Expect the unexpected: Platte County pushes 7 through to state

BELTON, Mo. — The eventual results mirrored the preferred identity for an always-proud program.

Platte County took the difficultly adventurous route in the Class 3 District 4 tournament over the weekend at Belton High School, finding some way to place seven individuals in the top four and send half the lineup for this week’s Class 3 Missouri State Wrestling Championships. On Saturday, only two-time junior returning qualifiers Caden Hulett (113 pounds) and Jake Fernandez (215) pounds advanced to the semifinals for the Pirates, guaranteeing their third straight trips.

The key ended up a 5-3 consolation semifinal showing for Platte County with junior Shane Leary (138), sophomores Evan Maccuish (138) and Darrell Smith (157), and freshmen Grant Fadler (126) and Cole Johnson (175) all earning their first state berths. Even though the round started with a loss for 106 freshman Grant Wittel and included a pair of career-ending defeats for seniors Draiden Chilcoat and Peyton Nickell in the middle, the Pirates showed a lot of resiliency in a “rebuilding year.”

“It could have gone a lot of different ways,” Burress said. “Real happy with the fight we have. Our kids, they are battlers. They aren’t always the blue-chip kids coming out of youth, but they get better and better and better. We’ll keep coaching the heck out of them and see what we can get done in any scenario.

“We’re going to find a way to get some people there that aren’t supposed to be there on paper. We’ll never give up on any of our kids.”

In fact, Platte County matched the number of qualifiers from 2022 when the Pirates fielded a senior-heavy, experienced lineup that went on to place seventh in Class 3 at state with four medalists. The Pirates finished fourth out of 15 teams with 131 1/2 points in the final Class 3 District 4 standings over the weekend, finishing behind champion Belton (211), runner-up Helias Catholic (157) and third-place Jefferson City (153) while fending off Van Horn (124) and Kearney (112).

Fernandez won his third straight individual title, while Hulett finished as a runner-up for a third consecutive year to lead the way for Platte County, but only five others had competed at districts for the Pirates prior to this year. That includes Leary, who was part of a district championship in 2021 but stepped away from the team for part of last year and didn’t make the postseason lineup.

Platte County started the medal rounds with five straight losses before Johnson (third) and Fernandez closed with back-to-back victories to end the weekend on a positive note.

“I’d like to have seen a few more wins there, but everyone who came here fought hard,” Burress said. “I’m proud of all the kids, even the ones who didn’t qualify.”

A defending state champion from last year’s 220 classification and Platte County’s only returning medalist, Fernandez (44-4) entered as the overwhelming favorite in his bracket. He rolled through his first two matches with pins but faced more resistance than expected in his semifinal with Capital City sophomore Matthew Wiegand. Fernandez jumped to a 5-0 lead but surprisingly gave up an escape and then a takedown in the second period.

After allowing Wiegand within 5-3, Fernandez went on to a 14-4 major decision victory then piled up back points on the way to an 18-2 technical fall in 5 minutes, 10 seconds to defeat third-seeded Winnetonka junior Jordan Colon in the final. Fernandez now enters state with a No. 1 seed, a daunting potential quarterfinal with Branson senior Cade Grimm and perhaps a little to think about after giving up a takedown to Wiegand in an otherwise pristine weekend.

“It always keeps you a little more focused next time out, to not relax at all,” Burress said.

Hulett (29-14) ended up with the No. 3 seed after splitting two matches this season with Smithville freshman Tristan Waters, who took the second spot behind Kearney sophomore and defending 106 state champion Ryder Shelton.

As expected, Hulett moved to the semifinals with a pair of convincing second period pins to earn a third matchup with Waters.

Hulett scored the first two takedowns but wound up tied after the second period after a controversial penalty point on an illegal slam awarded to Waters. In the third period, Hulett took the lead with a third takedown but allowed a tying reversal — second of the match for Waters — to end up in overtime tied 7-7.

In the 1-minute sudden victory period, Hulett wasted little time and secured a takedown in 14 seconds to earn a district championship rematch with Shelton.

“What I really liked was the fact that when it got really tight, he upped his game,” Burress said. “Went to overtime, he knew exactly what the game plan was; he executed the game plan. It worked out great. I didn’t think it should have been there, but he got to overtime, and he didn’t get frustrated. It was great stuff.”

In the final, Hulett trailed 5-0 going to the third period when he bit through his lip to open up a gash that required 3 minutes of stoppage time to bandage up. After the break, Shelton reversed Hulett to his back and pinned him to take the championship, and Hulett left soon after the match for a trip to the hospital, receiving three stitches to close the wound.

Behind the returning state qualifiers, Platte County pinned a lot of hope on strong tournaments from contributors with limited varsity experience.

Leary’s journey back to the lineup this season included a slow start, but he earned the No. 4 seed in the 132 district bracket with a below-.500 record. After winning an 11-4 decision over fifth-seeded Winnetonka junior Timothy McCane, he lost a semifinal to top-seeded Belton senior Lane Cross to go into a “win-and-in” scenario against Capital City sophomore DeMarkus Lyddon-Allen in the consolation semifinals.

