GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Knowing the advantage to start, Platte County simply needed to weather the early results of last Wednesday’s Suburban Conference White Division dual.
Platte County sophomore Quinn Lightle works for a turn in the 285-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
Grain Valley’s strength in the lower weights showed, but a few key results prevented any realistic hopes for an upset bid. Platte County benefitted from five forfeits and pulled away for a comfortable 51-23 victory at Grain Valley North Middle School, putting the Pirates one step away from wrapping up the league title outright.
Platte County won only four of the nine head-to-head matchups, but that included pins for sophomore Grant Fadler (132 pounds), freshman Jack Johnson (144 pounds) and sophomore Quinn Lightle (285 pounds).
“Proud of the way they came out and competed where we knew we were going to win but still had to go out and take care of business,” Platte County coach Reggie Burress said.
Because of Grain Valley’s open, two of Platte County’s seven returning Class 3 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships (senior Shane Leary and junior Evan Maccuish) didn’t wrestle, while another (sophomore Cole Johnson) missed the dual due to concussion protocol. The Pirates also took a 6-0 lead when freshman Jaxson Shute, ranked No. 4 in the Class 3 Missouri Wrestling rankings, took a forfeit to start the proceedings.
Platte County sophomore Gabriel Wittel works for a reversal in the 113-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
Grain Valley then won the next three matches, including pins for Zach Blees (120) and Gavin Parks (126) — two of the three returning Class 4 state qualifiers in the lineup.
However, Platte County sophomore Gabriel Wittel managed a couple of point-scoring scrambles from the bottom position to keep Colston Parks to a hard-earned 8-3 decision at 113. This helped offset the impact of the six points for Blees, a state medalist at 113, when he held off a shot from Pirates senior three-time state qualifier Caden Hulett in the second period and eventually ended up with a takedown that resulted in a pin.
“As long as (Wittel) will stay on the hard training side of the sport, he’s got a lot of upside,” Burress said. “He just needs to keep pushing and getting better.”
After Parks pinned Platte County sophomore Liam Franksen in the second period, Fadler shifted the momentum against Trenton Rock, who scored the initial takedown in the 132 match. Fadler led 4-3 going to the second period and then scored a reversal before immediately turning Rock to his back and getting a pin in 2 minutes, 32 seconds.
Fadler, a returning state qualifier, recovered from the early deficit and looked solid on his feet in scoring two first period takedowns.
Grain Valley’s Ethan Jones (138) and Jack Johnson (144) then exchanged pins with Platte County within 20-18. The Pirates then led 30-20 after the back-to0back forfeits for Maccuish (150) and Leary (157). The Eagles’ final win came with Justin Deweese holding on for a 1-0 decision over junior Darrell Smith in a battle of returning state qualifiers.
Platte County freshman Jack Johnson works for a takedown in the 144-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
Deweese rode legs for the majority of the third period to prevent Smith from escaping and reversing the result from last season.
“Last year, Deweese beat us 6-1 and took us down two or three times,” Burress said. “This year, we stayed in there and gave ourselves a chance. Couldn’t get off bottom, but we did close the gap quite a bit.”
With Cole Johnson out again, Platte County senior Kevin Taylor went up a weight to 175 and took a forfeit and sophomore Cooper Hammontree did the same at 190.
The 215-pound match resulted in a somewhat frustrating 8-4 decision win for Platte County senior Jake Fernandez — a three-time state qualifier, two-time state medalist and 2022 state champion who placed third last season. Fernandez scored the initial takedown but ended up tied 3-3 in the second period.
Grain Valley’s Gavin Barker won a scramble for a takedown in the second period to tie the score and stayed within 4-3 until the final seconds. Fernandez scored a takedown but held a tight 6-4 lead through a couple of back-and-forth exchanges for a third takedown that provided the final margin.
Platte County senior Jake Fernandez takes his opponent back to the mat in the 215-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
“That happens sometimes,” Burress said. “You give up a takedown and press too hard.”
Platte County led 45-23 at that point, and sophomore Quinn Lightle needed just 1:12 to pin Grain Valley’s Braeden Thomas in the 285 match. The victory leads to Thursday’s White Division matchup with Belton to determine the White Division crown. Grain Valley previously beat Belton, so Platte County needs a win in the battle of Pirates to finish first alone, rather than end up in a three-way share.
First, Platte County hosts Park Hill South on Wednesday for senior night with Fernandez Hulett, Leary and Taylor the honorees.
Lydia’s Lights Blue Springs South Invitational
For the first time in three years, Platte County won a tournament title, finding off Class 4 Hickman over the weekend at Blue Springs South High School. The Pirates totaled 357 1/2 points to top the 11-team field.
The winning margin ended up being just 5 1/2.
Pleasant Hill, a Class 2 power in recent years, won the tournament in 2022 and 2023, while Platte County was the 2021 champion. Hickman had two open weight classes and four individual champions.
Platte County senior Caden Hulett tries to get away from his opponent in the 120-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
Platte County’s only titles came from Shute (106) and Hulett (120), but the Pirates put eight more in the top four. Wittel (113), Fernandez (215) and Lightle (285) ended up second.
With 11 teams in attendance, most weight classes started with pool competition giving way to championship and consolation brackets. Shute ended up in a six-man round robin and went 5-0 with his tightest matchup a 3-1 decision over Francis Howell North freshman Wyatt Dannegger, who finished third. Shute also had 17-0 technical fall and three pins, one against runnerup Victory Schmalz of Pleasant Hill.
At 120, Hulett swept three pool matches with first period falls. He then needed a 5-3 decision over Hickman freshman Hogan Benter to reach the championship match, which ended with his second quick pin of Lee’s Summit sophomore Luke Nally.
Fernandez finished second with a loss to a Pleasant Hill wrestler for the second year in a row. The 215 bracket also ended up being a six-person round robin, and Pleasant Hill undefeated senior Brayden Bush went 5-0, closing with a 9-6 decision over Fernandez. Bush — a three-time state medalist and 2023 Class 2 champion at 190 pounds — recorded three takedowns and a reversal, while Fernandez had four escapes and a late takedown.
In the other four matches, Fernandez had a major decision and three pins.
Platte County junior Darrell Smith wrestles in the 165-pound match of a dual with Grain Valley on Wednesday at Grain Valley North Middle School.
Wittel turned in the best individual tournament performance of his two-year career, going 3-1 in pool with the lone loss to Hickman junior and two-time defending Class 4 state champion Hank Benter. Wittel then recorded a 39-second pin in the bracket before taking a 20-5 technical fall against Raytown sophomore David Ayala in the semifinals. Wittel earned a rematch with Benter, who won both of their meetings by fall to take the championship.
Lightle put up three straight pins in pool to earn a No. 1 seed and scored a fall against Hickman’s Kooper Breshears in the semifinals. Blue Springs South senior Callen Smithpeter, state-ranked in Class 4, won the championship bout, pinning Lightle in 1:28.
Platte County received third-place showings from Jack Johnson (144) and Maccuish (150), while Franksen (126), Smith (165), Cole Johnson (175) and Hammontree (190) all placed fourth. The Pirates even had freshman Brandon Reynolds (113) and Taylor (165) come in fifth as second entrants as those weights, while not counting toward team scoring. Fadler (132) also placed fifth, while Leary went 5-3 but ended up sixth in a deep 157 bracket.
