Platte County High School welcomed teams from 15 schools for the 54th annual Platte County Wrestling Invitational at Pirates Fieldhouse on Jan. 23.
Normally a two-day event, weather forecasts forced organizers to condense the tournament to a single day. After finishing third in the tournament last year, St. Michael the Archangel won its first-ever Platte County Invitational title as they edged out the host school 202.5 to 175.5.
All 14 of Platte County’s wrestlers contributed points towards the team’s runner-up finish. The Pirates boasted two division champions in the tournament as Jaxson Shute took first place at 138 pounds and Jack Johnson won the 165-pound title.
Shute’s title marked a successful return to the mat for the first time in over a month, and just his third competition of the season. He improved his season record to 9-1 after scoring 26 points for the Pirates to seize his second Platte County Invitational title, previously winning the 106-pound crown as a freshman.
The junior got off to a promising start as he raced ahead quickly in his opening two matches, earning a pair of second-round technical falls as he outscored his first two opponents by a combined score of 32-0. After taking a 12-4 decision in the semifinal, Shute narrowly edged out a 1-0 decision for the title after getting a third-round escape against Olathe North’s Jaxson Scott.
Johnson dropped from 175 pounds to 165 for the first time all season to clinch his first Platte County Invitational title. He only needed to wrestle two matches to earn the title as the No. 2 seed in the division, contributing a team-high 28 points as he improved his season record to 18-5.
Also a junior, Johnson began his tournament in the quarterfinal round with a first-round pin after getting a pair of takedowns. It took just 25 seconds for Johnson get a semifinal pin and earn his spot in the championship match, which he won via medical forfeit.
Platte County had eight additional top-six finishes. Top-seeded sophomore Cade Crawford battled his way to the 113-pound championship and made Oak Grove freshman Lex Johnston work his longest match of the evening, but still suffered a first-round fall to finish runner-up.
The Pirates also got third-place finishes from the trio of Chase Hulett (144 pounds) and Cooper Hammontree (190 pounds), while Lennon Fitzpatrick (106 pounds) and Ian Giese (132) both finished fourth. The duo of Grant Fowler (150 pounds) and Hank Marriott (157 pounds) each won their fifth-place matches while Gabriel Wittel (120 pounds) settled for a sixth-place finish.
North Platte/Mid-Buchanan also performed well in Platte City as they placed fourth overall with 126 points, edging out Smithville for the team’s highest finish of the past three years in a big test against larger-school competition.
From North Platte, four boys placed in the top five in their respective divisions. Sophomore Johnny McCracken led the way with a third-place finish at 215 pounds, contributing 17 points by getting pins in his quarterfinal and third-place matches. Gus French (144 pounds) and Grady Coons (165 pounds) followed with fourth-place finishes.
North Platte sophomore Heston Stockbauer helped Mid-Buchanan’s wrestling team to a fourth-place team finish, taking fifth at the 190 pounds.
North Platte’s performance was rounded as Gael Christiansen (175 pounds) and Heston Stockbauer (190 pounds) both won their fifth-place match. The team’s top performer was freshman Kholden House of Mid-Buchanan, who finished as the 106-pound runner-up. House earned a second-round pin in his opening match before taking a 6-4 decision in the semifinal, and eventually losing his championship match via first-round fall.
Platte County’s wrestling program also inducted Billy Kossen, Caleb Dixon and the 2005 MSHSAA Class 2 state champion team into the Platte County Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Kossen, who was unable to attend due to illness, was the first three-time state medalist in program history during the 1990s and concluded his Pirate career as a state runner-up in the 160-pound division. Dixon became Platte County’s first 119-pound state champion in 2004, the first Pirate to win a state title since the program moved up from the smallest class.
The Pirates’ 2005 team kicked off a three-peat state championship run under head coach Phil Dorman. Platte County was led by individual titles from Tyler St. Louis, Michael Dunkum, Julian Gunnels and Jake Mallonee.
Lastly, Platte County recognized current head coach Reggie Burress, who will retire at the conclusion of the season after 29 years of coaching. He has led the Pirates to a dual record of 153-53, crowning 48 wrestlers as state champions with 150 state medalists and seven team state championships.