Josh Howk knows the deal.
The 140-pound Blue Springs senior wrestler finished as runner-up last season at the Class 4 Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships, so he knows what to expect in Saturday’s championship match against Wentzville Holt’s Cullen Halpin.
“I’m going to wrestle the same way I’ve always wrestled,” Howk said after taking down Lindbergh’s Michael Slyman with a pin at the 2:27 mark of their semifinal match Friday inside Mizzou Arena. “The only thing different about the state tournament is that I’ve been here before, so I know the nerves are going to come and I know how to handle them just fine. I know I’m prepared and that’s what it’s all about.”
Blue Springs heavyweight Billy Everett also earned his right to wrestle for a state championship, outlasting Lee’s Summit West’s Evan Boehm 3-2.
Boehm, a fourth-place finisher last season, got up 2-0 on a take down early in the first period but Everett tied it 2-2 seconds later. An escape with 20 seconds left in the second period proved to be the difference as Everett held on against one of the better heavyweights in the state.
“So am I,” Everett said of top heavyweight status. “This is my lifelong dream – to win a state high school wrestling (title) match. It’s right there on my fingertips, and I just want to get it.”
Everett will face Lebanon’s Dave Stewart for the state title.
“It’s so rewarding,” Everett said.
Howk and Everett are the only Wildcats vying for a state title.
Freshman Darick Lapaglia came close to advancing to the championship round, losing a closely contested 2-1 decision to Park Hill’s Skylar Wood, a defending (103-pound) champion in his own right. Junior Donnie Horner (215) also lost in the semifinals, taking a 4-3 loss to Holt’s Andrew Lazalier.
As a team, the second day of the tournament was not as kind as the first day for the Wildcats. A string of setbacks in Friday’s quarterfinal round sent several Wildcats to the wrestleback portion of the tournament yet even still some were able to stave off elimination and keep alive their hopes of returning home with medals.
Mauricio Garcia (112), Keenan Hagerty (135) Greg Hegarty, (125) and Lewis Foutz (189) all lost in the quarterfinals but were able to bounce back in wrestlebacks to stay alive in the tournament. However, Garcia lost in third round wrestlebacks and along with Derick Sanders (171), a hard luck 3-2 overtime loser to Jackson’s Ryan Marble, was eliminated from the tournament on Friday.
Wildcats head coach Mike Hagerty said Blue Springs, which sits in second place behind Park Hill (172.5 points) with a team score of 98.5 points, may be out of the team title picture, but insisted Wildcats still have plenty to wrestle for the rest of the weekend.
“Coach Hagerty always says you gotta keep wrestling for yourselves and the team score will take care of itself,” Everett said. Someone falls down, you have to pick up the slack for them. No matter who you are or who you’re going against, you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
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Josh Howk knows the deal.
The 140-pound Blue Springs senior wrestler finished as runner-up last season at the Class 4 Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships, so he knows what to expect in Saturday’s championship match against Wentzville Holt’s Cullen Halpin.
“I’m going to wrestle the same way I’ve always wrestled,” Howk said after taking down Lindbergh’s Michael Slyman with a pin at the 2:27 mark of their semifinal match Friday inside Mizzou Arena. “The only thing different about the state tournament is that I’ve been here before, so I know the nerves are going to come and I know how to handle them just fine. I know I’m prepared and that’s what it’s all about.”
Blue Springs heavyweight Billy Everett also earned his right to wrestle for a state championship, outlasting Lee’s Summit West’s Evan Boehm 3-2.
Boehm, a fourth-place finisher last season, got up 2-0 on a take down early in the first period but Everett tied it 2-2 seconds later. An escape with 20 seconds left in the second period proved to be the difference as Everett held on against one of the better heavyweights in the state.
“So am I,” Everett said of top heavyweight status. “This is my lifelong dream – to win a state high school wrestling (title) match. It’s right there on my fingertips, and I just want to get it.”
Everett will face Lebanon’s Dave Stewart for the state title.
“It’s so rewarding,” Everett said.
Howk and Everett are the only Wildcats vying for a state title.
Freshman Darick Lapaglia came close to advancing to the championship round, losing a closely contested 2-1 decision to Park Hill’s Skylar Wood, a defending (103-pound) champion in his own right. Junior Donnie Horner (215) also lost in the semifinals, taking a 4-3 loss to Holt’s Andrew Lazalier.
