For more photos from State, visit https://www.cassville-democrat.com/category/photo-galleries/.
The Cassville boys wrestling team took a record number of members to the Class 2 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships Wednesday and Thursday, and they have returned with a record number of medals.
Four of the six qualifiers came home with recognitions. Seniors Akhilleus Arguelles, at 132 pounds, and Jake Anthonysz, at 165, both finished in fourth, and freshmen Colton Roark, at 144, and Riley James, at 150, both finished in fifth.
Nathan Fortner, Cassville wrestling coach, said the number of medals and the team finish of 13th out of 55 teams is an indicator of the program’s direction.
“We are growing,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to our youth program for that. Troy Thompson is doing a great job. It’s refreshing for me because the kids coming up know the foundations of wrestling and they have traveled and wrestled in different matches. Now, it’s just about my tweaking, and they all have unique styles and special gifts.
“We are starting to be an established program, and we will just get better.”
Arguelles kicked off the tournament with a 9-5 decision and then earned a pin in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, he was outmatched and lost by technical fall, but he bounced back in the consolation semifinal with another 9-5 decision. In the third-place match, Arguelles held a 3-0 lead going into the final period, but a takedown and nearfall in the final minute spelled doom for a final win.
“This year started off with me not going the first half of the season, but in the second half I knocked the rust off and felt good and confident,” he said. “I felt in some of my matches I could have done better, but I’m not disappointed.”
Fortner said the best thing about Arguelles is not his talent, work ethic or determination — it’s much simpler.
“My favorite thing about Triple-A is he smiles while wrestling,” he said. “You can physically see how much he loves to wrestle. He’s been consistent all four years and is a go-getter. He placed higher than last year, and he said he’s had some college coaches talk to him, which is great because college wasn’t even on his radar, but he wants to continue wrestling.”
Roark earned a pin and a 17-2 technical fall to reach the semifinal, where he suffered an 18-1 technical fall to the eventual champion. A pin in the consolation semifinal, during which his right shoulder was popped out of its socket, put him in the fifth-place match, where he battled his way to a 9-2 decision.
“I did pretty good,” he said. “I wrestled the best I could do. I feel like I made a statement for myself,” he said. “I need to get in practice and run drills hard and work on bottom. I will get better strengthand technique-wise, too.”
Fortner said Roark’s talent level is unquestionable, and when the work level matches it, big things will happen.
“I had a good conversation with Colton,” he said. “Talent got him here, but all year we’ve had conversations about how hard work would get him high on the podium. He was hurting in the tunnel after that match he lost, and I hope he remembers that feeling.”
Fortner said he sees the drive, exemplified by Roark’s willingness to finish out the tournament.
“When his shoulder popped out, he could’ve called it there and forfeited for sixth place,” he said. “He continued in that match, and that says a whole lot. He’s competitive, and when the lights are on, he can show out and wrestle. If he can do the work behind the scenes that nobody sees, he can be on top of the podium.
James also stormed his way to the semifinals, picking up a pin in the first round and 6-2 decision in the quarters. He was pinned in the semifinal, then fell in a 4-2 decision in the consolation semifinal.
His Thursday was salvaged in his final match. Down 4-1 after two periods, he fought back to being down 7-6, then scored an escape point for the tie with 17 second to go. Just over a minute into the sudden victory period, James scored a takedown near the edge of the circle to secure the win.
“I feel I could have done better, but I did good as a freshman,” he said. “I didn’t wrestle good Thursday, but I wrestled really good Wednesday. “
Fortner said James is similar to Roark, and the youth wrestling friends will have to amp up the effort level to take the next step.
“I had the same conversation with him I had with Colt,” he said. “He’s seen the big show, and now he wants to win it. Riley and Colt have been dominant in youth wrestling because it is all kids their age. Now, at high school, you have to work harder to be good, and they see that now. I have high expectations for both next year.”
Anthonysz wrestled the most matches with six total. After getting a pin in his opener, he met undefeated eventual champion Jay Greiner, Lafayette-St. Joseph, and lost a 6-0 decision. Shifting to the consolation bracket, Anthonysz won three straight, a 15-0 technical fall where in the start of the match his right eye was injured, a 10-3 decision and a 3-2 decision.
