Michael Smith
Takeaways:
- Emerging Talent and Veteran Experience: The tournament showcased a blend of new and experienced wrestlers, such as Ashton Mayes who is competing in her first year and seasoned champions like Jess Joiner and Cassidy Benwell. This variety highlights the developmental aspect of the event, serving both as a platform for rookies to learn and a venue for seasoned wrestlers to refine their skills.
- Preparation for Major Events: Many participants used the tournament as preparation for larger, more competitive events such as the Super 32 Tournament and Fargo Nationals. This strategic approach emphasizes the importance of building experience and momentum throughout the season.
- Diverse Wrestling Styles: The tournament included both freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions, offering wrestlers opportunities to compete in different styles. This diversity not only enhances the athletes’ adaptability and skills but also enriches the overall competitive experience, catering to a broad range of wrestling techniques and strategies.
One of the biggest freestyle wrestling tournaments in the Kansas City area took place last Saturday as several Missouri wrestlers competed in the Fight or Flight Tournament at Platte County High School.
Ninety high-school aged girls competed in the cadet and junior freestyle divisions and there were 13 competing in the Greco Division.
Wrestler Interviews:
- Jordan Bell, St. Pius X (113)
- Odessa’s Ethan Kimmel (175)
- Staley’s Gunner Dahm’s (113)
- Lebanon’s Jessa Joiner (118)
- Javarien Jeffries (138)
- Odessa’s Jet Brown (132)
- St. Pius X’s Rylan Kuhn (285)
- Liberty North’s James Lovelady (150)
- Staley’s Zayne Reynolds (126)
- St. Pius X’s Jackson Rotterman (215)
- Belton’s Quinten Attebury (190)
- Fort Osage’s Kaison Schreier (120)
- Kearney’s Carter Temple (190)
- Holt’s Cassidy Benwell (124)
- Nixa’s Ashton Mayes (112)
The Fight or Flight Tournament many wrestlers used to tune up for some of the bigger tournaments later in the year like the Super 32 Tournament and Fargo Nationals.
Below, MissouriWrestling.com breaks down the results from each division on the Greco and Freestyle divisions:
Freestyle
112: Nixa’s Ashton Mayes won by criteria after ending with a 4-4 tie against Lafayette County’s Kyana Huseynov in the semifinals and she went on to defeat Addilyn Masters of Edwardsville, Kan., 7-2, in the championship match to take first place.
“I thought I did pretty good on my feet, I did well getting takedowns,” Mayes said. “This is my first year so I don’t know what I am doing. All of my takedowns were Folkstyle takedowns.”
118: Lebanon’s Jess Joiner, a two-time state champion in high school, pinned three of her opponents and had one tech fall. Her championship match resulted in a pin in 2:29 against Kearney’s Riley Walker to win her bracket.
“Honestly I didn’t do that well,” Joiner siad. “I didn’t fully commit to my moves like I should be doing. This was kind of a pick up day.”
124: Holt’s Cassidy Benwell recently decided to wrestle during the spring after she initially planned on taking a break. The two-time state champion rolled through her competition and won all three of her matches 10-0, including one in the finals against Platte County’s Emmalyn Burnett.
“I felt pretty good,” Benwell said. “I wasn’t planning on wrestling this summer, but I decided to two weeks ago. I feel like I could work on my takedowns and setting them up more….
