Four seniors from Park Hill helped Team Missouri to a 30-28 victory in the 23rd annual MO-KAN Metro Classic — the third straight in the series — last week at Kansas City Kansas Community College Fieldhouse in Kansas City, Kan. Three-time state champions Ke-Shawn Hayes (132 pounds) and Colston DiBlasi (160) and three-time state medalist Ethan Koan (113) all scored pins, accounting for more than half of the Show-Me State side’s points. Hunter Roberts lost a decision at 120, but Trojans wrestlers improved their record to 20-8 all-time in the Metro Classic, which annually pits top seniors from either side of the state line of the Kansas City metro area.
Winners of a third straight Class 4 Missouri State Wrestling Championships team title last month, Park Hill set a record for its most participants in the event and sent multiple wrestlers for the seventh time overall (two, 1995; three, 1996; two, 2003; two, 2006; 3, 2010 and two, 2011).
Koan (41-5 this past season) opened the dual at 113 with a pin of Washburn Rural’s Jay Maxville to give Missouri a 6-0 lead. Koan placed third at 120 this past season adding to a fourth-place showing in Class 4 in 2013 and a second-place finish at 106 as a freshman in Class 3 at Staley, while Maxville (30-14) — a two-time state qualifier finished sixth in Class 6A at 113 for the Topeka school.
Kansas won the next two matches, including a 5-4 win for Topeka Seaman’s Khamin Crow against Roberts, a two-time state medalist (sixth at 126 in 2012 and fourth at 120 in 2013) who didn’t wrestle as a junior and qualified for state this past season at 132. Crow placed fifth at 126 in Class 5A this year — his fourth career medal and best since placing third as a freshman.
Signed to wrestle at Ohio State, Hayes gave Missouri the lead back at 12-9 pinning Lansing’s Sky Summers — a fourth-place finisher in Class 5A at 132.Hayes went unbeaten for a second straight year this past season on the way to his third straight state title, this one at 138 after winning at 126 last year and 113 as a sophomore and placing third at 106 as a freshman.
DiBlasi extended Missouri’s advantage to 24-16 with his pin at 160.
Signed to wrestle at Iowa State, DiBlasi — 47-2 and champion this past season at 170 after winning at 152 in 2014 and 2013 and placing fifth at 126 as a freshman — dominated Rossville’s Todd Reesor, a state runner-up in Class 3A/2A/1A at 160 this past season and a fourth-place finisher at 152 in 2013.
Team Kansas won the next four matches, all by decision to retake the lead one last time at 28-24. William Chrisman’s Tomasi Tuione (43-2) pinned Olathe East’s Ben Broyles in the final match to secure the dramatic victory. Tuione placed third in Class 4 this past season.
Park Hill coach Jeff Davis served as one of the coaches for Team Missouri, which improved to 15-8 all time vs. Kansas.