The wrestlers of Park Hill South celebrated a senior night to remember on Jan. 7 on their home mat, with the girls and boys wrestling teams securing a conference dual win against Oak Park.
Chikako Kotani is the lone senior on the girls team, winning her 170-pound match via fall.
The Panther ladies scored just enough early in the dual to overcome a late push from Oak Park, defeating the Oakies 42-39. Chikako Kotani, Park Hill South’s lone senior, broke a 3-3 deadlock in the second round of her 170-pound match by securing a fall for her senior night victory.
The boys won their first dual this season with a bit more comfort, defeating the Northmen 44-30 to complete the victorious night. They showed dominance in the middle weights, which carried the boys team to win eight of the 13 bouts.
Freshman Anthony Paul got Park Hill South off on the right foot, earning a fall just before time expired in the third round. Oak Park answered with a second-round win at 113 pounds.
Park Hill South quickly took control back, using back-to-back falls from Gianni Macias and Walker Toigo to put the Panthers ahead. The Northmen edged closer once more with a 132-pound win, but the Panthers showed their middleweight strength to power further ahead.
Senior 138-pounder Wyatt Toigo got a fall at the conclusion of the second round, setting up a four-match winning streak for the Panthers. Following Toigo, wins came from Tommy Wolgeher (fall), Zachary Zeltwanger (10-4 decision) and Michael Askren (fall).
Wyatt Toigo was another Panther senior who picked up a victory, winning his 138-pound match via fall.
Oak Park bounced back with a pair of wins at 165 and 175 pounds. Panther junior Killian Klimper got one final victory on the night for the Panthers at 190 pounds with a second-round fall, securing the victory for the first dual victory under new head coach Bryce Dennis.
Earlier in the evening, the lady Panthers earned a narrow victory, riding the success of Abigail Monaco, Evelyn Rosas and Kotani. Kotani’s victory was preceded by a fall from Monaco at 120 pounds and a second-round fall from Rosas at 135 pounds.
The Panthers also got uncontested victories from Alexandria Pike, Anya Desai, Dillan Piersel and Rikako Kotani.
The boys and girls will have a dual against Park Hill on Jan. 17. The boys will also compete in the Greater KC Conference Tournament on Jan. 16 in Belton.