WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats finished second in the Central Ozark Conference Tournament with 179 points on Saturday at the Cardinal Dome, ending 12 points behind defending champion Ozark. Once winners of nine straight conference tournaments until last season, Neosho entered the first and third-place matches Saturday trailing Ozark 176-150.5 and the Wildcats managed to accumulate 28.5 total points in the medal matches to excise 13.5 points from their deficit.
Neosho seniors Collyn Kivett (157 pounds), Eli Zar (165), and Ulysses DeLeon (190) each won conference titles and Sam Fryar (106), Brody Mitchell (113), Fisher Butler (120), and Nico Olivares (285) each finished third for the Wildcats, while Hunter Butler (132) and Johnny Chrisco (144) each placed fourth, Carter Howard (138), Chase Kivett (150), and Everson Tomlinson (215) each took fifth, and Gabriel Busteed (175) placed sixth.
“We had some matches where we wrestled extremely well,” Neosho coach Jeremy Phillips said. “We had other matches where we did not. We’ve got to be more consistent, more coachable, and I think one of the keys for us was that some of the big matches came down to staying hungry when we had a lead, being tough, and not just wrestling to hang on to something we don’t yet have, but to go wrestling to improve your lead.
“We had one particular match we were winning head-to-head against Ozark. They got 10 points because they made it to the finals. They won by 12. If we beat them, we go to the finals and we get the 10, they don’t get the 10. That’s a 20-point swing. We were right there.
“It is the little things. Being coachable and being consistent with our wrestling. At the very first of the day, we talked about wrestling one period at a time. Win that period and go on to the next one and win that period. That approach, had we done that consistently and been tough from period one to period three, then we’d have the results we’re looking for as a team.”
Zar (40-2) prevailed 1-0 over Willard’s Gary Walker in one of the best championship matches of the evening and fellow seniors Collyn Kivett (32-6) and DeLeon (35-6) each won by sudden victory in their respective championship matches against Ozark’s Brock Sundlie (Kivett 3-1) and Nixa’s Avry Rutherford (DeLeon 8-6).
Fryar, Mitchell, and Olivares each claimed third with wins by pin, and Fisher Butler won third with a 13-3 major decision.
The Wildcats improved their standing in the conference tournament by two spots and scored 40.5 more points than last season.
Zar won his third conference title at his third different weight (170 his junior and 145 his sophomore season) and he placed second at 126 his freshman season in 2020.
Collyn Kivett and DeLeon each won their first conference title.
CARL JUNCTION TAKES THIRD; BULLDOGS WITH THREE TITLES
The Carl Junction Bulldogs put their first four weights in championship matches Saturday and three of them — Carter Foglesong (106), Lukas Walker (113), and Sam Melton (120) — earned conference titles, helping the Bulldogs tally 159.5 overall points and finish behind only Ozark (191) and Neosho (179).
Carl Junction finished in the top three in the conference tournament for the second year in a row, a source of pride for the Bulldogs and their head coach Mike Frizzell.
“I think they stepped up to the task today, coming in as the smallest COC school here and competing with a lot of Class 4 schools as a Class 3 school,” Frizzell said. “I thought we came in and competed well.
“We’re very pleased with the way the kids responded today. We had a rough fourth round, but we came back real well in the medal matches. That’s something to build on. We need to be able to win those big matches in that fourth round. It could be that one round at state or one round at districts to get to go to state.”
Foglesong (32-4) won 6-3 against Carthage’s Tanner Putt for the 106 crown, Walker improved to 36-1 overall with a 7-4 decision against Ozark’s Damien Moseley, and Melton (33-5) pinned Carthage’s Grady Huntley in a mere 13 seconds in their 120-pound championship match.
Ozark’s Caden Harrington pinned Carl Junction junior Max Matthews 42 seconds into the second period of their 126-pound championship match.
Brenden Berry (138), Dex Merrell (157), and Tony Stewart (165) each finished third, Chance Benford (190) and Cayden Bolinger (285) fifth, Nevan Challenger (144) and Blake Starks (215) seventh, and Keaton Colburn (132) and Josh McDermott (175) eighth.
Walker and Melton each won their second conference title—Walker won at 106 and Melton 113 last season.
CARTHAGE TAKES SIXTH
Carthage wrestlers Tanner Putt (106), Grady Huntley (120), Bradyn Tate (132), and Grey Petticrew (150) each competed for a conference title, while Alberto Sales (113) and David Recinos (285) each had their shot for a medal in third place matches Saturday.
The Tigers entered the final round in sixth place with 126 points and then went 0-6 in the first and third place matches to remain in sixth with the same number of points.
“Honestly, I thought we wrestled well,” Carthage coach Kenny Brown said. “We ran into some of the best kids in the state in the finals. We went 0-for in the finals, which is not ideal, but we went up against (Nixa’s Zan) Fugitt at 132 in the finals and then Petticrew at 150 ran into (Ozark’s Braxton) Strick. These are two returning state champs.
“Just to get where we did, we wrestled well. I am pleased with where our team is right now. We just have to keep improving on some of the small things.”
Putt, Huntley, Tate, and Petticrew each finished second, Sales and Recinos each placed fourth, Kip Castor (144), Trey Nye (157), and Gabe Lambeth (175) each took fifth, Israel Perez (126) finished sixth, Esvin Gonzalez (190) placed eighth, and Lenny Teo (165) did not place for the Tigers.
JOPLIN HAS TWO WRESTLERS PLACE THIRD
The Joplin Eagles, behind third-place finishers Toryn Jones (126) and Draven VanGilder (215), placed ninth in the overall team standings Saturday with 62.5 points, only 3.5 points behind eighth place Branson.
“There were highs and there were lows about like every tournament,” Joplin coach Jeremy Finley said. “Sometimes, the highs outweigh the lows and I think in the early rounds (Saturday), it was hard for us but as the tournament went on, we got some confidence going and I think we did pretty well.”
Jones (18-15) pinned Republic’s Shea Rogers in 3:10 and VanGilder (22-7) won by medical forfeit against Branson’s Cade Grimm (35-5) for third.
Drew VanGilder (15-7) unfortunately took a medical forfeit against Ozark’s Johnny Williams in their third-place match.
Johnathen Burke (144), Ethan Bentz (165), and Brennan Washington (285) each finished sixth and Alex Short (138), Orion Norris (150), and Gryphon Price (175) each placed seventh, while Jabin Brown (120) and Juan Morales (157) did not place for the Eagles.
2023 COC WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
at Webb City
Team Scores: Ozark 191, Neosho 179, Carl Junction 159.5, Nixa 153, Willard 148, Carthage 126, Republic 77, Branson 66, Joplin 62.5, Webb City 32.5.
Individual Conference Champions
106 pounds: Carter Foglesong, Carl Junction
113: Lukas Walker, Carl Junction
120: Sam Melton, Carl Junction
126: Caden Herrington, Ozark
132: Zan Fugitt, Nixa
138: Kyshin Isringhausen, Branson
144: Caleb Caldwell, Willard
150: Braxton Strick, Ozark
157: Collyn Kivett, Neosho
165: Eli Zar, Neosho
175: Nate Brower, Nixa
190: Ulysses DeLeon, Neosho
215: Brennan Carey, Nixa
285: Brady Griffin, Willard
