In their first season competing in Class 4 on the boys side, and in head coach Reggie Burress’ final tournament before retirement, Platte County walked out of the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships with two state medalists with some challenging performances at Mizzou Arena.
Junior Jaxson Shute led the boys effort with a third-place finish at 138 pounds, while senior Charley Sims added a fourth-place medal in the girls Class 2 bracket.
Shute continued to cement his place among the program’s elite, earning his third consecutive top-three state medal as the junior delivered 16 team points.
Platte County junior Jaxson Shute became a state medalist in his third weight class, taking third at 138 pounds in his Class 4 debut.
The reigning 120-pound Class 3 state champion moved up to 138 pounds in Class 4 this season and has battled through a torn labrum since December. The three-time district champion opened the state tournament with a first-period pin of Seckman’s Jacob Vanderiet before suffering a 7-3 decision loss in the quarterfinals to Neosho’s Kelton Shaffer.
After suffering his first-ever Day 1 defeat at state, Shute navigated the consolation bracket with poise in a string of victories via decision. He defeated Eureka’s Connor Stephans 4-2, then edged Hickman’s Brady McMurtry and Ozark’s Colton Wilson by identical 1-0 decisions to reach the third-place match. In the consolation final, Shute delivered once more, earning yet another 1-0 decision over Fort Osage’s Antonio Martinez to secure third place in a rematch of the district championship bout just the week prior.
On the girls side, Sims closed her career with her second straight state medal, placing fourth at 115 pounds.
The district champion opened the state tournament with a first-period fall over Hickman’s Riley Hofeditz and followed with a 16-9 decision over Willard’s Lynnae Dixon in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. Her dreams of a state title ended with a major decision defeat in the semifinal to Branson’s Alyssa Salemie.
Platte County 115-pounder Charley Sims earned back-to-back state medals in Class 2 to end her career.
Sims rebounded well in the consolation semifinals, taking a 6-3 decision over North Kansas City’s Anh Ngo in a rematch of the district championship from two weeks prior. Sims ultimately finished fourth after losing a 5-0 decision to Lynnae Dixon of Willard in the third-place match, capping a decorated senior campaign with 14 team points.
The rest of the way was rough for Platte County, which included a premature end to Cole Johnson’s standout career as a Pirate at 215 pounds. During his opening-round match against Nixa’s Weston Weldon, Johnson was thrown into metal bleachers positioned beside the mat.
The match was stopped for injury evaluation, and medical personnel determined he was unable to continue due to concussion symptoms, resulting in an injury default to conclude his high school career.
Platte County’s remaining lineup battled throughout the backside of their respective brackets.
At 150 pounds, senior Grant Fadler rebounded from an opening loss to earn a 10-4 consolation victory over Ladue Horton Watkins’ Darron Bell. He was unable to extend his career an extra day after a second-round consolation fall to Shane Oswald of Hickman.
Cooper Hammontree picked up a 12-6 opening-round decision win at 190 pounds. Still, hewasn’t able to make it to Day 2 as he fell in his quarterfinal and consolation opener via first-period pins to finish his career as a Pirate.
The junior duo of Chase Hulett and Jack Johnson faced early elimination after losing their two matches on Day 1.
On the girls side at 100 pounds, Ariel Humphreys earned a consolation victory after dropping her opener, defeating Fox’s Shaylynn Mills 12-7 before being eliminated in the next round.
Gabriella Ciccarelli and Ava Blankenship also qualified for state but were eliminated in early-round matches.
Though a team trophy was a tall task with the boys’ promotion to Class 4 and an injury-ridden season, Platte County proved competitive in its first year with the boys and girls team battling in Missouri’s largest classifications. Shute’s third-place finish and Sims’ second consecutive medal allowed Burress to enter his retirement with a pair of highlights for a storied and proud wrestling program.
Platte County head coach Reggie Burress, right, coached his final matches at the state tournament after nearly three decades with the Pirates’ wrestling program.