The North Platte/Mid-Buchanan boys and girls wrestling teams battled through elite competition at the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships held Feb. 25-26 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
While medals were hard-earned, the co-op program produced multiple podium finishes, which included strong individual showings from both the boys in the Class 2 tournament and girls in the Class 1 tournament.
Mid-Buchanan sophomore Colby Schreck delivered the top finish on the boys’ side, placing fifth at 120 pounds. Schreck opened his tournament with a first-period fall over Mexico’s Evan Blair before dominating Osage’s Izaiah Vela with a 16-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals.
After dropping a 6-1 semifinal decision to Hallsville’s Paxton Crane, Schreck fell in the consolation semifinals but rebounded in the fifth-place match, pinning Affton’s Tobias Winkler in 2 minutes, 6 seconds to secure the fifth-place medal and contribute a team-high 14.5 team points.
Galen Christiansen walks alongside North Platte/Mid-Buchanan head coach Daniel Kountz, left, and assistant coach James Culp, right, after finishing his high school career at the Class 2 state wrestling championships.
At 175 pounds, North Platte senior Galen Christiansen was the team’s only semifinalist and ultimately placed sixth, scoring 10.5 team points. Christiansen opened with a fall over Clayton’s Tiernan Miller and followed with a 16-1 technical fall against Eldon’s Canon Copeland in the quarterfinals. He ran into a pair of eventual top finishers in the semifinals and consolation semifinals before dropping the fifth-place match to Clinton’s Payton Goth by major decision.
Mid-Buchanan freshman Kholden House picked up a consolation win at 106 pounds. After falling in his opener to Logan-Rogersville’s Dawson Ritter, House responded with a 9-4 decision over Kirksville’s Chase Stufflebean before being eliminated in the next round.
North Platte’s Heston Stockbauer (215 pounds) and Johnny McCracken (285 pounds) also qualified for state. Stockbauer (32-16) dropped matches to Nevada’s Dj Glidewell and Gateway Science Charter’s Elijah Russell, while McCracken fell to Mexico’s Travis Shramek and Cardinal Ritter’s Gabriel Casteblanco.
The girls’ squad produced three medalists, starting with Mid-Buchanan junior Olivia Cunningham’s fifth-place finish at 105 pounds.
Mid-Buchanan junior Olivia Cunningham was the top finisher on the girls’ team, taking fifth-place at 105 pounds in Class 1.
Cunningham opened with a fall over Bolivar’s Alexeah Lilly before dropping into the consolation bracket after a quarterfinal loss to Festus’ Addison Cupp. She responded with back-to-back wins — a 54-second pin against Adrian’s Dallys Shaffer and a 17-11 decision over Excelsior Springs’ Analese Happy. After a setback in the consolation semifinals, Cunningham closed her tournament by pinning Smithville’s Rhemy Hutchcraft in 1:36 in the fifth-place match, scoring 15 team points.
At 120 pounds, Mid-Buchanan sophomore Zuzu Kountz advanced to the semifinals and finished fourth. Kountz earned decisions over Odessa’s Aalyiah Sanders and Affton’s Delaney Measimer to reach the final four. After a semifinal loss to Ft. Zumwalt South’s Jena Gumahin, Kountz bounced back with a 5-0 decision over Excelsior Springs’ Lilly Goetz in the consolation semifinals before finishing fourth.
Mid-Buchanan junior Sophia Smith placed sixth at 135 pounds after opening with a fall over Windsor’s Morgan Meyer and later collected consolation decisions over DeSoto’s Clarey Huck and Knob Noster’s Amelia Brown to reach the consolation semifinals. Smith ultimately finished sixth, adding nine team points.
Mid-Buchanan senior Tayja Hernandez (140 pounds) won her opening-round match before being eliminated in the consolation bracket, scoring two team points. Molly Meehan (115 pounds), Dru Pearson (145 pounds) and North Platte sophomore Savannah Crook (170 pounds) also competed at state but were eliminated in early rounds.
By tournament’s end, North Platte/Mid-Buchanan combined for five medalists across the boys and girls brackets, showcasing depth and resilience on Missouri’s biggest wrestling stage.