High school wrestling: Hornets move four wrestlers into Class 2 quarterfinals today

Thunderbirds advance pair in Class 1

Fulton sophomore Owen Uhls tries to force Pleasant Hill freshman Brayden Bass' shoulders to the mat during their first-round match at 113 pounds in the Class 2 state wrestling championships Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Uhls eventually pinned Bass in just :33 to advance to this morning's quarterfinals.
Fulton sophomore Owen Uhls tries to force Pleasant Hill freshman Brayden Bass' shoulders to the mat during their first-round match at 113 pounds in the Class 2 state wrestling championships Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Uhls eventually pinned Bass in just :33 to advance to this morning's quarterfinals.

COLUMBIA - The opening day of the 90th MSHSAA state wrestling championships played out almost as well as it could for the Fulton Hornets and North Callaway Thunderbirds.

Four of Fulton's five qualifiers - sophomore Owen Uhls at 113 pounds, junior Sam Hrabovsky at 132, senior Jackson Caswell at 120 and sophomore Josh Dunmire at 285 - moved on to this morning's Class 2 quarterfinals after posting first-round victories Thursday at Mizzou Arena.

Junior Eston Dews - the Hornets' other qualifier at 138 - rebounded from a first-round loss to advance with a win in first-round wrestlebacks.

"So far, really good - overall, I'm super-happy," Fulton head coach Ryan Morts said. "You win that first one, you're done for the day, we're done for the day - we can go eat."

North Callaway also sent both of its qualifiers - senior Jadon Henry at 138 and freshman Connor Green at 106 - on to this morning's Class 1 quarterfinals following first-round triumphs Thursday.

"With Connor Green, he pulled off a big upset and knocked off a district champ as the fourth seed and really set himself up well to move through the bracket and win a state medal," Thunderbirds head coach Jake Vitale said. "Jadon just went out and set the tone. He said he's taking it one match at a time and he said just getting that first match out of the way was all he was worried about."

After Thursday's competition, Fulton was 13th in Class 2 with 15 points and North Callaway was in a five-way tie for 23rd in Class 1 with eight points. Odessa sits in first place in Class 2 with 35 points and Whitfield holds down the top spot in Class 1 with 34 points.

In the girls' state championships, two of Fulton's three qualifiers - sophomore Rylee Baker at 110 and freshman Ryli Arney at 235 - reached this morning's quarterfinals.

Junior Paige Clines - the Lady Hornets' other qualifier - was eliminated at 187 after bowing in first-round wrestlebacks.

Uhls, Hrabovsky and Caswell are all strong contenders for Class 2 state titles for Fulton and began their respective pursuits with decisive, no-doubt wins Thursday.

Uhls (38-3) - who captured a state championship at 106 last year - scored a quick pin over Pleasant Hill freshman Brayden Bass in just 33 seconds at 113.

Hrabovsky (31-2) crafted a commanding 17-2 technical fall over Oak Grove junior Chayton Kellum at 132. Hrabovsky secured a state title at 113 in 2018, but fell agonizingly short of another state championship last year in taking second at 120.

Caswell (45-1), meanwhile, overpowered Odessa senior Zach Landsberg in a thorough 16-0 technical fall at 120. Caswell medalled with a pair of third-place finishes at 106 in 2018 and 113 last year.

"They continue to do what they've been doing - for Jackson the last three years and for Sam the last two years here," Morts said. "And Owen, he's just a solid, phenomenal wrestler. He's very technical and doesn't get shook about anything.

"They just dominate and push each other during the year."

Uhls needed less than a minute to subdue Bass. He built a fast 5-0 edge on a takedown and a three-point near-pin before sticking Bass' shoulders to the mat.

"I was just being aggressive off the (opening) whistle and I took a shot pretty quickly," said Uhls, who will face Odessa freshman Jase Todd (28-12) in this morning's quarterfinals.

Hrabovsky toyed with Kellum from the outset, forging a 10-0 advantage in the first period on a takedown, a two-point near-pin and back-to-back, three-point near-pins. Hrabovsky then padded his lead in the second period with an escape and two takedowns, while allowing a pair of escapes before punctuating the victory with another takedown.

