The Tournament of Champions is arguably the most spectacular high school basketball tournament in the country, and we’re fortunate to be able to host it here in Springfield. But while the terrific basketball is going on, we try to keep our finger on the pulse of other sports happening elsewhere in the region.
On Saturday, Neosho continued their excellent wrestling tradition by taking the team title in the Branson Wrestling Tournament. The Wildcats ran away with the team title and finished with 365.5 points, followed by Seneca in second place with 212.5. Lee’s Summit (207), Monett (198.5) and Springdale Har-Ber from Arkansas (178.5) round out the top five teams of the tournament.
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Neosho is currently the three-time reigning Class 3 state champs on the mat, and their coach Jeremy Phillips describes this tournament as a stepping stone to making it four in a row.
“It takes a lot to make me happy. I have very high expectations,” said Phillips. “I’m not disappointed, but I’m not satisfied. It’s a stepping stone and I understand if we all finish gold here and this was the pinnacle of our season and all kids are at their best, that’s not what we’re shooting for. So it’s okay. We can’t go to the practice room being content though and thinking that where we’re at is okay. Today was a good tournament. We want to have a great tournament in the weeks to come.”
The most outstanding wrestler from Saturday’s tournament was Neosho’s senior Kyler Rea. He’s the defending state champ at 138 pounds, but this year he’s wrestling at 152 and is undefeated with a record of 41-0. He defeated Colton McDaniel from Seneca by fall in the 152-pound title bout. He pinned all of his opponents on Saturday.
“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling like I’m starting to peak at the right time,” said Rea. “Just hope I can keep climbing for districts and state.
“It’s been my best year so far. I haven’t been cutting weight like I have the past three years, so that’s been really nice. I’ve been feeling better because I’m not cutting weight, and it’s been my best season so far obviously.”
Neosho's Dalton Kivett (106 pounds), Johnathan Williams (126 pounds), Joey Williams (170 pounds) and Kyle Hostetter (182 pounds) also claimed individual championships in the tournament.
Seneca’s Jesse Rhoades helped boost his team into second place by winning the 145-pound championship. The senior Rhoades is a defending state champ at 132 pounds in Class 1. He beat Neosho’s Cody Rains with a 7-3 decision to bump his record to 30-1 on the year.
“They definitely don’t give up easy,” Rhoades said of the Neosho team. “They’ll go to the last second with you if you have to.”
Webb City’s Brandon Musselman also upset a Neosho wrestler in the finals. Musselman defeated Adrian Hitchcock 9-5 in the 220-pound title bout. He currently holds a stellar 33-2 record.
Dalton Hembree joined Rhoades as the only other individual title winner for Seneca at 120 pounds. Hembree, a freshman, bested Kimble Jennings, a senior from Springdale Har-Ber, with a 9-7 decision in the championship match.
Monett took fourth as a team and had two individual winners in Joel Barrientos (113 pounds) and Onis Howard (132 pounds). Barrientos remains undefeated with a record of 20-0.
“We had seven guys in the top four,” said Monett head coach Daryl Bradley, “which, coming in if you would have told me that, I would have taken it… No complaints from me today. The kids are wrestling hard.”
The Neosho Wildcats earned the team victory on Saturday, so they should get the last word on the day. Jeremy Phillips had a simple message for his team after the tournament.
“Don’t be satisfied,” he said. “Believe in the process. That’s our motto this year. There is a process that we go through to get where we want to be.”
