Admittedly, Eli Rocha spends more time trying to stay out of cradles than trying to lock one up on an opponent. To be fair, he doesn’t spend much time in either situation.
Platte County’s standout sophomore still went to the cradle in his final 132-pound matchup Saturday afternoon during the 47th Platte County Invitational. Rocha put Carthage junior Dagan Sappington to his back early in the first period and scored the pin in just 1 minute, 4 seconds — the fastest of his four falls on the day.
“I’m actually prone to not getting cradles and getting put in cradles, so it felt good to get it this time,” Rocha said.
Inclement weather on Friday shortened the annual event to just one day.
With Kirksville, Helias, Warrensburg and Oak Grove unable to attend, the brackets were reduced to simple round robins in most cases, and many of the projected meaningful matchups didn’t happen. Platte County finished fourth in the seven-team standings and were again shorthanded in a season that coach Reggie Burress has called “full of bad luck” to this point. Rocha and junior Drake Lacina (170) won the Pirates’ only individual titles, and they collected four medals total.
Rocha ran roughshod in his five matches with a technical fall and then four pins to earn the fourth regular season tournament title of his continually blossoming young career. In last year’s Platte County Invitational, he lost a late lead and lost an overtime decision to Rolla’s Alexander Sederburg at 120 pounds.
Rocha went on to win his first two tournaments late in his freshman season and carried that momentum into a Class 3 District 4 championship, as well, and he placed fourth in the Class 3 Missouri State Wrestling Championships at 120 pounds.
Prior to Saturday, Rocha medaled in difficult interstate fields at the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational, KC Stampede and Cheesehead Invitational this season.
“It just means a lot to just be here with all my friends, my family and everyone that’s just there supporting me. Whenever I win with those people there, it just makes me feel better about myself,” said Rocha, who has yet to lose to a Missouri opponent this season. “Those tough tournaments at the beginning of the year kind of kickstart you and once you get in to this last part of the year where you’re grinding for that state title it kind of just relaxes you; you wrestle better.”
Lacina won the first tournament of his career in dramatic fashion.
Also in a six-man round robin, Lacina had two pins and two one-point decisions — 3-2 over Steven Vrban of Olathe North (Kansas) and Nathan Campos of William Chrisman. He needed a win in the finale to assure the championship but fell behind 2-0 against Charles Ploesser of Rockwood Summit.
Lacina got a reversal to tie the score, but at the advice of his coaches then cut Ploesser to trail 3-2 with 1:24 left in regulation. Lacina scored the winning takedown with 20 seconds to go and held on for a 4-3 decision.
“I didn’t feel very confident in cutting me, but coach told me to so I did and it paid off,” said Lacina, who admitted to some nerves in the championship scenario. “It’s my first time. I was a little scared, a little shaky.”
Lacina has been a regular in Platte County’s lineup for each of his first two years but often wrestling up one weight class from his actual weight. In fact, he’s looking to earn a second straight trip to state after qualifying at 182 as a sophomore and now regularly competing at 170.
“It feels really good, feels like my hard work is paying off finally,” Lacina said. “That snowstorm came in pretty clutch.”
Rocha, Lacina and senior Grant Stathopoulos (113) are Platte County’s only returning state qualifiers still in the lineup as a combination of injuries and other circumstances have trimmed away expected starters. A season that started minus expected sophomore standout Jaydon Walls due to injury has progressed in odd fashion with junior Gabe Davis (138) missing the home invitational due to appendicitis and possibly out for the year and senior Trey Phan (120) absent due to illness.
Despite having only 10 in the lineup and minus seven wrestlers that were potential starters at the beginning of the year, Platte County totaled 111½ points and finished in front of Rockwood Summit (111), shorthanded Smithville (105) and William Chrisman (78).
Stathopoulos and senior Gabe Harmon (182) both went 3-2 and finished third for Platte County’s other three medals. However, they were part of the progress in the unfortunately diluted field.
Lacina was fifth a year ago, while Harmon and Stathopoulos were sixth. Harmon in particular looked strong with a loss by fall to returning state qualifier Mason Wolters of William Chrisman and a loss by 3-0 decision to Wade Spencer of St. James Academy (Kansas).
Platte County junior Jesse Schillinger — a transfer from Class 2 Osage — finished fourth at 220, as did sophomores first-year starters Jared Parson (145) and Ben McDaniel (160).