A pair of local wrestlers from Platte County and Park Hill South exercised their demons of previous defeats to win their first district championships on Feb. 14 in the Class 2 District 4 girls wrestling tournament at Platte County High School.
Platte County senior Charley Sims and Park Hill South junior Abigail Monaco, who both finished as runner-up in last year’s district tournament, both returned to finish what they started.
Platte County senior Charley Sims gets her arm raised after winning a district title on her home mat.
Sims’ title came as the No. 2 seed at 115 pounds, advancing to the semifinals with a first-round bye and a pair of first-period pins. The senior clinched a return to the district finals when she defeated Avery Edwards of Lee’s Summit North via a 5-1 decision after a first-period takedown and second-period escape put her in command as she stalled her way back to the state tournament.
Still, there was hunger to finish the job and win Sims’ first district championship, needing to defeat North Kansas City’s Anh Ngo. Sims had previously lost twice to Ngo, including a district matchup in her sophomore year before losing this year’s KC Stampede championship match in a 7-1 decision back in December.
“Getting a feel for what I needed to do and having a game plan,” Sims said of the difference between the two matches against Ngo this season. “Sticking to that (game plan) and not letting my nerves get to me.”
This time around, Sims fell behind again in the first period, but remained within striking distance.
Ngo earned an early takedown, which prompted a positive response from Sims as she got a point back through an escape. Another escape in the second round got Sims back within a point as she trailed 3-2 going to the third and final period.
“Staying with the game plan because I knew I wasn’t tired,” Sims said of her approach to the final round. “Just keeping the mindset of I’m not tired, I’m still in this.”
The focus for Sims was to prevent Ngo from sustaining pressure on her. Sims wanted to make intentional movements so she could apply some pressure on Ngo, which is precisely what happened in the third period.
With a renewed fire, Sims was determined to find a way to win. Eventually, she did just that as she finally earned three takedown points to take a 5-3 lead before killing off the final 34 seconds to secure the district title that had eluded her in previous years.
“I feel like all my hard work has paid off,” Sims said. “Obviously, a lot more to come in the future, but I’m just really happy that I got to accomplish that goal (of winning the district title).”
The championship match was also the 100th win for Sims in her career. She now returns to the state tournament, where she hopes to use her positive mindset to improve from a sixth-place medal last year.
Platte County wrestlers celebrate Charley Sims’ 100th win after her district championship.
Park Hill South’s championship performance from Monaco was also one of revenge, as she dethroned the reigning district champion in a rematch of last year’s 120-pound district championship.
Monaco, seeded No. 2 in her division, advanced to her semifinal match after opening the tournament with a bye before a second-round pin and a third-round pin. She clinched a spot in the state tournament once again by working quickly to defeat William Chrisman’s Da`Neya West.
With a rematch of last year’s championship match against Raytown’s Ulalia Butler, which Monaco lost in an 8-6 decision, the junior came back prepared to strike with vengeance. Butler scored the first points of a high-scoring affair with a takedown before Monaco turned the tables with an escape and takedown of her own.
“I kind of just went in calm,” Monaco said. “I was just telling myself to stay in good position, walking myself through the steps I was going to take in the match.”
Butler grabbed the lead back with a reversal late in the first period, but Monaco responded with an escape in an otherwise tame second quarter to tie it up at 5-5. Monaco took command in the third with a big momentum swing by securing a takedown and a nearfall to jump ahead 10-5 inside the final minute.
Park Hill South junior Abigail Monaco took her first 120-pound district title in a rematch of last year’s championship match.
There was still plenty of work for Monaco left as a reversal from Butler made it 10-7, but Monaco had the response each time she needed it. Monaco managed to escape before Butler scored a takedown to make it 11-10, but the Panther junior escaped once again to secure the district title with a 12-10 decision.
“It feels really good because I lost to that girl by two points last year in the finals,” Monaco said. She felt some relief after a stressful buildup to the match.
Monaco was Park Hill South’s lone girls wrestler to advance to state. Dillan Piersel, Evelyn Rosas and Chikako Kotani were each one win shy of joining Monaco on the mat in Colombia later this month.
“Just get my body and my mind right,” Monaco said of her preparations for state. “That will best prepare myself to perform at my best.”
Park Hill’s lone qualifier is senior Reilly Kastner, who finished fourth at 130 pounds. She bounced back from a semifinal defeat to take her consolation semifinal with a technical fall, eventually settling for fourth after losing a 6-3 decision in the third-place match.
Platte County is sending four total wrestlers to state later this month after three additional Pirates battled back through the consolation round of their respective brackets. Sophomore Ava Blankenship earned a spot as a third-place finisher in the 135-pound division, bouncing back from a semifinal defeat to take get a pair of first-period pins.
Senior Gabriella Ciccarelli and freshman Ariel Humphrey are also qualified for the state tournament with fourth-place finishes. Ciccarelli lost her quarterfinal round to Monaco, but won her next three matches to clinch a spot at state. Humphreys bounced back from a semifinal defeat to secure her spot at state with a second-period pin in the consolation semifinal.
All six area wrestlers will have a week without competition before making the trip to Mizzou Arena for the 8th MSHSAA Class 2 State Championship Feb. 27-28.