Despite missing two key wrestlers for parts or all of the Lydia’s Lights Tournament, Platte County placed third in the team standings at Blue Springs South High School.
JASON LAWRENCE/Special to the Citizen
Park Hill South junior Cameron Gillespie, left, won a 10-3 decision in the 182-pound semifinals against Springfield Central junior Gabriel Fletchall on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Lydia’s Lights/Blue Springs South Tournament.
The two-day tournament wrapped up on Saturday, Jan. 25 with the Pirates scoring 361 points. They came in behind Lee’s Summit North (488) and Blue Springs (383). Platte County finished a spot ahead of Park Hill South in the 14-team field.
Platte County won a pair of titles, while Park Hill South had one champion.
Eli Rocha took the 120-pound crown for Platte County with a 5-0 mark and improved to 29-8 on the year. Rocha recorded pins in four of his five matches, including a takedown of Brandon Williams of Springfield Central in 3 minutes, 33 seconds in the finals. Rocha pinned Springfield Kickapoo’s Theo Holleman in the quarterfinals and then won by an 18-3 technical fall against Lee’s Summit North’s Cody Steinbrugge.
Filger, ranked No. 3 by MissouriWrestling.com, posted a 7-0 mark. He topped Lee’s Summit North’s Cole Davis in 33 seconds in the quarterfinals, before getting a fall against Lee’s Summit’s Brennon Moore. In the championship, he posted a 14-4 major decision against Park Hill South’s Gage Baska. The two met on Friday with Filger winning by another major decision, 16-5. Baska reached the finals by pinning Blue Springs South’s Alex Israelite.
Cameron Gillespie secured the championship for the Panthers after a 6-0 run. Gillespie (36-5) pinned Platte County’s Drake Lacina (1:27) in the quarterfinals and then won a 10-3 decision against Springfield Central’s Gabe Fletchall in the semifinals. In the finals, Gillepsie won 5-1 against Blue Springs’ Lawson Lackey.
Grant Stathopoulous (113) was a runner-up for Platte County. He beat Springfield Central’s Matthias Knight by a pin in 45 seconds in the semifinals, but lost by a pin against Lee’s Summit’s Trevor Wishne in the final.
Platte County had five wrestlers take third place. Omar Garcia (132), Gabe Davis (145), Blaine Keuhn (152), Nolan Saale (160) and Jaydon Walls (170) all finished with a win.
Garcia lost twice to Jaxson McIntyre of Blue Springs, the latter in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Garcia posted a 6-1 decision against Cooper Doolin of Blue Springs South.
Gabe Davis lost his first three matches but then won four of his final five matches. The lone setback was a loss to Waynesville’s Gaven Sax, a state medalist last year and ranked No. 2 in Class 4, in the semifinals. Davis beat Park Hill South’s Parker Greenfield in the quarterfinals and then won by an injury default against Hazelwood Central’s Devin West.
Kuehn went on a similar run like Davis, winning four of his final five. Keuhn beat Raytown’s Jonathan Best in the quarterfinals and bested Park Hill South’s Andre Anderson by injury default in the third-place match. Returning state medalist Michael Cassidy of Waynesville, ranked No. 3, pinned Kuehn twice in the tournament, including in the semifinals.
Saale lost a pair of matches to state-ranked foes, the first to Warrenton’s Jerrett Villinger, No. 1 in Class 3. Saale beat Hazelwood Central’s Nolan Mapp by a pin in the quarterfinals, before falling to Lee’s Summit North’s Adrian Castaneda, ranked No. 3 in Class 4, by a pin in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Saale posted a 7-5 win against Park Hill South’s Max Rosario, who lost to Villinger in the semifinals.
JASON LAWRENCE/Special to the Citizen
Platte County freshman Eli Rocha, right, won via technical fall, 18-3, against Lee’s Summit North sophomore Cody Steinbrugge in the 120-pound semifinals at the Lydia’s Lights/Blue Springs South tourney.
Walls went 5-2, losing both to Class 4 foes. He fell in the semifinals to Lee’s Summit North’s Lane Overton by a 5-3 decision. Walls won by a pin against Park Hill South’s Jackson Minor in the third-place match. Walls pinned Sean O’Connor of Lee’s Summit’s in the quarterfinals.
Minor lost in the semifinals against Michael Infranca of Blue Springs.
Trey Mastio (106) took fourth for Park Hill South. He got a pin in 45 seconds against Springfield Kickapoo’s Mitchell Lambert in the quarterfinals, but lost by a pin against Blue Springs’ Cayden Dotson. In the third-place match, Lee’s Summit’s Nathan Wishne won by a pin.
The Pirates were without Vinny Cesaro (106) and Glen Gammill (285) only competed on Friday night, winning both of his matches.