Fernandez, Hulett head up experienced, talented lineup feeling good about this year’s potential

Platte County mostly maximized the potential of last season’s roster despite a fair amount of uncertainty. Now comes the opportunity to build on optimism.

After placing seventh as a team in the 2021 and 2022 Class 3 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, Platte County faded to 24th a year ago. The Pirates graduated five seniors from the postseason lineup but none of the seven state qualifiers, including five who earned their first trip to Mizzou Arena.

All seven return as likely starters, and Jake Fernandez and Caden Hulett headline a senior class leading a lineup suddenly deep in talent and promise.

Platte County’s rich history includes 13 top-four state finishes, including seven team titles, but none since finishing third in 2018. The Pirates believe this year’s Class 3 field will be wide open behind defending champion and overwhelming favorite to repeat Hillsboro, and the Pirates envision a return to glory.

“We were real close to getting that trophy those two years before,” Platte County coach Reggie Burress said. “This group, going into the district tournament last year, a lot of people on the outside didn’t know if we could qualify that many kids and start building back toward that trophy run we’re going to be on here.”

Fernandez and Hulett both have an opportunity to become four-time state qualifiers.

However, Platte County’s key to the retooled lineup comes from a combination of improving upperclassmen and back-to-back infusions from strong freshmen classes. The Pirates’ five returning first-time state qualifiers includes a balance of senior Shane Leary, juniors Evan Maccuish and Darrell Smith and sophomores Cole Johnson and Grant Fadler.

Of the group back, Fernandez, Hulett and Fadler were the only ones to win matches at state.

In addition, Platte County also expects sophomores Gabriel Wittel and Quinn Lightle back from last year’s fourth-place team in the Class 3 District 4 tournament. Wittel ended up one win from state qualification at 106 pounds. However, the Pirates’ senior class included Alexander Escabi-Fullmer, Draiden Chilcoat, Peyton Nickell, Bryan Jennings and Mar’Ques Brown, and their departures open up spots for a group that incudes multiple wrestlers with varsity experience — senior Kevin Taylor, juniors Montez Clemons and Kameron Doyle and sophomore Jackson Woolsey — plus freshmen Jaxson Shute, Brandon Reynolds, Jack Johnson and Kyler Parker.

“We’re going to lean on the freshmen like Jaxson and Jack who have good youth experience,” Burress said. “We have a lot of optimism. Fernandez talks about taking care of the team, helping the team get better and getting a team trophy. It’s in all of their minds right now to fight for that trophy.”

Fernandez and Hulett both have unique motivation for their senior seasons.

Now a two-time state medalist for Platte County, Fernandez’s bid to defend his 2022 state championship at 220 pounds ended with a quarterfinal loss at state last year to eventual runnerup Cade Grimm of Branson. Fernandez came back with four straight wins to finish third at 215 pounds. He slot back in at that same weight and will likely need a win at state over McDonald County senior Sam Murphy at state to join the Pirates’ list of multi-time state champions.

Murphy won last year’s title at 41-4 a year after Fernandez upset him in the state quarterfinals on his way to winning the championship. The two could meet both at this month’s KC Stampede and state, having split their first two career matches.

Quiet by nature, Fernandez has adjusted to his own abilities to serve as a leader and understands the challenges of receiving every opponent’s best effort because of his stature.

“Obviously, him and Murphy are the favorites in that weight class. They each have a state title now,” Burress said. “Jake’s wrestled a lot in the offseason. He’s learned to really move his feet, control ties better and stay out of bad positions. He’s done a great job of putting work in.”

Hulett’s quest to become a state medalist continues after three years of difficult disappointment as a standout. He qualified at 106 as a freshman and a sophomore before bumping up to 113 as a junior.

After going 1-2 at state as a freshman and sophomore, Hulett came up win one shy of a podium finish last year. He entered as a No. 2 seed out of District 4 and lost in the opening round, while Smithville freshman Tristan Waters advanced to the state championship match one week after suffering his second loss of the season to Hulett.

A pair of wins set Hulett up to wrestle Hannibal junior Reign Creech for the third time in their career. Hulett prevailed both at state their freshmen years and in the 2022 Platte County Invitational but ended up with a 2-0 loss in ultimate tiebreaker.

Creech went on to place third in the bracket.

“I think he knows this is his year and this will be his last time wrestling,” Burress said of Hulett, who moves up to 120 pounds this season. “So we’re going to see him give his best every time, and at state last year, he learned a lot. He knows he’s right there. He’s just got to take care of the opportunity he has in front of him.”

Fernandez and Hulett were Platte County’s only district finalists in 2023 and Fernandez the lone champion, having won his bracket each of the past three seasons. One of the keys to success next year will be bettering the state seeds.

Fadler, Leary, Maccuish, Smith and Johnson all reached the Class 3 District 4 third-place match. Only Johnson finished third, meaning the other four wrestled champions from other districts in the opening round.

All five lost in the opening round at state, but Fadler (27-18) won his 126 first-round wrestleback in an important debut. Cole Johnson (31-18) went 0-2 at 170.

Leary (17-24) made an impressive return to the lineup at 132 pounds, surging late in the season. He started as a freshman for Platte County’s Class 3 District 8 championship team but made limited appearances as a sophomore. Like Leary, Smith (25-19 at 157) and Maccuish (22-21 at 138) were squeezed out of a deep postseason lineup for the Pirates in 2022 but were mainstays last year.

“It’s a huge positive to have seven qualifiers back,” Burress said. “A lot of them worked hard this summer trying to get better, and the key will be to work as hard every day to give yourself a chance to place first or second at districts and stay out of that third-place match and then build off of that.”

The lower weights for Platte County will include Shute, an accomplished youth wrestler with expectations to be a state medalist contender at 106, Wittel (113) and Hulett (120). Wittel (18-21) went into Class 3 District 4 seeded at 106 but came up a win shy of qualifying for state as one of four freshmen for the Pirates in last year’s postseason lineup. Reynolds continues to push for time at 113 in what should be another case of solid intrasquad competition driving improvement.

Fadler managed to certify at 132, while Maccuish (150), Leary (157), Smith (165) and Cole Johnson (175) provide Platte County with state experience at four consecutive weights. With Fernandez at 215, Quinn Lightle’s sophomore year starts with him at 285, bumping up after going 19-18 and wrestling 190 at districts in his freshman campaign.

In addition to Shute at 106, Platte County expects Jack Johnson, younger brother of Cole, to start at 144, while Parker will compete with sophomore Cooper Hammontree for time at 190. The most inexperienced spots for the Pirates will be at 126 with sophomore Liam Franksen and senior Kayr Gonzalez in contention to start and 138 where sophomore Jackson Woolsey has the first crack after scoring a pair of important dual wins in limited action last year.

In an emphasis of depth, Clemons currently sits as a backup to Jack Johnson at 144 for Platte County but has a chance to cut to 138 and potentially crack the lineup after earning a varsity letter as a first-year sophomore who showed frequent flashes of athleticism and possibility despite limited mat time. The Pirates also have Taylor (175) and Doyle (285) with notable experience in the starting lineup, while junior Isaiah Seymour could be a key reserve, likely wrestling junior varsity at 150 and 157.

“Having people fighting for spots will help us a lot,” Burress said.

Platte County’s expected lineup took a hit when freshman Chase Hulett suffered a season-ending torn ACL in football. The injury will prevent him from a season wrestling with his older brother Caden Hulett in an especially cruel set of circumstances.