Michael Smith
The Odessa boys wrestling team has finished in the top four in the state tournament on 11 different occasions since 1979. But it had never finished in first place.
That changed Thursday at Mizzou Arena as the Bulldogs took home the team title for the first time with 163.5 points. St. Michael The Archangel Catholic took second with 142, Blair Oaks was third with 108 and Seneca and St. Genevieve tied for fourth place with 104.
Odessa had four wrestlers win their bracket and three others earn medals.
Below is a breakdown of the championship matches of each weight bracket and a list of the state medalists:
106: St. Michael sophomore Landon Lane used his defense and solid positioning on top to grind out a 3-0 decision vs. Mexico freshman Carlos Juarez-Ramirez.
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Landon Lane of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic
- 2nd Place – Carlos Juarez-Ramirez of Mexico
- 3rd Place – Lawson Francis of Savannah
- 4th Place – Victor Schmalz of Pleasant Hill
- 5th Place – Wyett Shipman of Excelsior Springs
- 6th Place – Lucas McMenemy of Clinton
113: St. Michael Parker Lutz got to share a hug with Lane after his match with Eldon junior Jesiah Simmons. Lutz had a key takedown with 13 seconds in regulation to put his match away during a 7-3 victory. He deferred the credit to his coaches and teammates for his success.
“Teammates like Landon and my coaches are the reason I am where I am right now,” Lutz said. “They pushed me.”
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Parker Lutz of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic
- 2nd Place – Jesiah Simmons of Eldon
- 3rd Place – Landon Scarborough of Odessa
- 4th Place – Will Erickson of Cameron
- 5th Place – Zachary Green of Osage
- 6th Place – Jaden Crisp of Kirksville
120: Odessa freshman Blaine Wallace scored a takedown in overtime to get his high school career of to a good start as he earned a spot stop the podium following a 6-4 decision over Fulton junior Cole Blattner.
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Blaine Wallace of Odessa
- 2nd Place – Cole Blattner of Fulton
- 3rd Place – Easton DeMilia of Blair Oaks
- 4th Place – Cooper Collins of Excelsior Springs
- 5th Place – Simon Hartline of Monett
- 6th Place – Tyler James of Moberly
126: Odessa freshman Jet Brown is someone who wrestlers year round as he can often be seen competing in offseason freestyle tournaments. Competing in the sport has kept him sharp and it seemed to help as he defeated Seneca freshman Brant Laughlin 14-9 to take first.
“It just let’s you know that you have outworked everyone that is here,” Brown said. “I have put in the time and effort. While some other guys play other sports I am wrestling year round and working hard.”
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Jet Brown of Odessa
- 2nd Place – Brant Laughlin of Seneca
- 3rd Place – Spencer Cunningham of Mid-Buchanan
- 4th Place – Steven Buddemeyer of Owensville
- 5th Place – Carter Kempker of Blair Oaks
- 6th Place – Creighton Cook of Savannah
132: Odessa freshman Camden Hooper controlled his match from start to finish and had a stallar first high school season as he dominated in a 15-4 major decision against St. Genevieve sophomore Drake Mayer.
“In the beginning, I slipped up a little bit, but sometimes you have to take risks,” Hooper said. “It just matters that you come back and don’t quit.”
State medalists:
- 1st Place – Kamden Hooper of Odessa
- 2nd Place – Drake Meyer of Ste. Genevieve
- 3rd Place – Conner Roach of Sullivan
- 4th Place – Ryne Marcum of Excelsior Springs
- 5th Place – Luke Marlatt of St. James
- 6th Place – Eli Manley of Seneca