In the third-place match, Anthonysz scored a takedown first, but 5 seconds later, gave up an escape and takedown, eventually losing the match 4-2.
“I think I performed well, but I wish I had done better in the last match,” he said. “That was a good kid.”
Fortner said Anthonysz’s impact on the wrestling program is one that will last.
“Yeah, I’m going to miss that kid,” he said. “He’s worked hard for four years, and this year, he battled injuries from football all year, and that continued in wrestling, hindering his movements a bit. and look at his face [at state]. He had two black eyes and was bleeding every match. He’s just a warrior, a tough kid that’s irreplaceable.
“I’m glad these freshmen saw him as a senior leader battling through all that, and competing in a bracket where both finalists were undefeated. The Grenier kid pinned every one of his opponents all season, even in the state championship, but he did not pin Jake.”
Also competing were Tristan Thompson, at 157 pounds, and DJ Glidewell, at 285-pounds. Both freshmen were the only ones in their respective brackets.
Thompson lost a close 4-3 decision in the opener, but rebounded with a 9-5 decision in the consolation round. In the second consolation round, he was pinned in the first period.
“I feel like I did OK,” he said. “I gave my all, it just didn’t turn out how I wanted. But, there’s more to come and I have time to get better. That loss will give me more motivation to work hard and keep going — be the best I can be.”
Fortner said though Thompson was bounced out early, his future is bright.
“I look for him to be one of our leaders next year,” he said. “He does work hard and just has to bridge the mental gap. Tristan puts a lot of pressure on himself to not make mistakes. I call him a perfectionist. He doesn’t want to make mistakes, but in wrestling, you will.”
Glidwell met undefeated and eventual champion Sampson Stillwell in his opener, pinned just after a minute in. In the consolation round, he picked up a quick 33-second pin, then he was matched against Owensville’s Hayden Shoemaker, who boasted a 52-4 record and outsized Glidewell noticeably.
No matter for the freshman, as he fought his way to an 11-6 decision to eliminate the junior. In his bubble match to secure a placement, Glidewell battled but was ultimately pinned in 1:21.
“This was different from youth,” he said. “I was used to passing through tournaments, but state at the high school level is a different environment. You have to learn you’re not the best, and there will be kids better than you. I choked in my bubble match and threw something that wasn’t there and didn’t listen to my coaches, but I will come back next year.
“There’s always something you can improve on, and I need to not rush things. I had the same mindset every match and felt I was getting better. That was my mentality. I had one goal — I always wanted to wrestle on day two and be with my dad and see him in a suit.”
Fortner said Glidewell’s performance was impressive, and the future should include a few podiums.
“I’m super proud of DJ,” he said. “At a man’s weight, he did some great things. He works really hard, and Ben [Glidewell, assistant coach], and I have talked about it’s good for him to have his dad in his corner; and, Ben does a great job separating coach and father.
“Me and Ben are actually pretty beat up because no one in practice is his size, so we have to roll with him. He’s super strong for a 15-year-old kid.”
Through the ups and downs over the two-day tournament, each member of the team said it was an unforgettable experience.
“It was great and I loved it,” Thompson said. “It was fun just hanging with the team and meeting new people. It was also amazing being in this atmosphere and being able to come as a freshman.”
“Warming up for the last time was the most memorable moment here; just everyone getting to be together one last time,” Arguelles said.
“”My favorite part of state is seeing my teammates win a match, especially the freshmen,” Anthonysz said. “I also love hanging at the hotel and going swimming in the pool and hot tub. It was a all such a fun, good experience.”
