Pleasant Hill, Centralia win Missouri state boys wrestling titles; Kearney girls edge Brookfield for Class 1 crown
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The new-look Missouri State High School Activities Association wrestling championships saw a familiar squad take home another championship trophy on Thursday night and also saw two first-time title winners at Mizzou Arena.
Pleasant Hill won its third consecutive Class 2 championship — and fifth overall – as the Roosters (145.5 points) outpaced Mid-Buchanan (135.5) and Odessa (113).
Centralia captured the Class 1 championship with 194.5 points, topping Brookfield (135) and St. Pius X (Kansas City) (131.5). The Panthers took home the title after finishing second the past three seasons – in 2022, 2021 and 2020 – and taking third third twice in school history.
With MSHSAA expanding girls wrestling from one class to two, the Kearney girls took advantage of the opportunity to take home their first championship with the Class 1 crown.
The Bulldogs edged out Brookfield by half a point, 75.5 to 75, for the title.
Cassville finished third with 62 points.
MORE COVERAGE OF THE MISSOURI WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Palmyra's Collin Arch captures fourth Missouri state wrestling championship
Photos: Missouri wrestling championships (Boys Class 1-2, Girls Class 1) finals
Missouri state wrestling championships preview (Boys Class 3-4, Girls Class 2)
Missouri state wrestling championships preview (Boys Class 1-2, Girls Class 1)
Pleasant Hill wins Class 2 boys title
The Roosters had nine wrestlers qualify for the state championships and six of them finished in the top five in their weight classes.
Pleasant Hill was led by three individual champions on Thursday night: seniors Garrett Lyons (150 pounds) and Jacob Hanes (215) and junior Brayden Bush (190).
The individual titles were the first for all three wrestlers after placing in the top five the past two seasons.
A year ago, Lyons (145) and Hanes (182) both took third and Bush (170) finished fifth. Back in 2021, Lyons took second as a sophomore at 132, Bush took third at 145 as a freshman and Hanes finished fifth at 160 as a sophomore.
The Roosters also got a boost on Thursday toward their third straight title from junior Lane Snyder (157) taking second place, senior Sam Ewing (144) taking third and senior Sam McDowell-Driskell (285) finishing fifth.
Ewing entered the state championships seeking his fourth state title, but fell to eventual champion Gavynn Carpenter of Hallsville in the semifinals.
Centralia wins Class 1 boys crown
After coming up short the past three seasons, the Panthers captured their elusive state championship on Thursday.
Centralia had 10 wrestlers qualify for state and eight placed in the top four of their weight classes.
Seniors Brayden Dubes (120), Brayden Shelton (165) and Seth Hasekamp (285) led the Panthers with individual titles.
Dubes won his third championship (after finishing second as a freshman), while Shelton won his second and Hasekamp won his first after finishing second the past two seasons.
Shelton (35-0) and Hasekamp (50-0) both capped off their high school careers with undefeated state championship seasons. Shelton went 48-0 as a junior.
Junior Weston Ward (126) and freshman Rex Bryson (138) earned second-place finishes for Centralia, while sophomore Bryson Dubes (106) and senior Kyden Wilkerson (157) took third and senior Jesse Shannon (132) finished fourth.
Kearney girls win Class 1 title
The Kearney girls had four wrestlers qualify for state and each placed in the top four.
The top finisher was senior Hailey Romero, who took second at 170 pounds after losing to Harrisonville's Iasiah Turrentine in the championship match.
Bailey Martin, a sophomore, finished third at 110 for the Bulldogs, while freshman Riley Walker was fourth at 105 and junior Savannah McDowell was fourth at 120.
Brookfield, which finished second to Kearney by half a point, had seven qualifiers and three finished in the top four, led by freshman Jayden Keller who took the title at 110 pounds.
Missouri state wrestling championships preview (Boys Class 1-2, Girls Class 1)
Missouri state wrestling championships preview (Boys Class 3-4, Girls Class 2)
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