In one of the best overall tournament showings in program history, Platte County put more than half the lineup in the finals of the Diamond State Invitational held last weekend in Springdale, Arkansas. The Pirates ended up with individual titles for senior Charley Sims (115 pounds), sophomore Harper Golden (110 pounds) and freshmen Ariel Humphreys (100 pounds) and Mattie Blankenship (135 pounds).
Platte County racked up 314 1/2 points and finished behind only host Har-Ber (341) in the standings of a 16-team field. The only other schools from Missouri were seventh-place Casville and 13th-place Seneca.
In addition to the four champions, Platte County seniors Gabriella Ciccarelli (120 pounds) and Nicole Fernandez (235 pounds) and sophomore Ava Blankenship (140 pounds) were all runner-up. The seven finalists came from just 11 total entrants for the Pirates.
Golden turned in one of the most impressive performances after finishing second in her pool Friday. She lost a 5-1 decision to Pulaski Academy (Arkansas) sophomore Bella Black to take a No. 2 seed into the bracket portion of the tournament.
After a pair of pins, Golden earned a rematch in the finals. Black took a 3-0 lead into the second period, but Golden took choice and went on top, eventually turning and pinning her at 3 minutes, 58 seconds to avoid going to the third.
Humphreys did more work with a four-match round robin in pool and 11 wrestlers total in the 100 weight class. She pinned her first three opponents on Friday and then added a 10-3 decision over Greenwood (Arkansas) senior Farah Crossno to earn one of the two No. 1 seeds.
In the quarterfinals, Humphreys added a fourth fall and then won a 25-5 technical fall over Mountain Home (Arkansas) sophomore Bailee Schaffner to reach the championship bout. That also ended up as a rematch with Humphreys pinning Crossno in 2:17 after trailing 3-0 early.
Sims won a fourth tournament medal in four tries but finished top of the podium for the first time. She didn’t wrestle out of the first period with three pins in pool, and after a bye in the quarterfinals, she needed 4:33 to win a 15-0 technical fall over Greenwood (Arkansas) sophomore Isabella Thomas to reach the finals.
Har-Ber junior Eliana Bungitak won the other pool but lost the championship bout 18-0 with Sims earning the technical fall with two set of four near-fall points in the third period.
Mattie Blankenship pinned her way through the 135 field, first with three pool wins then three in the bracket that all lasted less than 2 minutes. She needed 1:34 to beat Southside (Arkansas) junior Isabella Soto on Friday and then took 1:51 to do the same in Saturday’s rematch for the title.
Ciccarelli turned in the best finish of her career, notching an impressive seven straight pins to reach the 120 championship. That included one in the second period against Bentonville senior McKinley Runnels in pool in what ended up a preview of the championship bout. Runnels led 7-0 after the first period, but Ciccarelli chose the top position to start the second and turned her and pinned her at 2:52.
In the finals, Runnels never trailed in a 7-3 decision. She escaped after just 5 seconds in the second period to go up 4-0 and then chose neutral to start the third and eventually added a late takedown to expand a one-point lead.
Ava Blankenship only wrestled two pool matches and held a No. 1 seed going into the bracket. Her second and third pins of the tournament sent her to the final. Bentonville (Arkansas) sophomore Alexis Dubowsky broke a scoreless tie with 41 seconds left in the first and ended up with the official awarding a pin just as time expired in the period.
Fernandez took a pair of losses to Bentonville sophomore Allie Hitt at 235. In pool, Hitt pinned Fernandez in the third period before adding a 1-0 decision in the fina. This marked the fourth meeting between the two interstate opponents this season with Hitt now holding a 3-1 advantage in the series.
With only four matches total, Fernandez had a technical fall in the first period against Springdale (Arkansas) sophomore Olivia Shallrhorn in the quarterfinals and then a medical forfeit over Har-Ber sophomore Emma Gibbs to earn the rematch with Hitt.
Platte County senior Karrington Friddell (fifth, 105) and sophomore Kaitlyn Newberry (seventh, 125) both closed their tournaments with wins to finish just outside of the medals.
Kearney Cowbelle Duals
Platte County finished fifth overall in Friday’s eight-team competition at Kearney High School, closing with three straight victories over Excelsior Springs, Odessa and Brookfield.
Starting out 0-2 in pool, Platte County beat Excelsior Springs 40-33 to earn one of the two No. 3 seeds. The Pirates’ held on late after Fernandez took a forfeit at 235, and Humphrey’s earned six team points after Excelsior Springs’ Bristol Sharp injury defaulted at 100 after just 18 seconds.
Platte County led 40-30 with just one match left.
The early part of the dual went back-and-forth with Golden pinning Excelsior Springs’ Nevaeh Happy in the third period of the 110 match, and Platte County led 10-0 after Sims’ 12-0 major decision against Lillah Shue at 115. The Tigers came back to briefly hold a 12-10 lead but fell behind for good after forfeits for Wiesehan (130), Mattie Blankenship (135) and sophomore Leighton McGaughy (145).
Platte County then advanced in the consolation bracket via tiebreaker against Odessa. Both teams finished with 42 team points, but Platte County earned the win because of Odessa’s six total forfeits, compared to just two for the Pirates.
The win came despite Fernandez’s pin at 235 representing the lone head-to-head win for Platte County.
In the fifth-place match, Platte County dominated in a 42-18 win over Brookfield that included double forfeits at 170 and 190. The Pirates benefitted from five forfeits while Ciccarelli opened the dual with an 8-3 decision at 120 over Payslie Alexander.
Platte County’s other wins included a pin for Mattie Blankenship at 135 and a 6-1 decision for Fernandez over Aubrey Wilson.
Staley beat Platte County 48-31 in Friday’s opener, while the Pirates suffered a second loss this season to Kearney, this time 50-26.
Against Staley, Humphreys (100) and Friddell (105) opened with pins for Platte County, which led 21-6 after Sims’ forfeit at 115 and Ciccarelli’s 7-3 decision at 120. The Pirates’ only wins from there came from Wiesehan (9-1 major decision at 130) and Mattie Blankenship (first-period pin at 135).
Staley overcame a 31-18 deficit with maximum points in the final six matches, including forfeits at 170 and 190.
Platte County gave the 12 points at the same weights against Kearney but also received forfeits at 115 and 135. The Pirates’ head-to-head wins came from Newberry (pin at 125 to improve to 2-1 against Madison VanMeter after losing in the season-opener), Wiesehan (1-0 decision at 130) and Humphreys (19-1 technical fall at 100).
