Whitfield will host Class 1 district as postseason action begins for Class 2, 3 as well

The road in Class 1 to the  82nd Missouri State High School Athletic Association Wrestling Championships begins this weekend at Whitfield with the district tournament.

The state meet will be held Feb. 16-18 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. The top four finishers in each weight class in the district tournament advance.

The Warriors won Class 1 titles in 2008 and 2009 and finished second to Brookfield last winter.

Coach Charlie Sherertz is expecting good things from his boys this weekend.

Teams in the Class 1, District 1 at Whitfield are Barat Academy, Brentwood, Central (New Madrid County), Cleveland NJROTC, Fatima, Herculaneum, Lift for Life Academy Charter, Lutheran (St. Peters), Maplewood, Missouri School for the Blind, Principia, Springfield Catholic, St. James, Transportation and Law High and Whitfield.

Several Warriors did well at state last year. Whitfield’s  Jack Pantanella was fourth at 103 as a freshman, finishing 40-12. 3rd Austin Smith finished third as junio a 119r, ending with a 43-14 record.  Chris Wilkes  was third as a sophomore at 130 and ended with a    54- 2 record. Rodney Hahn won state at 135 as a freshmand and finished at 49-6. Ethan Sherertz was fourth as a junior at 152 and ended at 40-14.

Here’s a look at the other district tournaments that begin Friday and finish Saturday:

Teams in the Class 3, District 2 at Hannibal: Chaminade, Fort Zumwalt East, Fort Zumwalt North, Fort Zumwalt South, Hannibal, Hazelwood East, Ladue, McCluer, Parkway Central, Parkway West, St. Charles, St. Charles West, University City and Warrenton.

Parkway West coach Jake Hill said he believes it is a good field.

“It is a reasonably tough district, the Zumwalt teams are usually pretty tough and Hannibal is always a contender,” Hill said.

Chaminade coach Chris Marsek agreed it’s a solid district tournament.

“This is a tough district with some very hard-working and respectable teams,” Marsek said. “Anything can happen.”

Hill said he has stressed to his Longhorns the importance of the district tournament.

“Basically, I’ve just told them that this is the start of a whole new season,” Hill said. “The rest of the year doesn’t matter, it’s only what you do this week that counts.  You’re records and finishes up to this point are in the past.  It’s like J. Jaggers (a two-time NCAA champion from Ohio State) said” ‘You only have to peak for 1 weekend.’”

Hill said it’s been a rebuilding year for Longhorn wrestling.

“We have definitely had our share of mental, physical, and emotional tests,” Hill said. “The biggest highlight of this season has been the guys’ resiliency.  They have been able to get back up everytime they’ve been knocked down and learned and made themselves better on and off the mat from each experience.”

Some of the Red Devils Marsek said he has high hopes are senior Andrew Still (145 pounds) and Max Wilhelm (152 pounds). Wilhelm is a returning state qualifier.

“We’re hoping for them to do well this weekend and qualify for state,” Marsek said. “We would love to see one or two of our juniors qualify as well, but their seeding in districts will likely be more challenging.”

Teams in the Class 2, District 2 at Mexico are Clayton, Fulton, John Burroughs, Kirksville, Lutheran South, McCluer South-Berkeley, Mexico, MICDS, Missouri Military Academy, Moberly, Priory, Soldan, Westminster Christian Academy and Winfield.

Westminster coach Tim Muethleisen said it’s a tough field that features Kirksville, which finished second last year.

“They make every bracket competitive if not overwhelming in some cases,” Muethleisen said. “Mexico and Moberly have strong programs as well. I imagine Kirksville will qualify 11 or 12 individuals. I think there will be several teams with five to seven qualifiers and I would like us to be in that mix.”

MICDS coach Dan Lovelace agreed.

“District 2 has Kirksville, who is currently favored to win the state championship in Class 2,” Lovelace said. “Beyond them, there are several solid teams including Westminster, Mexico, Moberly and Fulton.  It will be one of our tougher tournaments.”

Muethleisen said he has two seniors who are looking for a return trip in B.J. Yeager at 138 and Forrest Obenhaus at 152.

“I have a team full of competitive juniors and any of them could compete on the right day,” Muethleisen said. “Bennett Lewis is 41-3 right now and we expect big things from him. The rest of the juniors we expect their best effort, and we’ll see where that leaves us.

“I’ve just told them all to be prepared to compete.”

Lovelace said anything can happen.

“Districts are unpredictable,” Lovelace said. “Anyone can create an upset and get in contention for a top 4 finish and a trip to state.  Usually it is the top six seeds that challenge.”

The Rams have several wrestlers Lovelace said can reach state. They are Peter Schlafly (182), Charlie Barnes (160), Nick Scherer (132)  and Chris Brothers (285).

“Like everyone else, we need to wrestle well,” Lovelace said. “At this time of the year, we focus on execution. Wrestle the way you are capable and good things will happen.”

It’s been a season of improvement for MICDS.

“I was told we had not won a varsity dual in the last two years,” Lovelace said. “Since we went 6-5 this year, that is improvement. But, what I have really enjoyed is watching the team start to have a plan out there.  Thinking about what they are doing and not reacting. They have worked very hard.”

One Ram will will not be in contention to go to state is freshman John Broughton, who wrestles at 113 pounds.

“He had been on a winning streak and I think he could have qualified for state this year,” Lovelace said. “Unfortunately, he broke his hand and will have to wait a year. He has worked very hard and improved tremendously.”