COLUMBIA - Sam Hrabovsky now has an ally in a shared objective.
The Fulton sophomore and freshman teammate Owen Uhls will seek state titles at 120 and 106 pounds, respectively, in Class 2 after locking up semifinal victories on a snowy Friday night in the 89th MSHSAA Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena.
"Owen, he's worked his tail off ever since he's started wrestling, and Sam's the same way," Fulton head coach Ryan Morts said. "This is their sport. I think Owen may play baseball, but this is his sport.
"They're wrestling partners in the (practice) room with each other, they push each other to be better. I'm just super-proud of both of those guys."
Hrabovsky (34-0) - who missed the start of the season with a dislocated kneecap - is hoping to stay on course on his path of perfection after capturing a state championship at 113 with a 42-0 mark last year. He will face Monett junior Karter Brink (47-6) for the title at 120 when the state championship matches begin at 4 this afternoon.
"It feels really great - it's just the next steppingstone to my ultimate goal of winning four (state titles)," Hrabovsky said. "I'm excited and pretty relaxed."
Uhls has built a brilliant 53-1 record in positioning himself for a shot at his first state championship. He will square off against a familiar North Central Missouri Conference rival, Mexico freshman Keith Ransom (39-7), for the title at 106.
"It feels amazing," Uhls said. "I've been working hard every day with my buddies. It's great that this is how it's turned out - I'm glad to be here."
Hrabovsky got going Friday morning by producing a 14-5 major decision over Logan-Rogersville sophomore Gabriel Brandenburg in the quarterfinals.
Hrabovsky then followed up by defeating Osage freshman Ryan Schepers for the third time this season with a 6-3 decision in the semifinals.
Hrabovsky scored a quick takedown for a 2-0 edge, but Schepers countered with a reversal to tie the match. Hrabovsky came right back with an escape to go back in front 3-2 to end the first period.
Hrabovsky tacked on three points in the second period with another escape and takedown to go up 6-2. Schepers tallied his final point with an escape in the third period.
"I knew he wouldn't want to tie up with me, because he hadn't done that in the other two matches," Hrabovsky said. "I just had to make sure that if I was going to tie up with him, I needed to do it smartly so I wouldn't give up any points."
Brink advanced to the state championship with a 9-2 semifinal decision over Odessa freshman Shon Badder. Hrabovsky previously blanked Brink in a 5-0 decision in the title match at 120 at Oak Grove's Panther Classic on Feb. 2.
"I have to get to my tie-ups - when he wrestled me the first time, he wanted to stay in space," Hrabovsky said. "That's not how I wrestle, so I just need to make sure I smartly get into my tie-ups.
"He's very strong and likes to shoot from the outside, and wants to push me around. I have to make sure he can't do that."
Uhls struck quickly by pinning Ste. Genevieve freshman Gavin Gross in a swift 32 seconds in the quarterfinals. Uhls then resisted Bolivar senior Granite Cunningham in a 5-2 semifinal decision.
Uhls sandwiched a pair of takedowns around an escape by Cunningham to take a 4-1 lead in the first period. Uhls extended his lead with an escape in the second period and Cunningham logged his last point with an escape in the third period.
"This kid was really strong," Uhls said. "I got to his leg a lot - that's how I finished a lot of my shots. I rode him, got away from the bottom and won the match."
Ransom reached the state title match with a narrow 3-2 decision over Logan-Rogersville senior Preston Sleeth in the other semifinal. Uhls owns four wins over Ransom in the last six months - three during the regular season and one at a national tournament.
"Takedowns and ride him on top," Uhls said of his game plan against Ransom. "He's a tough kid to turn, so I'm just looking for a ride, getting away from the bottom and scoring in neutral again."
Fulton junior Jackson Caswell joined Hrabovsky and Uhls in the quarterfinals, but bowed in a tight 2-1 decision to Excelsior Springs junior Ethan Day at 113. Caswell had defeated Day for third place and a state medal at 106 in 2018.
Caswell rebounded with a pin of Reed Springs freshman Tyler Nance in 1:35 in second-round wrestlebacks. He then scored a 7-3 decision over Kirksville freshman Hunter Tarr in third-round wrestlebacks Friday night.
Caswell followed with a 4-2 overtime triumph over Moberly freshman Zach Lewis in fourth-round wrestlebacks this morning.
Caswell (52-6) then posted an 8-0 major decision over Ste. Genevieve sophomore Dalton McNeal in the third-place match early this afternoon.
The Hornets' two other state qualifiers - senior Steven Johnson at 220 and sophomore Eston Dews at 126 - were both eliminated in third-round wrestlebacks. Johnson (34-20) dropped a 10-3 decision to Moberly sophomore Jarrett Kinder and Dews fell in a 10-2 major decision to Oak Grove junior Keegan Scarborough.
Johnson pinned Dexter senior Colton Gibson in 1:49 in second-round wrestlebacks, while Dews pinned Centralia junior Duke Newsted in 4:40.
North Callaway's three quarterfinalists in Class 1 - junior Jadon Henry at 138, senior Chet Cunningham at 152 and senior Jordan Delashmutt at 220 - all lost Friday morning. The Thunderbirds' trio was then ousted after dropping their second-round wrestleback matches.
Henry (29-4) - battling a painful joint sprain between his sternum and clavicle - was pinned by Whitfield senior Wade Raeman in 4:37 in the quarterfinals. He was then forced to medical forfeit his second-round wrestleback match against Fatima senior Samuel Martin.
"Unfortunately, the injury was just too much for Jadon," North Callaway head coach Ross Rosenbaum said. " He may have not gotten the gold medal I know he deserves this weekend, but I had so many coaches come up and express the amount of respect and admiration they have for him.
"He's got another season to win a state title, and I believe he will. In a way, he earned much more than that this weekend."
Cunningham (40-17) was shut out in a 12-0 major decision by Mid-Buchanan sophomore Creed Webster in the quarterfinals. He was pinned by Seneca sophomore Zane Cotten in second-round wrestlebacks.
"I can't say enough about Chet," Rosenbaum said. "This is a kid that has grown so much in the three years I've coached him. He does everything the right way.
"He battled in every match he had at state. He ran into some really tough kids that he went after."
Delashmutt (35-11) was pinned by Lawson junior Wyatt Becker in 5:50 in his quarterfinal match. He lost a 10-6 decision to Central (New Madrid County) sophomore Quazavion Jackson in second-round wrestlebacks.
"Going into Friday, I know Jordan expected a different outcome," Rosenbaum said. "He wrestled well, but it didn't go as planned. At state, guys step their level up and he did that last year. This year he ran into a couple of guys that flipped the tables on us.
"It's disappointing because he knows he can beat those guys, but you learn in this sport it's not always who's better, but who's better today."
Fulton freshman Rylee Baker was pinned by Lafayette (Wildwood) freshman Faith Cole in :57 in the girls' semifinals at 103 late Friday afternoon. Baker (22-5) came up short of getting the chance to medal after bowing in a 9-5 decision to Cameron freshman Celeste Greer in fourth-round wrestlebacks this morning.
Fulton sophomore Paige Clines (21-8) was eliminated after being pinned by Plattsburg junior Samantha Mumm in 2:55 in third-round wrestlebacks at 167 on Friday. Clines clipped McCluer sophomore Alexus Yancey in a 4-2 decision in second-round wrestlebacks.
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.