As a team, the second day of the tournament was not as kind as the first day for the Wildcats. A string of setbacks in Friday’s quarterfinal round sent several Wildcats to the wrestleback portion of the tournament yet even still some were able to stave off elimination and keep alive their hopes of returning home with medals.
Mauricio Garcia (112), Keenan Hagerty (135) Greg Hegarty, (125) and Lewis Foutz (189) all lost in the quarterfinals but were able to bounce back in wrestlebacks to stay alive in the tournament. However, Garcia lost in third round wrestlebacks and along with Derick Sanders (171), a hard luck 3-2 overtime loser to Jackson’s Ryan Marble, was eliminated from the tournament on Friday.
Wildcats head coach Mike Hagerty said Blue Springs, which sits in second place behind Park Hill (172.5 points) with a team score of 98.5 points, may be out of the team title picture, but insisted Wildcats still have plenty to wrestle for the rest of the weekend.
“Coach Hagerty always says you gotta keep wrestling for yourselves and the team score will take care of itself,” Everett said. Someone falls down, you have to pick up the slack for them. No matter who you are or who you’re going against, you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
PATRIOT TO MEDAL: With blood seeping from his mouth from a busted lip, Truman’s Darring White let out a yelp from the bowels of Mizzou Arena.
“I’m placing! I’m placing!” White screamed as he thrust his arms in the air in jubilation. “I’m placing!
The 103-pound senior had just defeated Park Hill’s Paxton Diblasi 13-7 to earn the right to advance to Saturday morning’s fourth-round wrestlebacks and a guaranteed medal. A win there and White has a shot at a third-place medal.
“I’m tired, excited, so full of emotions,” White said of the scream and a victory lap to the trainer’s room to tend to the bloody lip. “To medal makes my dad proud, my mom, my whole family – they all came down to watch me.”
White, who has only wrestled for three years, became just the fourth wrestler in school history to record more than 100 wins in a career, Truman head coach Steve McGee said.
“He had just an awesome match today (against Diblasi),” McGee said. “He’s worked so hard. He’s come a long way in three years. He didn’t see a mat until his sophomore year.
“It’s pretty amazing to have over a 100 victories in that three-year span. He’s just the fourth Truman wrestler in history to that and he did it in three years, which is pretty awesome. He’s a hard worker and a great kid.”
White’s win over Diblasi came after a loss in Friday’s quarterfinals and a win in the second round of wrestlebacks. White had a tough morning match against Wentzville Holt’s Clayton Ream, losing an 11-2 decision. He came back in the second round of wrestlebacks to defeat Kodi Byrd of Jackson 8-3. Now with a medal assured, White plans to attack no holds barred Saturday in hopes of claiming a third-place finish.
“I stepped it up,” White said. “I wanted my medal. I thought I deserved it. It’s my senior year and my first time ever being at state.”
The Patriots’ Jerry Holmes (285) and Garrett Garmon (160) were both eliminated Friday after losing in the second round of wrestlebacks. Holmes left the tournament with an injury, McGee said, and Garmon left with a bit of unfinished business.
“He was really disappointed,” McGee said of Garmon. “He really wanted to medal.”
JAGUAR FALLS IN SEMIS: Jaguar freshman Austin Eads (130) was oh-so-close to clinching a spot in the championship match of his weight class.
Leading 3-2 over Park Hill’s Russell Coleman in the final half minute of their semifinal match, Eads tried a stall tactic that Coleman countered for four consecutive points and a 7-3 win.
“He made a mistake right at the very end when he got taken down,” Jaguar head coach Doug Black said. “He can’t do that anymore. But he’s a freshman, you know, and he’s learning. He has to come back tomorrow and try to get third.”
Eads will have to advance through fourth-round wrestlebacks for an opportunity to finish third at state in his first year of varsity wrestling.
“I got a good draw and I tried to use it to my advantage,” said Eads, now 2-1 in Columbia.
Jaguars teammate Ian Storey (160) lost in the semifinal round, bounced back in the second round of wrestlebacks then bowed out of the tournament with a loss in third round wrestlebacks.
BEARS ELIMINATED: William Chrisman’s Alex Keith (103) was eliminated from the state tournament after losing 5-2 to Cole Baumgartner of Jefferson City in the quarterfinals and to Brycen Miner of Joplin in wrestlebacks.
BRONCOS BOW OUT: Drake Duckworth (145), Nathan Warman (152) and Brian Snyder (189) all were eliminated Friday afternoon.