Leary (17-22) used a five-point move in the first period that nearly resulted in a pin plus a reversal and two more near-fall points to take a 5-0 lead. He eventually went up 15-4 before ending up taken down to his back with 8 seconds left, but Lyddon-Allen couldn’t create a pin in the short time left.

“It feels good. Even the middle of this year, I started having doubts,” said Leary, who dropped the third-place match by a 9-1 major decision to Helias’ Justin Wieberg. “Really, Burress worded it right, I guess. He just told us that our opponents and our competition were a lot harder than all these people’s.”

Similar to Leary, Maccuish and Smith found themselves squeezed out of a deep lineup last year but only after earning lengthy varsity looks during the regular season.

Maccuish (22-19) — seeded fourth — won the first two matches of his district debut in the 138 bracket and wrestled well with Jefferson City junior and No. 1-seeded eventual champion Braden Werdehausen in what ended up a 10-2 major decision loss.

In the consolation semifinals, Maccuish led Van Horn sophomore Damon Queen 4-2 when he turned him to his back and pinned him in the third period to earn the state berth. Capital City sophomore Bishop Boyd, the No. 2 seed, pinned Maccuish in the third period of the third-place match.

“If you put the work in, good things will happen for you in this sport,” Burress said. “But if you don’t, then sometimes it doesn’t. Evan put in the work.”

Smith took the most tumultuous route to the medal rounds for Platte County.

Seeded third, the still-inexperienced-but-obviously talented sophomore dropped a 157 first-round match to Jefferson City junior Anthony Seneker. Smith led early but ended up thrown to his back in a counter to his lat-drop throw attempt in Seneker’s 7-4 decision victory.

A uniquely deep bracket required Smith (27-15) to win four straight to reach the third-place match. He did just that, starting slow in the first round of wrestlebacks later Friday night after his loss before pinning Lincoln Prep freshman Phillip Faigan.

Smith then gutted out a tough 7-5 decision over fifth-seeded Ruskin freshman Logan Taylor and pinned Kansas City East junior Mikia Hill to earn a rematch with Seneker that now put a state berth on the line.

After the two traded escapes, Smith went up 2-1 on a penalty point for Seneker grabbing his headgear. Smith then took advantage of a score-or-go-home scenario for his opponent, taking him down to his back for five points and nearly ending up with a pin. Instead, the 7-1 decision sent him to the third-place match, which Helias freshman Eli Homan won with a third-period pin.

“He builds on the momentum,” Burress said. “Truly with Darrell, I don’t think he wanted to be stuck at home when everybody else is at state — plain and simple. It would crush him if he was at home and everyone else was down there.”

Fadler and Johnson were two of the four freshmen postseason debutants, also with two different routes.

Seeded second at 126, Fadler (26-16) pushed into the semifinals with a pair of pins — the first in just 16 seconds and the second deep in the third period. He led Capital City senior Abdiel Kempker 2-0 in the second period off of a penalty point and an escape but found himself behind in a confusing 3-second span.

Shortly after Kempker scored the tying takedown, Capital City’s coaching staff protested an unpadded sleeve on Sadler’s right knee. The officials conferred and eventually awarded a go-ahead penalty point for “illegal equipment.” Fadler erased the 3-2 deficit with an escape late in the second period, but Kempker won a 4-3 decision with an escape at the 1:18 mark of the third period.

The loss set up a third matchup for Fadler with Smithville junior Trent Hallett, a returning state medalist at 113. Fadler improved to 3-0 on the season against him with a 1-0 decision victory, scoring an escape in the second period for the match’s only point and again riding Hallett out for an entire period to secure the win.

Hallett didn’t score a point in three decision losses to Fadler this season. Jefferson City junior Elijah Teiberis beat Fadler 4-0 in the third-place match, showing the razor-thin margin between a tight semifinal win and top-two seed for state and ending up fourth in a competitive bracket.

“It’s definitely impressive,” Burress said. “It’s hard to beat a kid who is a state place-winner three times when you’ve never been there. Proud of him. He’s gotten so much better from the beginning of the year.”

Johnson (31-16) went into the 175 bracket completely unseeded and then ended up with a daunting draw. After pinning Kearney junior Evan Magnusson in the first round, he faced a rematch with Helias junior Logan Montoya, the No. 2 seed, a returning Class 2 state medalist and eventual district champion.

After an encouraging performance in a 10-2 major decision loss, Johnson advanced to the consolation third round with a forfeit. He ended up on his back in the second period of that round’s match with Lincoln Prep junior Lonzo Johnson and trailed 3-2 going to the third period. He then came up with a go-ahead takedown and two late near-fall points in a 6-4 decision victory.

“I think Cole believed, that if this what it’s going to be, we’re going to get it done,” Burress said of Johnson’s mentality to the tough path.

That ended up the first of three straight two-point decision victories that resulted in Johnson’s third-place finish. First, he came up with the opening takedown against fifth-seeded Capital City junior Nathan Yoder and then made it 7-0 with a five-point reversal and near-fall move in the second period.

