By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SENECA — The stakes seemed to be higher than normal Saturday at the Class 2, Sectional 3 tournament hosted by Seneca, because of changes made to the postseason format before the season by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
MSHSAA expanded the number of districts from four to eight per classification, added a sectional round for state qualification, reduced the overall number of state qualifiers from 16 to 12 per weight class, and rather than a three-day four-class extravaganza at 15,061-capacity Mizzou Arena in Columbia, state will be five separate tournaments (including the girls tournament) from March 9-13 at 5,800-capacity Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.
The stakes: First place at sectionals means a bye for each sectional winner at state and third place matches became a win-and-go-to-state-or-go-home scenario.
However, team scores were not tabulated.
Five schools at this sectional finished in the top 10 in the state last season: Monett won Class 2, Pleasant Hill placed fourth, Osage and Seneca tied for fifth, and Buffalo finished in a three-way tie for tenth.
The host Indians came away from sectionals with eight state qualifiers and three sectional champions, and they won three of their four third place matches Saturday.
“It reminded me a lot of the pool-through tournament at state,” Seneca head coach Jeff Sill said. “That first round used to be pool-through and sometimes if you don’t match up very well, you’re relying on another kid to win this bracket. That’s what that third and fourth place match was about like.
“A lot of good competition today. I thought our kids wrestled well and we’ve got to step up to the challenge in a couple weeks.”
Class 2 No. 1 Brady Roark (106 pounds) wrestled three sectional matches and their combined duration added up to 1 minute, 53 seconds overall, seven seconds under one full period. Roark pinned Monett’s Simon Hartline in 1:00 in the finals and pinned Pleasant Hill’s Troy Gustin in :30 and Clinton’s Wallace Gregory in :23. A second-place state finisher last season at 106, Roark enters state this season with a 40-2 overall record.
Kendon Pollard (28-2) won first at 126, pinning Buffalo’s Conner Pinkley (31-12) with 17 seconds remaining in the first period.
Zane Cotten remained one loss on the season at 195 with a 12-4 major decision in the finals against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Osage senior Jackson Creasy. Cotten pinned his first two sectional opponents and he takes a 31-1 overall record into state.
Clayton Swadley (33-5 at 145) and Gabriel Commons (41-3, 170) both took second.
In matches for third, Brayden Thiel (27-8, 120) pinned Center’s Elijah Gunnels exactly halfway through the first period, Andrew Manley (37-9, 132) held on for a 6-4 decision against Rogersville’s Riley Williams, and Dane Napier (27-16, 182) earned a 3-1 decision against Eldon’s Sam Coppock with a takedown at 1:15 of the third period.
The Seneca faithful came out in strong numbers Saturday, and their support especially seemed a factor during the high-stakes third place matches.
“It’s to our advantage to have the matches here,” Sill said. “We’re glad to host it and I thought we made the most of our opportunity. Appreciate our crowd, they got behind our kids, and helped us out.”
Monett qualified six individuals for state and the Cubs split their six sectional title matches with both of their top-ranked wrestlers victorious.
Top-ranked and unbeaten Elias Barrientos (152) and top-ranked and single-loss Harrison Merriman (285) pinned their respective title match opponents in the second period, Barrientos now 18-0 and Merriman 41-1 entering state. Both of them are favorites to win their weight and Merriman won a state title at 285 last season, his sophomore year.
Ethan Umfleet (182) improved to 39-5 with a 9-7 decision against Pleasant Hill’s Lane Brattin for the sectional title. Umfleet scored the first points of the match and led the entire way.
Barrientos and Umfleet both finished third at state last season.
Hartline (32-8, 106), Ben Bluel (37-14, 132) and Corbin McCully (24-16, 160) each finished second on Saturday.
Buffalo’s John Jenkins (38-5) won a sectional title at 160 with a 5-2 decision against McCully and Pinkley placed second at 126.
Cassville senior Zach Coenen and Osage senior Connor Arrowood wrestled one epic title match at 220, with Coenen winning in an ultimate tiebreaker.
Reeds Spring sophomore Eben Crain (40-8) finished second at 285 and junior Evan Wilson (35-12) placed third at 170.
Nevada’s Kynndrick and Braylin Brooks punched their ticket to state with wins by pin in their respective third place matches. Kynndrick (106) and Braylin (113) enter state at 28-2 and 23-9 overall, respectively.
Rogersville senior Gabe Brandenburg (30-7) placed third at 138.
