By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
BRANSON — Neosho’s Eli Zar repeated as a Branson Tournament champion, adding a 170-pound title Saturday to the 145 championship he captured last year.
Having improved to 34-4 on the season, Zar has obviously proven to be up to the challenge of jumping three weight classes.
“Honestly, it hasn’t been too bad,” Zar said of putting on 25 pounds. “I put on a lot of muscle instead of fat. At the beginning of the season, coach (Jeremy) Philips asked me where I wanted to go and I said, ‘Whatever is best for the team.’ We decided 170 was my spot.”
While winning all five of his matches Saturday, Zar reached the 100-win milestone for his career.
Zar earned his title, edging Moberly’s Zach Lewis 5-4 in the final. They also met earlier in the day, having been assigned to the same pool. Zar took that match 1-0.
“I had no clue who he was. I’m not a bracket-reader. I just kind of go out and do my thing,” Zar said. “He took me by surprise at first.”
Zar had a strong hunch after their pool match that he would see Lewis (27-2) in the final.
“I just happened to catch him in the (same) pool,” he said. “I figured he was a tough wrestler.”
Zar posted a pair of takedown and an escape in their rematch.
“We both knew what we could counter and I think I picked up on a little more than he did,” Zar said. “It took me opening up and pushing the pace.”
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Ozark’s Braxton Strick collected his third Branson Tournament championship. He won the 152 title, after jumping two weight classes this year,
Strick (26-2) outlasted Liberty’s Logan Rathjen in a tie-breaker 4-3 in the final.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Strick said. “I was trained for this moment. Early in the season, I struggled with my conditioning. But I think I just saw that it’s picked up.”
In a rare tourney final matchup between a sophomore and a freshman at 220, McDonald County sophomore Sam Murphy pinned Liberty’s Trevor Bindel in 1:25.
Murphy needed a total of only 8:38 of mat time to secure his championship. He won his four matches by pin or technical fall.
Murphy (34-1) has recorded at least one takedown in all but two of his matches this season.
“It’s been a good year,” Murphy said. “I’ve worked on top a lot. Speed has been one of my strengths, I can compete strength-wise and I rely on my technique.”
Rolla had a pair of champions in Andre Ridenhour and Hayden Fane.
Ridenhour (23-4) edged Neosho’s Collyn Kivett (22-14) 4-3 in the 160 title tilt. It was Ridenhour’s first championship at the tourney. He was runner-up at Branson each of the past two seasons.
Fane (24-1) won the 182 championship by fall in 4:51 versus Liberty’s Jeremiah Halter. For Fane, it was also his first tourney title at Branson. He has won seven matches in a row since falling 1-0 to Kickapoo’s Tai Koyoma at the Kinloch Classic.
Monett’s Harrison Merriman (22-1) pinned McDonald County’s Jace Hitt in 5:48 in the 285 final. Earlier in the day, he recorded a pin in :09. Merriman has won 17 matches in a row.
Liberty dominated the tourney, winning seven individual championships en route to taking the team title by 107 points. Neosho was second and Ozark third.
Monett’s Simon Hartline (26-3) reached the 106 final, before losing 17-2 to Liberty’s Devon Harrison.
Neosho Raymond Hembree (10-5) was runner-up at 113. He lost 21-6 to Liberty’s Hunter Taylor.
Carl Junction’s Sam Melton (23-4) finished second at 120. He dropped a 9-1 decision to Liberty’s Cooper Rider.
McDonald County’s Blaine Ortiz (29-5) was second at 126, after being pinned in 2:58 by Smithville’s Kolby McClain.
Branson’s Kyshin Isringhausen (27-2) lost 5-0 to Liberty’s Christopher Coates in the 132 final.
Bolivar’s Blake Goodman (23-4) placed second at 195, falling 18-3 to Liberty’s Wentric Williams.