Yoder would reverse Johnson to his back later in the period to pull within two, but Johnson rode him out for the entire final period to win 7-5.

In the third-place match, fourth-seeded Jefferson City senior Rodney Wilson scored the first-period takedown but went to the third tied 2-2. Johnson started on top and turned Wilson to his back for three points, and despite allowing a reversal, Johnson went on to a 6-4 victory while staving off a few last-second shot attempts that could have resulted in a tying takedown.

“A lot of hard work and determination,” Johnson said. “There was some times I was really nervous. It’s a brand-new tournament, districts. I got really nervous going into this, but kept to my technique, kept wrestling.”

Platte County put only five in the semifinals total with Fadler, Leary and Maccuish joining five others still alive on the backside after their losses. The consolation group included Wittel (106), Chilcoat (144) and Nickell (150) after they suffered quarterfinal losses.

The No. 4 seed in a small bracket, Wittel (18-21) went 1-2 with losses to fifth-seeded Winnetonka freshman Tyrre Broom and third-seeded Warrensburg freshman Dayton Dunn in the consolation semifinals to end his tournament. In between, Wittel’s lone win came in a 4-3 decision over top-seeded Kearney sophomore Peyton Lee, who also went 1-2. Broom went on to win the individual title, while unseeded Van Horn freshman Miondani Emoyi went on to beat Dunn for third place.

Chilcoat and Nickell both went in seeded fifth and lost crucial quarterfinals to the No. 4 seeds in their brackets.

This marked Chilcoat’s second straight appearance in the consolation semifinals but with both district runs ending one win shy of a state berth. He made a lot of appearances at 106 as a freshman but ended up leaving the team for a part of his sophomore year before reemerging as a junior.

Finishing this season 27-21, Chilcoat won a 9-6 decision over Belton sophomore Diego Suarez in the consolation bracket to keep his season alive and then lost a 5-3 decision to Smithville junior Nathaniel Lawhon in the consolation semifinals. Ironically, Chilcoat wrestled better than he did in a regular season win over Lawson when he came up with a late pin after trailing 12-2.

Chilcoat’s losses came to the third- and fourth-place finishers.

Nickell (14-20) competed at districts for the first time and found himself in a deep bracket with a clear-cut top three. After a 13-1 loss to Helias senior Carson Hayes, Nickell needed to spring an upset to steal a bid. He pinned Grandview freshman Aaron Colvin and then advanced by injury default to the consolation semifinals. That led to a matchup with third-seeded Jefferson City senior Joe Kuster, a multiple-time state medalist with top-four finishes in both Class 3 and Class 4.

Kuster advanced to the 150 third-place match with a 10-1 major decision, while Nickell ended up the last of five seniors eliminated from the tournament.

“We owe (the seniors) a lot,” Johnson said. “They helped push us through. A lot of the seniors helped us so much throughout this whole year. They kept us on track and keeping us working.”

Platte County went into Saturday with all 14 wrestlers alive, but seniors Mar’Ques Brown (285) and Alexander Escabi-Fullmer (120) and freshman Quinn Lightle (190) all dropping second round consolation matches. Pirates senior Bryan Jennings (11-19) went 2-2 at 165 with a pair of losses to eventual state qualifiers, bowing out one match short of the consolation semifinals.

Lightle (19-18) won his opener Friday with a 5-0 decision over Helias’ Cody Suthoff but lost his quarterfinal and first consolation match to prematurely end a promising debut season. Escabi-Fullmer (9-19) and Brown (9-13) both went 0-2 with one of the losses to an eventual third-place finisher.

Platte County ended up without any of the five seniors in the lineup advancing, and showing the year-to-year variance, Escabi-Fullmer, Chilcoat and Jennings were all one win away from state berths last year. Brown put himself in the same position as a sophomore in the district championship season that required a two-weekend qualification process of districts and semfinals due to COVID-19 protocols.

Nickell opened the season in the 150 spot but eventually split time with fellow senior David Olson, who suffered a season-ending injury.

“I thank the seniors for all the dedication they’ve had to this team and this sport and this program for four years,” Burress said. “I would’ve liked it to end different for them but still appreciate their contributions.”

However, the disappointment also displayed the promise not just for this year’s state tournament but a rejuvenating lineup.

Platte County will look to Fernandez to continue his winning ways, while Hulett hopes this year marks his breakthrough after going 1-2 in each of his first two trips and coming up short of a medal. Leary, Smith, Maccuish, Johnson and Fadler will hope to make the most of the first experience. Regardless, the development for the Pirates from a season-opening dual loss to Oak Park became extremely apparent during an inspired district performance that ended up equal parts excitement for the state contingent and disappointment for seven others who greatly contributed to what could have been a difficult transition season.

“I definitely wouldn’t have thought that seven of us would make it,” Leary said. “I always thought Jake and Caden were ones I expected. A lot of us, I didn’t expect, but we came through, worked hard, put in the effort.”