OVERLAND • McCluer North wrestling coach Jake Lapinski did not have much of his voice left following the Class 4 District 2 wrestling tournament Saturday at Ritenour.
But that's okay; he traded it for the Stars' first district title since 1999.
Led by champions Curtis Peebles (132 pounds), Josh Taylor (152) and Gordon Phillips (182), North totaled 199 points to beat out Fort Zumwalt West (163 ½) for the top spot. More importantly, the Stars advanced wrestlers in 11 of 14 weight classes through to the state tournament, which will run Thursday through Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
“As a coach, I guess you'd like to win every match, sure, but to get 11 guys through, I'm just beaming right now,'' Lapinski said. “I had seven one year with Lafayette, and I thought getting six through last year was pretty good. But 11, that's something to be proud of.
“We're not a team of superstars, but these guys bought in and I couldn't be prouder of them right now.''
The Stars won the title Saturday in the semifinal round, going 8-3, with five of the eight wins coming on one-point decisions.
In the finals, Peebles (25-4) came on strong in the third period to beat Howell's Kyle Heisler 5-3 at 132, while Phillips (39-13) came up with a second-period pin of Pattonville's Matt Murphy.
At 152, North's Taylor (34-10) won by injury default when Howell North's Jeremiah Reed suffered a concussion.
After a lengthy delay, Reed was taken from the mat on a stretcher and transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons.
North's runner-ups were Anthony Nichols (120), Darrell Pampkin (126), Delvin Hutson (145) Josh Wheeler (170) and Randall Young (285).
“The guys who deserve a lot of credit are the guys on our coaching staff," Lapinski said. "They've worked their butts off for this team, and they've been relentless all season.''
District runner-up Zumwalt West advanced nine and received district championships from Jacob Callahan (28-12) at 113 and James Krischke (42-7) at 126. Callahan took control early in a 5-2 win over Howell North's Sam Ritchie while Krischke, a two-time state medalist, won 8-0 over Pampkin, McCluer North's lone returning state medalist.
Howell Central, which qualified five, received championships from two-time medalist John Wood at 145 and Cole Anderson at 220. Wood (14-1) posted a 9-2 win over McCluer North's Hutson, while Anderson (33-9) won by the same score over Parkway North's Darius Lewis.
For Howell, which advanced seven, Jarrett Franklin (43-3) was the lone champion; he posted a 7-2 decision over McCluer North's Wheeler at 170.
CBC had a pair of champions—Bay Roehr (106) and Alec Maglione (138)—and advanced seven. Roehr (38-5) rallied for a 6-5 win over Howell Central's Jacob Gajewski. Maglione (45-5) came up with a reversal with 42 seconds left in a 2-1 win over Zumwalt West's Travis Callahan.
Tyler Smith (37-7) was one of three qualifiers and the only champion for Howell North. He won the title at 120, posting an 8-0 win over McCluer North's Nichols.
Ritenour's Lamar Welch (44-4) dominated at 160, winning by technical fall over Zumwalt West's David Horvath. The host Huskies qualified five, including returning state medalist Eric Bowman, who bounced back from a 7-6 semifinal loss to McCluer North's Taylor to take third at 152.
At 195, Parkway North's Chris Carter (30-3) won by injury default when Zumwalt West's Tanner Day injured his knee. Carter is one of two Viking wrestlers headed to Columbia; for the second time in as many years, North's David Evans, a senior who placed fourth at state as a sophomore, will miss the state tournament due to a late-season shoulder injury.
Hazelwood West qualified two for state. The Wildcats' Daniel Vaughn (25-5) won 8-3 in double-overtime over McCluer North's Young to take the title at 285.
With no district champions, Pattonville advances three, while Hazelwood Central and De Smet will have one wrestler apiece in Columbia.
