Justin Rhodes finished out West Platte’s regular season tournament schedule with another championship, improving to 48-1 on the season Saturday, Jan. 31.
The Bluejays junior recovered from his first loss earlier in the week and dominated the 152-pound bracket at the West Platte Invitational. The Bluejays placed seven in the top three and finished second in the final team standings. They closed out their regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 3 with duals against Plattsburg and St. Pius X, but results were not available at The Citizen’s deadline.
Platte County’s junior varsity won five of the individual titles and scored 192 points, topping the hosts for the team championship by 54 points.
Jake Stathopoulos (106), Blake Bills (113), Chase Blankenship (145), Dakota Schmidt (160) and Noah Stallo (195) all went undefeated in the round robin-style tournament. Schmidt scored four falls in his second straight tournament appearance after filling in at 170 for injured Louden Bredeson at the Platte County Invitational.
Schmidt finished third in that field, a result that helped push him to seventh place in the showmewrestling.com rankings at 170.
Back at his normal weight of 160 at West Platte High School, Schmidt improved to 19-3 on the season and didn’t need more than 1 minute, 30 seconds in any of his matches. He pinned West Platte’s Kyle Howerton in 59 seconds in the semifinals before sticking Lone Jack’s Michael Raysik in the finals.
At 113, Bills won an 18-2 technical fall against West Platte’s Devin Driskell, who finished second.
Anthony Ferrand (120), Jackson Phan (132), Matt Boren (152) and Johnathan Reynolds (285) all finished second for Platte County, which placed all 13 participants in the top four. Boren went unbeaten in his pool, including a 2-0 decision against Jarek Brown of Wentworth Military Academy.
Boren then met up with Rhodes in the final, losing a 9-1 major decision to the two-time Class 1 Missouri State Wrestling Championships qualifier and 2013 state finalist.
West Platte’s Brayan Rodriguez went 3-0 with one bye at 120 to claim West Platte’s other title. In addition to Driskell, Mitch Moppin (170) also finished second. He went 4-1 in his pool with a 9-8 loss to Chance Landsman of Sherwood in their opening match.
Class 1 District 3 competition starts on Friday, Feb. 13 at Lathrop High School in Lathrop, Mo. Seeding will be determined next week.
West Platte qualified two for state last year, but Rhodes did not medal. Since graduated, Harrison Attema placed third at 285.
Gallatin 60, West Platte 18
The Bluejays lost both duals during a triangular on Thursday, Jan. 29 at Mid-Buchanan High School in Faucett, Mo. Rhodes pinned Gallatin’s Declan Schweizer in the first period at 152, and Howerton followed at 160 with the same result against Dillan Gray.
Rodriguez (120) won by forfeit for West Platte’s only other victory. The Bluejays dropped to 10-7 on the season.
Mid-Buchanan 36, West Platte 27
The Bluejays missed out on their best shot at a KCI Conference dual victory in the triangular’s other half — a matchup of the league’s two most shorthanded teams.
Starting at 195, the dual didn’t have its first match until 120 pounds, including double opens at 106 and 113. Rodriguez gave West Platte a 15-6 lead with a 10-3 decision against Jake Williams, but the Bluejays didn’t win again until Rhodes pinned Jameson Gentry at 152.
Mid-Buchanan wrapped up the win with back-to-back pins from John Anderson and Chris Speer at 160 and 170. Cameron Johnson scored the other win for West Platte in the final match, a pin of Harrison Matthews at 182.
West Platte was 0-5 in KCI duals entering the finale against Plattsburg on Tuesday.
Lawson 74, West Platte 6
Collin Bradley won a 7-5 decision against Rhodes in the third match of the dual, handing the Bluejays’ standout his first loss of the season. Rhodes won the previous two matchups between the two on decisions in the semifinals of the Battle of Lexington and in pool wrestling at the Plattsburg Invitational.
Bradley took a 4-0 lead with a takedown and two near-fall points in the first period.
Up 4-1 entering the second, Bradley allowed a pair of reversals, but scored one of his own, in the next two minutes to maintain a 6-5 lead. He eventually escaped in the third period, and Rhodes could not score a tying takedown.
Rodriguez pinned Dalton Hartman at 120 for West Platte’s only win.
Polo 63, West Platte 11
Rhodes (forfeit at 152) and Rodriguez (22-6 technical fall at 120) were the only winners for the Bluejays in this half of a road triangular on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Polo led throughout, save for a brief tie after Rhodes’ win, and won seven straight matches at one point.