Wrestling: Hornets sending five wrestlers to state championships

Fulton's Hrabovsky, Uhls collect District 2 championships

MARSHALL - Fulton sophomore Sam Hrabovsky and freshman Owen Uhls secured titles at 120 and 106 pounds, respectively, to direct the Hornets wrestling team to a fifth-place finish at the Class 2, District 2 championships Saturday.

Hrabovsky, Uhls and three other Fulton wrestlers - junior Jackson Caswell at 113, sophomore Eston Dews at 126 and senior Steven Johnson at 220 - qualified for the state championships starting Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Caswell took second place at the District 2 championships, Dews finished third and Johnson came in fourth.

Hrabovsky (31-0) will be pursuing his second straight perfect run to a state title. He was a Class 2 undefeated state champion at 113 last year.

Hrabovsky put on a dominating display at 120 on Saturday, going 4-0 with a pinfall win and three consecutive technical falls. He manhandled Lutheran St. Charles' Isaac Conrad in a 17-2 technical fall in the title match.

Uhls (50-1) went 4-0 at 106, including three victories by pin. He posted a 5-0 decision over Mexico's Keith Ransom for the championship.

Caswell (47-5) compiled a 3-1 mark at 113, including two wins by pin and one by decision. He dropped a narrow 5-3 decision to Moberly's Zach Lewis in the title match.

Caswell is a three-time state qualifier who medalled with a third-place finish at 106 in 2018.

Dews (35-17) finished 3-1 at 126 on Saturday. He was pinned by Mexico's Dylan Mosley in 1 minute, 28 seconds in the semifinals, before bouncing back to pin Moberly's Camron Lowry in 2:50 in the third-place match.

Johnson (32-18) also reached the semifinals in logging a 2-2 record at 220. He pinned Boonville's Dakota Rapp in 1:36 in the consolation semifinals, but was then pinned by Moberly's Jarrett Kinder in 2:32 in the third-place match.

Uhls, Dews and Johnson will all be making their first appearance at the state championships.

Sophomores David Gibson (160), Sheldyn Johnson (170) and Hunter Hampton (145), and freshmen Josh Dunmire (195) and Jacob Barnes (132) had their seasons end for the Hornets on Saturday.

Gibson (24-29) reached the consolation third round at 160, where he bowed to St. Charles West's Alex Meyer in a 7-3 decision. Sheldyn Johnson (12-22) also advanced to the consolation third round at 170, but was pinned by Kirksville's Morgan Wilcox in :59.

Hampton (11-23) was eliminated in the consolation semifinals at 145 after falling in an 11-7 decision to St. Charles West's James Lovell.

Dunmire (31-22) made it to the consolation semifinals at 195, before being pinned by Moberly's Chance Richards in 2:45. Barnes (19-11) was pinned by Priory's Elliot Holdosh in 2:13 in the consolation semifinals at 132.

The Hornets tallied 118.5 points as North Central Missouri Conference schools occupied four of the top five spots in District 2. Kirksville locked up the team title with 174.5 points to hold off second-place Moberly with 169, while rival Mexico came in ahead of Fulton in fourth with 135.5.

Centralia took third place with 139 points.

The first round of the Class 2 state championships begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at Mizzou Arena.

Fulton will also have two wrestlers - freshman Rylee Baker and sophomore Paige Clines - competing in the inaugural girls' state championships at Mizzou Arena. The first round begins at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Baker (21-3) and Clines (20-6) captured titles at 103 and 167 pounds, respectively, at the Class 1, District 2 championships Feb. 2 at Ft. Zumwalt North in O'Fallon.

Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.