Michael Smith
There have been some strong brother duos in the history of Missouri high school wrestling.
Van Horn might just have one of those in Tristan and Darrius Page. The brothers each won their weight division at the Grain Valley Invitational last weekend and repeated the same feat at the Truman Invitational Saturday.
Tristan won the 106-pound weight class while Darrius won at 138 to help their team capture the team title with 220 points. Springfield Glendale was second with 159 points and Kansas City-Piper was third with 142.
“We should really dominate all the teams we go against,” Darrius said.
Tristan, a freshman, got four pins in less than a minute, and earned a 4-2 decision against Winnetonka’s John Nguyen.
“I thought I wrestled smart.” Tristan said of his last match with Center’s Michael Darrington. “Coach told me he was a headhunter. I saw him coming. I was able to defend his moves.”
Winning their brackets at the same tournament is nothing new to the Page brothers. It’s something they have been doing for awhile.
“We have been doing this since we were younger,” Darius Page said after he and Tristan won at the Grain Valley Tournament. “We feel good about it. We will do it in the next one.”
He was right.
Darrius won his weight class at 138 pounds, as well, pinning West Platte’s Peyson Chandler in 1:52 in the championship match.
“In practice, we take everything seriously,” Darrius said of him and Tristan. “We get work done and we get a little extra work in.”
Added Tristan: “At home we push each other to be better. He shows me new techniques and how to perfect some moves.”
There were three other Falcons to take first place in their weight class, too. Mason Igou earned five pins before getting an overtime takedown in the championship match against West Platte’s Macon McDonald to earn a first-place medal.
“Mason is a grinder,” Addison said. “He will get after it every day in practice. He is really conditioned for a heavyweight.”
Keanu Sua (195) faced a familiar opponent in Truman’s Freddie Sheppard in the finals and because of an escape and multiple stalling calls against Shepherd, he won 4-2 to take first.
“We both wrestle very similarly,” Sua said. “It was a good match for me to see what I need to work on.”
But perhaps the most surprising first place finish among teammates and coaches was 113-pounder Tevaughn Chambers. He went 2-1 and tied with three other wrestlers but won the tiebreaker to earn a spot atop the podium.
Chambers, who won six matches last season, is already halfway to that total this season at 3-5.
“I think I can improve on some stuff. I just have to keep getting better,” Chambers said. “I thought I came in third or second but it’s amazing that I won.”
Other Falcons to finish in the top four of their weight class were De’Marcus Penson (second, 152), Wesley Trinkler (fourth, 160), Andrew Murphy (second, 170) and CJ Nelson (second, 182).
“We didn’t have everyone at this tournament,” Addison said. “Our 220-pounder, our 126 and our 132 weren’t here. We came in thinking we had a good chance of winning the tournament this weekend. Our guys wrestled really well.”
Below is a summary of the winners for the other weight classes:
120: If there is one thing Raytown South’s Raul Romero likes to do, it’s control the pace of his matches. That’s what he did Saturday when he had three major decisions, two pins and one medical forfeit to stand atop the podium in his weight class.
“I have been thinking about the same thing the whole season, just movement and keep control of the arms, hips and head,” Romero said.
126: Raytown South’s Norman Schneider stayed unbeaten at 6-0 and defeated Center’s Elijah Gunnels in the championship match 9-1. He controlled the match from start to finish and kept Gunnels grounded.
He used an impenetrable defense to keep Gunnels from taking him down.
“I just had to be faster than him and block those shots and counter,” Schnieder said.
132: Truman’s Elias Chapin was the lone first-place finisher for his team. He got four pins, a 5-0 decision in the semifinals and a 8-2 victory against St. Joseph Lafayette’s Tristan Flynn in the championship bout.
“I wrestled pretty decent,” Chapin said. “I didn’t really wrestle anyone like that this whole tournament. (Flynn) was definitely stronger and the kids I usually wrestle are taller and skinnier.”
145: Vianney’s Anthony Lentz had a battle on his hands in the championship match with Raytown South’s Jorge Gaytan, he was able to evade Gaytan’s shots late in the third period to hang on for a 5-4 decision.
“I knew he was trying to throw me, so I tried to keep my hips back,” Lentz said. “I had to get to my underhooks because I am strong there. I took a stalling call there at the end so I could hang on to the win.
152: St. Joseph Lafayette junior Jay Greiner is one of the best wrestlers in the state. However, he hasn’t gotten over the hump to win a state championship yet. He’s finished second at state the last two years and is trying everything he can to get his first this season.
The No. 5-ranked wrestler at 152 according to the MissouriWrestling.com poll, handed Van Horn’s Demarcus Penson his first loss after a second-period pinfall in the title bout.
“I have worked harder this year than any other year,” Greiner said. “I have gained a lot of weight and muscle and lost a lot of fat.”
160: West Platte’s Cameron Williams had a strong showing by getting pins in the semifinals and the finals against Glendale’s Tanner Fick to take first.
“I was attempting shots the whole match, he had good defense,” Williams said of Fick. “I was able to hit him with a trip and got his arm and kept walking him back.”
170: Summit Christian Academy’s Jeremiah Smith made short work of his opponents in the semifinals and finals, getting pins in 49 and 55 seconds, respectively, to capture first place.
“I am always good on my feet. I like to get my shots in and get takedowns. In my last match, I got a far side cradle,” Smith said.
182: Glendale’s Colman Ebisch got pins in all six of his matches including one in the finals against Van Horn’s CJ Nelson in 1:16 to take first.
“I always go 100 percent all the way from the first round,” Ebisch said. “It’s easier to get it done early than get tired in the third round.”
220: Lafayette’s Brandon Torres-Moya had a rare opportunity to wrestle teammate Zach Pribble in the championship match and he ended up pinning a fellow Fighting Irish wrestler in the second round for a first-place medal.
“I went to 15 practices and I feel like I made a big improvement. This feels great,” Torres-Moya said.
GIRLS: Winnetonka finished first with 61.5 points, Blue Springs South was second with 54.5 and St. Joseph Lafayette took third with 142.
The Griffins were led by Madison Leverknight (125), who got pins in all five of her matches to take first place.
“I could have done better. I was working on what I needed to,” Leverknight said. “I did well on my forward pressure and setting up my shots.”
Freshman Autumn Calvert also got first at 195 for Winnetonka. She won both of her matches and ended her day with a 4-0 victory against South’s Trinity Greiner.
Below is a summary of the winners of the other weight classes:
105: St. Joseph Lafayette’s Isa-Bella Mendoza got four pins and a forfeit to take her weight class.
“I felt good,” Mendoza said. “I feel I did best at neutral and taking shots.”
115: Carrollton’s Aiva Meyer got both of her pins in less than 45 seconds to take first place.
120: South’s Myka Fluty got three pins to take her weight class.
“I did really well today. There is room for improvement obviously, but I took the coaches’ words really well,” Fluty said.
130: Carrollton’s Emily Sprouse took first after getting two pins
135: West Platte’s Kristen Crockett defeated the same opponent twice to get first place.
141: Truman’s Evangeline Drydale pinned her opponent twice for a first-place medal.
149: Raytown’s South Zayla Vann got two pins to stand atop her weight division.
“I threw somebody today,” Vann said. “It was a throw that I wasn’t taught. I just kind of felt it and I went for it. My body was in the right position.”
159: Van Horn’s Robyn Murphy got three pins and a forfeit to take first.
235: Raytown South’s Sandra Mancera went 3-0 with three pins to take first.
