The brackets in the Missouri State Wrestling Championships brackets don’t often predictably proceed. Already, Class 2 saw a three-time defending state champion lose in the quarterfinals.
However, there’s always a tendency to look at the layout and try to see the path to a state medal.
Platte County’s Class 3 tournaments start Friday, and below is a look at each of the 12 state qualifiers — seven boys and five girls — can expect. In a change from the traditional format, this year will be a two-day tournament with quarterfinals wrestled Friday and semifinals scheduled for Saturday morning and medal matches later that day.
All rankings are from Missouriwrestling.com.
BOYS
113 — Entering as a district runnerup, Platte County junior Caden Hulett (29-14) hopes the third time is the charm. He has gone 1-2 at 106 pounds in his first two trips and seeks to win his first state medal.
Hulett ranks No. 5 and enters off of a second win over No. 6-ranked Smithville freshman Tristan Waters in last week’s Class 3 District 4 semifinals. He then lost to Kearney sophomore and defending 106 state champion Ryder Shelton in the district final for a second straight season.
The opening-round draw does him no favors with formerly state-ranked Glendale freshman Ethan Kelly (31-5) the first matchup. However, a win would push him into a quarterfinal likely against unranked Pacific sophomore Timothy Link (34-6), who like Hulett went 1-2 at state last year.
The bottom half of the bracket features Shelton, No. 2 Carl Junction senior Lukas Walker, No. 4 Hannibal junior Reign Creech and Waters. Hulett, Whitfield senior Benjamin Carter (No. 3, 34-13) and Waters are all on the same side.
126 — One of five first-time qualifiers, Platte County freshman Grant Fadler (26-16) faces No. 3-ranked Hillsboro senior Gavin Alexander (35-4) right off the bat, part of a brutal quarter at the top of the bracket that also features No. 2-ranked Tristen Essig (44-5).
If no upsets happen, Fadler, a No. 4 seed out of districts after being seeded second, and Carl Junction junior Max Matthews would meet in the consolation side of the bracket with either having a good shot to reach the consolation third round. From there, the match to advance to the medal rounds would likely be Alexander, Essig or No. 4-ranked Helias senior Carter Prenger (23-1), who are all on the top half of the bracket, while No. 1-ranked Whitfield senior Porter Matecki — a three-time state champion will be the overwhelming favorite to reach the finals on the other side.
132 — Platte County junior Shane Leary went from freshman starter to out of the postseason lineup a year ago, coming back this season to make a late push into the postseason with a 17-22 record. He placed fourth last week and draws No. 3-ranked Marshfield sophomore Tanner Davidson (41-6) in the opening round. Their quarter also features No. 4-ranked Holt senior Nicholas Chambers (34-5) facing Rockwood Summit junior Minko Brown (23-12) in the adjacent match. The losers of the first-round match would likely face a daunting second round consolation opponent in either No. 2 Belton junior Lane Cross or dangerous unranked Whitfield sophomore Caleb Carter (36-9).
138 — Platte County sophomore Evan Maccuish (22-19) made his postseason debut at Class 3 District 4 last week and ended up with a fourth-place finish. In terms of draw, he received the only unranked No. 1 seed — Hillsboro senior Blake Jackson. The winner of their match will draw either No. 2 Branson senior Kyshin Isringhausen (46-1), who suffered his only loss in last week’s District 3 final, or Fort Zumwalt South senior Joseph Kenny (31-2). The top half of the bracket with Maccuish is stacked with District 4 champion and No. 6-ranked Jefferson City junior Braden Werdehausen, No. 3-ranked Hannibal junior Cody Culp and No. 5-ranked Bolivar sophomore Cooper Moore.
157 — Platte County sophomore Darrell Smith (25-17) took the longest road possible to his fourth-place finish last week at Class 3 District 4, coming all the way back from a first-round loss to eventually avenge that result and reach the medal matches. His opponent in the first round at state will be No. 2-ranked Bolivar senior Riley Beckman, but the other half of his quarter features unranked Windsor (Imperial) junior Cameron Busch (38-12) and DeSmet freshman Jayden McCaster (29-10).
Even with a first-round loss, this quarter likely would not see another ranked wrestler until the consolation third round with the likely consolation second round opponents all unranked from a quarter that features No. 6-ranked junior Darrius Paige (38-4) as the overwhelming favorite. The quarter at the top of the bracket features Nos. 1, 3 and 5.
175 — Cole Johnson (31-16), Platte County’s other freshman qualifier, earned the team’s only No. 3 seed out of Class 3 District 4 but still draws No. 6-ranked Windsor (Imperial) sophomore Brice Henry (41-6) in the opening round. The top match in their quarter has unranked DeSmet senior Rickson Taylor and Marshfiled sophomore Tyce Jones, so the winner between Johnson and Henry would likely feel good about a chance to reach the semifinals and guarantee a medal before the start of Saturday.
The loser would have a navigable path to the consolation third round but then could end up with Henry, No. 1 Bolivar senior Trey Brewer (35-1) or No. 4 Belton senior Zach Attebury (14-2) with the medal rounds next.
