Local high school wrestlers from Platte County, Park Hill and Park Hill South took to the mats Dec. 18-20 for the annual KC Stampede Wrestling Tournament, which was hosted at Hale Arena in the American Royal Center in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.
The tournament, which boasts a dazzling reputation as one of the best high school wrestling tournaments in the nation, regularly draws reigning all-American wrestlers and national champions. This year was no different, with numerous local wrestlers showing well.
Of all the locals, competing alongside girls from 11 states and boys from 14 states, Platte County senior Charley Sims made the biggest impact with a runner-up finish at 115 pounds in her final KC Stampede appearance.
Sims made her deepest run in the tournament as the No. 4 seed in her division, opening the tournament with a first-period takedown victory in 1 minute, 45 seconds before coming from behind to get a pin in the third period of her third-round match. She booked her semifinal spot after winning a 9-1 decision in her quarterfinal on Thursday evening.
Charley Sims in the 115-pound KC Stampede championship match against Northtown’s Anh Ngo.
On Friday morning, Sims pinned Elaine Hoth of Hillsboro in the third round of the semifinal. In her championship match, Sims fell to North Kansas City’s Anh Ngo with a 7-1 decision, falling behind with a couple of takedowns before getting a point with an escape.
Park Hill junior Reilly Kastner also made a deep run to earn a podium finish, placing sixth in the 130-pound class. The No. 7 seed advanced with a pair of early pins before using an 11-8 decision to get to the quarterfinals, where she lost out on a 7-2 decision. In the consolations, Kastner earned a 7-1 decision before falling in the semifinal and losing a decision in the fifth-place match.
On the boys side, the Park Hill duo of Sammy Mormino and Caden Brayfield earned top-seven finishes. Mormino finished sixth at 175 pounds, pinning his first three opponents before losing a decision in the quarterfinal. Mormino responded to defeat well, winning his first two consolation matches before losing the semifinal and fifth-place match.
Park Hill junior Caden Brayfield closes in on an opening-round win against Caeser Brown of Millard South on Dec. 19.
Brayfield placed seventh at 113 pounds, opening the tournament with a technical fall and a pair of pins. After losing his quarterfinal, Brayfield won his first consolation round via major decision before dropping his second round, but finished strong with an 11-4 decision over Liberty’s Rowdy Angst in the seventh-place match.
The Pirate ladies also got valuable experience in the Stampede Hardluck bracket as sophomore Harper Golden claimed the 110-pound title. She pinned Park Hill’s Aliza Fields in the quarterfinal before doing the same to Mary Martin of Thompson in the semifinal and taking just 34 seconds to pin Tessa Chadbourne of Windsor for the title.
Platte County also had senior Nicole Fernandez finish as Hardluck runner-up at 235 pounds, while Karrington Friddell (105 pounds), Gabriella Ciccarelli (120 pounds) and Kaitlyn Newberry (125 pounds) placed third with Ava Blankenship (140 pounds) finishing fourth.
Park Hill freshman Yara Omar also impressed in her Stampede debut with a third-place Hardluck finish. After winning her opening match of the championship bracket, a pair of defeats sent her to the Hardluck bracket, where she bounced back from a quarterfinal pin by Park Hill South’s Evelyn Rosas to take decisions in the consolation side to earn a top-three finish.
Park Hill South had two girls earn Hardluck medals, led by junior Evelyn Rosas at 135 pounds in the B bracket. Rosas faced a pair of championship bracket defeats before showcasing her talent in the Hardluck bracket, winning an 8-2 decision before getting a pair of pins and falling in the championship match.
Panther junior Abigail Monaco showed well at 120 pounds in the championship bracket, where she took a 7-2 decision in her opener and pinned her second round opponent before falling just shy of a quarterfinal spot. In the Hardluck C bracket, Monaco bounced back from a semifinal defeat to take third with a pin of Sophie Horton from North Kansas City.
The Platte County boys did not place any on the championship stage, but did have a pair place high in the Hardluck bracket. Freshman Phin McMain overcame an early elimination from the championship bracket to earn second in his 190-pound Hardluck bracket as the lowest-seeded of the eight wrestlers in the E bracket, getting a pair of pins before falling in the championship match.
Sophomore Cade Crawford showed well in the championship bracket, where he went 2-2 before joining the A Hardluck bracket at 113 pounds. Crawford won his quarterfinal before losing a decision in the semifinal, from which he bounced back to win his consolation semifinal via pin and earn third with a 4-2 decision.
Phin McMain earned a Hardluck medal in his KC Stampede debut as a freshman for Platte County.