"I kind of just pushed the pace and tried not to slow down, and just keep scoring," said Hrabovsky, who will square off against Osage sophomore Ryan Schepers (37-6) in the quarterfinals.

Caswell also manhandled Landsberg from the beginning, opening up an 8-0 lead on a takedown and a pair of three-point near-pins. Caswell tallied an early reversal in the second period and then sealed his runaway win with consecutive three-point near-pins.

"I wanted to just keep scoring, keep moving and get on my attacks - not worry about what he was doing," said Caswell, who will meet Ste. Genevieve junior Dalton McNeal (37-10) in the quarterfinals.

Dunmire (33-14) made his first match at the state championships a memorable one with an 8-0 major decision over Central (Park Hills) junior Michael Weinhold at 285.

After a scoreless first period, Dunmire jumped on top with a three-point near-pin just before the second period ended. Dunmire then capped off his triumph with a reversal and three-point near-pin in the third period.

Dunmire will go up against Oak Grove freshman Caleb Groff (27-6) in this morning's quarterfinals.

"Did you see that (Weinhold) kid? He's a monster - he was a foot-and-a-half taller than us," Morts said. "Josh had a solid match there and he stepped up really big."

Dews (23-17) was pinned by Oak Grove sophomore Carson Smith in his first-round match at 138, but bounced back with a 12-5 decision over Cassville junior Gabe Hunter in first-round wrestlebacks.

North Callaway's Henry (36-2) is also a legitimate prospect for a state championship at 138 in Class 1. He launched his chase Thursday by pinning Central (New Madrid County) sophomore Troquan Mays in 2:17.

Henry became the Thunderbirds' first-ever state medalist with a third-place finish at 132 in 2018. He reached the quarterfinals at 138 last year, but was eliminated after a joint sprain between his sternum and clavicle forced him to medical forfeit his second-round wrestleback match.

Henry will clash with Lathrop senior Andrew Beane (37-6) in the quarterfinals.

"I've put a lot of work in this year and I kind of want to see something out of it," Henry said. "Last year was kind of a rough ending to a long season where I battled through some injuries, so I've got some things I want to accomplish this year and get some stuff back."

Green (29-9) advanced at 106 by surprising South Harrison sophomore Mason Hamilton with a pin in 5:19. Green now faces El Dorado Springs freshman Blayze McCullough (26-19) in the quarterfinals.

"His key was just to be focused on himself and wrestle like Connor Green," Vitale said of his first-round victory. "I like to tell those guys that as long as you wrestle like yourself, you're going to be all right."

Fulton's Baker (30-6) pinned Lafayette (St. Joseph) sophomore Isa-Bella Mendoza in 4:31 at 110 in the girls' first round. Baker squares off against Lafayette (Wildwood) sophomore Faith Cole (28-0) in this morning's quarterfinals.

Arney (29-8) also pinned Tipton junior Kyla Cornine in 2:41 at 235. Arney meets Cameron sophomore Jessica Tanguay (15-10) in the quarterfinals.

Clines was pinned by Marshfield junior Kylie Martin in 2:37 at 187 in the first round. She then bowed out after being pinned by Ste. Genevieve sophomore Maggie Myracle in 1:00 in first-round wrestlebacks.

Clines completed her season with a 25-11 record.

Class 1 and Class 2 quarterfinal matches are scheduled for 8:30 this morning, followed immediately by second-round wrestlebacks. Semifinal matches and third-round wrestlebacks will take place at 6:30 tonight.

Girls' quarterfinal matches are set for 11:45 this morning, followed immediately by second-round wrestlebacks. Semifinal matches and third-round wrestlebacks are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.

Girls' fourth-round wrestlebacks will take place at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by boys' fourth-round wrestlebacks at 9. Girls' third- and fifth-place matches are set for 11 a.m., followed by boys' third- and fifth-place matches at 11:30.

State championship matches begin at 4:30 p.m.

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