Full results from the 2023 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships include: 132 Class 2: Akhilleus Arguelles (18-4) placed 4th and scored 14.0 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 Akhilleus Arguelles (Cassville) 18-4 won by decision over Lucas Barry (St. Michael the Archangel Catholic) 42-13 (Dec 9-5)
• Quarterfinal Akhilleus Arguelles (Cassville) 18-4 won by fall over Eric Harmon (Dexter) 33-7 (Fall 4:48)
• Semifinal – Levi Perry-South (St. Charles) 40-9 won by tech fall over Akhilleus Arguelles (Cassville) 18-4 (TF-1.5 4:10 (19-4))
• Cons. Semi – Akhilleus Arguelles (Cassville) 18-4 won by decision over Lucas Barry (St. Michael the Archangel Catholic) 42-13 (Dec 9-5)
• 3rd Place Match – Ryder Coons (Mid-Buchanan) 33-15 won by decision over Akhilleus Arguelles (Cassville) 18-4 (Dec 6-3) 144 Class 2: Colton Roark (47-10) placed 5th and scored 12.5 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 Colton Roark (Cassville) 47-10 won by fall over Draysen Nolie (Sullivan) 15-28 (Fall 0:54)
• Quarterfinal – Colton Roark (Cassville) 47-10 won by tech fall over Ethan Nash (Benton) 41-9 (TF-1.5 3:51 (17-2))
• Semifinal – Gavynn Carpenter (Hallsville) 48-3 won by tech fall over Colton Roark (Cassville) 47-10 (TF-1.5 2:51 (18-1))
• Cons. Semi – Evan Winters (Ste. Genevieve) 39-7 won by fall over Colton Roark (Cassville) 47-10 (Fall 2:46)
• 5th Place Match Colton Roark (Cassville) 47-10 won by decision over Lincoln LaFave (Savannah) 39-17 (Dec 9-2) 150 Class 2: Riley James (37-10) placed 5th and scored 11.0 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 Riley James (Cassville) 37-10 won by fall over John Behrens (St. Charles West) 33-19 (Fall 4:31)
• Quarterfinal – Riley James (Cassville) 37-10 won by decision over Grant Rodriguez (St. James) 40-9 (Dec 6-2)
• Semifinal – Bishop Rush (Benton) 49-5 won by fall over Riley James (Cassville) 37-10 (Fall 0:42)
• Cons. Semi – Gage Jones (Cameron) 52-11 won by decision over Riley James (Cassville) 37-10 (Dec 4-2)
• 5th Place Match Riley James (Cassville) 37-10 won in sudden victory – 1 over Brayden Koenig (Nevada) 26-9 (SV-1 9-7) 157 Class 2: Tristan Thompson (43-12) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 Hunter Scoma (Excelsior Springs) 41-10 won by decision over Tristan Thompson (Cassville) 43-12 (Dec 4-3)
• Cons. Round 1 – Tristan Thompson (Cassville) 43-12 won by decision over Jacob Plummer (Hallsville) 38-15 (Dec 9-5)
• Cons. Round 2 – Cayden Larson (Chillicothe) 47-12 won by fall over Tristan Thompson (Cassville) 43-12 (Fall 0:51) 165 Class 2: Jake Anthonysz (42-9) placed 4th and scored 15.5 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 – Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 won by fall over Deron Gipson (St. Mary`s (St. Louis)) 24-10 (Fall 1:15)
• Quarterfinal – Jay Greiner (Lafayette (St. Joseph)) 59-0 won by decision over Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 (Dec 6-0)
• Cons. Round 2 – Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 won by tech fall over Lucas Hulett (Hallsville) 40-11 (TF-1.5 3:00 (15-0))
• Cons. Round 3 – Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 won by decision over Chance Phillips (Savannah) 43-12 (Dec 10-3)
• Cons. Semi – Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 won by decision over Colton Kirkham (Mid-Buchanan) 36-10 (Dec 3-2)
• 3rd Place Match – Ethan Phillips (Oak Grove) 46-10 won by decision over Jake Anthonysz (Cassville) 42-9 (Dec 4-2) 285 Class 2: Dj Glidewell (15-5) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.
• Champ. Round 1 Sampson Stillwell (St. Michael the Archangel Catholic) 51-0 won by fall over Dj Glidewell (Cassville) 15-5 (Fall 1:06)
• Cons. Round 1 – Dj Glidewell (Cassville) 15-5 won by fall over Ryder Comegys (Boonville) 24-23 (Fall 0:33)
• Cons. Round 2 – Dj Glidewell (Cassville) 15-5 won by decision over Hayden Shoemaker (Owensville) 52-5 (Dec 11-6)
• Cons. Round 3 Kort Watkins (Maryville) 43-9 won by fall over Dj Glidewell (Cassville) 15-5 (Fall 1:21)