215 — Platte County junior Jake Fernandez is a two-time state qualifier and three-time district champion who went 2-2 at state as a freshman and then went all the way to the top of the podium as a sophomore at 220. This year’s 215 bracket features a fairly clear-cut top three, but two of them were in District 3 last week.
Now, Fernandez (44-4) — No. 2 in the rankings — faces a likely quarterfinal with No. 3-ranked Branson senior Cade Grimm (38-3), a state medalist at 195 a year ago who lost to Platte County’s graduated state champion Jaydon Walls. The winner between Fernandez and Grimm — assuming no dramatic upsets — would likely have either No. 4 Hillsboro junior Hunter Rhodes (23-5) or No. 6 Marshfield senior Erik Tomane (44-9) in the semifinals. The opposite side of the bracket features No. 1-ranked McDonald County junior Samuel Murphy (40-1) and No. 5 Fort Zumwalt South senior William Pierce (41-7). Murphy beat Grimm in last week’s district final and Fernandez in this season’s Kansas City Stampede Tournament — both by a score of 3-1 in sudden victory overtime.
Fernandez beat Murphy by two points in last year’s state semifinals on the way to his state championship, scoring the winning points in overtime tiebreakers with a controversial finish that included Murphy’s potential winning takedown in sudden victory wiped away because the move finished on an adjacent mat where a match was also being wrestled.
GIRLS
110 — A first-time qualifier and the only four-year senior on this year’s roster, Platte County’s Haley Burge (22-14) finally broke through this season and finished fourth at Class 2 District 4 to reach state. She opens with No. 5-ranked Francis Howell Central senior Sophia Miller (37-4) — the lowest ranked district champion in the bracket.
An upset would likely land Burge against No. 6-ranked Smith-Cotton sophomore Jazlyn Smith-Freeman (40-5), making her quarter daunting but favorable in terms of potential matchups. The rest of Burge’s half of the bracket also features District 4 champion and No. 2-ranked Fort Osage junior Aroma Marrufo (39-1) and No. 7-ranked Belton senior Brionna Madden (19-7).
115 — One of two ranked wrestlers for Platte County, senior Lilly Brower (9-4) has two losses to Park Hill sophomore and defending state champion Angelina Vargas (36-1) plus two retroactive forfeits on her ledger this year due to eligibility issues. That’s because she’s a transfer who went to the state finals as a freshman at Excelsior Springs but has been away from the sport for the past two seasons.
Brower regained her full eligibility in January and now owns the No. 3 ranking, but as a No. 2 seed after a loss to Vargas two weeks ago, she draws No. 2- ranked Francis Howell Central Kailey Benson as a likely quarterfinal opponent. To get there, Brower must navigate No. 7-ranked Jackson senior Gracie Metzger (25-6) in the opening round. Their half of the bracket also features No. 5 Lafayette (Wildwood) sophomore Hannah Henderson and No. 6 Nixa junior Kelsey Watts.
120 — Platte County senior Hannah Mand (28-10) placed fourth at District 4, but the top three were all in the top four of the state rankings. However, she now faces No. 3-ranked Jackson senior Mallorie Metzger in the first round at state.
A second-year wrestler who quickly developed, Mand could end up in the consolation side early, but if she does, would likely have a winnable match against Francis Howell North senior Laramie Horstman (21-17) in Friday’s early rounds. The likely consolation second round opponents could be one of No. 4-ranked and third-place District 4 finisher Madison Leverknight, a senior from Winnetonka, No. 7-ranked Seckman senior Emily Palos or No. 8-ranked Nina freshman Mylee Harper.
125 — Platte County’s only district champion and other ranked wrestler, junior EmmaLyn Burnett moved up to No. 6 after her run to the title two weeks ago. She’s a second-year wrestler like Mand.
Burnett matches up with Francis Howell Central junior Katelyn Guth (25-18) in the first round, but as one of four first-time qualifiers for Platte County, Burnett will face a daunting challenge just in the atmosphere of a state tournament. An opening win would result in a ranked matchup with either No. 5 Lafayette (Wildwood) junior Toby Goertz (26-9) or No. 8 Parkview senior Cherokee White (24-7). That makes this an extremely favorable quarter with an obvious chance to reach the semifinals and guarantee a medal. The other quarter in the bottom of the bracket will have No. 2 Fort Zumwalt South freshman Jena Gumahin (32-4) or No. 4 Nixa freshman Addison Harkins (42-5) as the favorites to reach the semifinals.
135 — A first-year sophomore, Platte County’s Giada Cucchiara (24-8) will be the Pirates’ only No. 3 seed. She immediately faces No. 4-ranked Washington junior Annelise Obermark (41-7) with a daunting challenge to reach quarterfinals. The quadrant also features No. 1 Nixa junior Brenda Crahan (46-0).
If the seeds hold, Cucchiara would have Francis Howell Central junior Sophie Johnson (22-16) in the consolation side. The winner there would likely see a strong quarterfinal loser in either No. 2 Parkway South senior Janiah Jones or No. 3 Lebanon senior Taylor Johnson, given her a potential difficult path to a medal without a first round win.
