St. Michael head coach Matt Infranca said. “We are piecing it together and getting our lineup set. We’re still training with one thing in mind, to win a state championship.”
The winner of the quad dual came down to the final matchup between St. Michael and Van Horn and the Guardians won 10 out of 11 contested matches.
Senior Lucas Estes (175), ranked No. 2 in Class 2, got the biggest win of the evening as he pinned No. 3-ranked (in Class 3) Darrius Paige in 3 minutes and 58 seconds. Paige bumped up a weight class to set up the marquee match up.
Paige got off to a fast start by using a single-leg takedown and a tilt to take a 5-0 lead against Estes going into the second period. Paige chose to start in the down position and Estes was able to ride him out until the final five seconds. He managed to work a pin while his opponent was out of bounds but he kept his feet in bounds.
Estes finished his day 3-0, getting a pin and a forfeit win in the other two duals.
“I didn’t come out too strong,” Estes said of his match with Paige. “I was slow on my feet. He’s a good rider. There was about 30 seconds left and I was able to hook in the half (nelson) on the edge (of the circle.
“It was a surprise that he bumped up but you have to roll with the punches.”
No. 3-ranked Lucas Barry (138), a senior, had little trouble going 3-0 for the Guardians and he used a half nelson to turn Van Horn’s Dame Trussell for a pin in 1:02. Barry also pinned University Academy’s Treyvon Cole and won by forfeit against Summit Christian.
“In an event like this, it’s a time to work on things you don’t usually hit,” Barry said. “It’s kind of like practice to be honest. You are trying on things you need to be honest. I was working on my shots and trying different setups….
