Tolbert medals in return, four Mexico girls make podium at Capital City

For the first time in almost two years, Matty Tolbert was competing on a wrestling mat for the Mexico girls.

Tolbert was out after hip surgery, missing all last season and the start of this season, but placed fourth at 235 pounds to medal on Friday at the Capital City Girls Tournament in Jefferson City. The Lady Bulldogs had three others make the podium, including Alexus Johns taking first at 235, Abby Bowen taking second at 135 and Karisa Hayden taking third at 170.

Head coach Tony Senor said he liked the “fight and drive” out all of his wrestlers, especially Tolbert after she went 2-3 with pinfall wins in the first minute. 

“That showed a lot of resilience and toughness from her,” Senor said. “I’m proud of her as a coach.”

Senor also was impressed with Johns winning by pinfall five times, with only one going into the second period, and Hayden had a “gutsy” performance against the No. 1 ranked girl — Pleasant Hill’s Alana Thelin — in her weight class that ended by being pinned in the third period to go with four four first-period pinfall victories by Hayden. Bowen lost 3-0 in the final seconds against Fatima’s Skyla Schroeder to just miss a 4-0 night that also had two pinfalls and a 6-4 decision over Pleasant Hill’s Skylar Cyr-Coe.

Mexico finished in the three-way tie for sixth out of 16 schools along with Jefferson City and Republic with 55 points.

Bulldogs take fifth at Mid-Buchanan, Juarez Ramirez wins bracket

The field was sizable at the Mid-Buchanan Invitational on Saturday.

The Mexico boys still finished in the top five out of 32 schools in fifth with 150.5 points, thanks to seven in the top four and eight in the top six of their respective weight classes. Carlos Juarez Ramirez led the Bulldogs by winning the 106-pound bracket with two pinfalls, a 21-5 technical fall and a 15-1 major decision.

Taking second were Grant Van Horn at 157 with two pinfalls and a 9-4 decision loss to Shenandoah’s Owen Laughlin (26-1), and Watson Azdell at 132 with a 3-1 record that included two pinfalls and a 1-0 decision over Penney’s Tennison Nixdorf.

Brayden Arnold was a third-place finisher at 113 with a 3-1 record and three pinfalls, and coming in fourth were Kyler Carr at 144 with a 3-2 record and three pinfalls, Grant Walker at 175 with 3-2 record, two pinfalls and a 7-3 decision, and Emille Scanavino at 285 with a 2-2 record that included a pinfall and a ultimate tiebreaker 2-1 over Overland Park-St. Thomas Aquinas’ Stephen Carroll.

Jayden Hodge was sixth at 190 after going 2-3 with two pinfalls.

For junior varsity, Evan Blair was fourth at 106 pounds after going 2-2 with two pinfalls.

North Callaway finishes third at Marshall Invitational, four in top 2

North Callaway wrestling had podium representation on the boys and girls side on Saturday.

The boys finished third out of 19 teams at the Marshall Invitational with 113 points, having three finish in the top two, and Brooke Giboney was first for the Ladybirds in the 105-pound bracket after pinning Marshall’s Kendra Bellamy twice for a 2-1 record.

Lane Kimbley finished first for the boys after winning via an 18-2 technical fall, a 34-second pinfall and an 8-2 decision over Marshall’s Brody Marquess. 

Taking second were Collin Moore at 150 pounds with a 2-1 record that included a pinfall, 14-0 major decision and a 2-1 loss to Fulton’s Jayden Ayers in the first-place match, and Justice Moore at 215 with 2-1 record that included pinfall and a 16-2 major decision.

Missouri Military Academy kicks off season second half with five champions in Tipton

Missouri Military Academy wrestling couldn’t have kicked off the season’s second half much better.

The Colonels had five win championships on Saturday at the Tipton Cardinal Invitational, including Deonte Kerns at 120 pounds, Michael Pfeifer at 138, Sam Stevens at 144, Trae Griffiths at 157 and Russell Olson at 285. The pile of MMA medalists also included five second-place finishers and four in third place.

MMA finished second behind Tipton with 96 points after Kerns won two matches vis pinfall, Pfeifer won two matches via pinfall in the first minute. Stevens recorded five first-period pinfalls, Griffiths pinned two opponents in the first minute and Olson won by pinfall and lost a 3-0 decision to Cole Camp’s Christian Draper.

Finishing second were Dallas Grantz at 126, Braden Atterberry at 138, Ryan Miles at 150 by going 2-1 with two pinfalls, Blake Krull at 175 going 2-1 with two first-minute pinfalls, and River Mitchell at 215.

Taking third were Hayden James at 120, Joshua Miller at 138, Gabriel Tooman-Hamrock at 150, and Adam Swenson at 190 with a 3-2 record and three pinfalls in the first minute.

Centralia sweeps Clarence Cannon Conference quad

The second-ranked Class 1 Centralia boys reigned supreme on Thursday against their conference.

The Panthers went 3-0 at the Clarence Cannon Conference quad in Palmyra, defeating Palmyra 58-3, 60-24 over Macon and 49-24 over fourth-ranked Brookfield. 

Centralia took two of three contested matches against Palmyra, and five of seven contested bouts against Macon, with victories coming from Rex Bryson at 165, Bryson Dubes at 106, Charlie Robinson at 132, Weston Ward at 144, Louis Suddart at 157, Dalton Kroeger at 190.

Brookfield had an 18-0 lead over Centralia before a Ward pinfall was the start of eight victories in nine matches for the Panthers. Wyatt Adkisson matched up with returning state finalist Colton Parn in a bout between the top two ranked wrestlers at 165 that Adkisson won via pinfall.