The MSHSAA Wrestling Championships kicked off Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 21) for classes 1 and 2. Excelsior Springs was fortunate to send seven competitors to this illustrious competition. Representing the women’s class are freshmen Analese Happy (110) and sophomore Adrian Crawley (190). Sophomore Cooper Collins (120), juniors Wyett Shipman (106), Ryne Marcum (132), and Hunter Scoma (175), as well as senior Micah Danner (126) represented the men. Each competitor in this tournament occupies 1 of just 16 available spots in their respective weight classes. This is a massive accomplishment for all students, coaches, and parents involved!
Day one began with the women’s competition. In Round 1, Analese Happy (24-12) lost by fall in a hard-fought match to Adasyn Yoder of Holden (45-6). In round 1 of the wrestle-back (consolation) bracket, Analese lost by fall to Samatha Yates (35-13), ending her run in the state tournament.
In Round 1, Adrien Crawley (27-18) lost by pinfall against Lilli Lewis from South Callaway, a tough opponent with a 43-3 record. In round 1 of the wrestlebacks bracket, Adrian Crawley pinned her opponent, Chloe Carson (17-11), in just 1 minute 55 seconds. Crawley finished off day one with a loss in round 2 of the wrestle-back bracket fall against Carly Foster from Fulton (25-12). This loss has unfortunately knocked her out of this tournament.
In round 1 of the men’s tournament, Wyett Shipman (24-15) won via decision with a score of 6-1 against Jace Amschler (28-21). Wyett continued his dominance with a 6-0 win in the quarterfinals against Cassville’s Kaleb Artherton (34-11). This win secured him a spot in the semifinals, advancing to day two.
Micah Danner (29-11) fell via pinfall against Steven Buddemeyer (42-11) in his first-round matchup. Danner responded with a pinfall victory against Blaine Bergthold (25-15) in the first round of the consolation bracket. However, in the second round of the consolation bracket, Micah was pinned by Spencer Cunningham (33-6), eliminating him from the tournament and ending his impressive high school wrestling career.
Ryne Marcum (36-9) started out hot with a round one win against Orchard Farm’s Liam Borgsmiller (20-13) in a dominant 6-0 fashion. In his second match, Ryne lost via pinfall against a formidable opponent, Drake Meyer (47-2). This sent Marcum into the wrestle-back bracket. Ryne won his last match of the day via pinfall over Kaiden Caudle (36-14) and secured a spot in day 2 of state.
Cooper Collins (34-4) won an overtime thriller 3-1 against a challenging opponent, Keaton Burleson (32-9). He lost 0-6 in round two against an eventual finalist, Cole Blattner (49-4), sending him to the wrestle-back bracket. Cooper ended his first day with a 7-5 decision win against Declan Cockrum (33-13), securing his spot in day 2 of the tournament.
Hunter Scoma (22-9) lost via pinfall to Tyler Longobardi, a strong opponent with a record of 49-3. In his 2nd matchup, Hunter needed only 11 seconds to pin Nickolas Arnold of Marshall (11-15)! Unfortunately, Hunter lost in round 2 of the consolation bracket to Colton Kirkham (40-4) and was eliminated from the tournament. As a junior, this likely isn’t the last we’ll see of Hunter Scoma in Columbia.
After day one, the Excelsior Springs men’s team found themselves tied for 17th place with 21 points. The women’s team was in 70th place with 3 points. Three wrestlers advanced to Championship Thursday, with Wyett Shipman looking to win first at state and Cooper Collins and Ryne Marcum in the mix for a third-place medal!
Unfortunately, Junior Wyett Shipman lost in the semifinals against Landon Lane from Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic School (SMA), the man who defeated the number-one-ranked wrestler in the state. Lane, with a record of 34-9, went on to win the State Championship in the 106 pound weight class. Wyett also lost in the 4th round of wrestle-backs 6-2 against Victor Schmalz (37-7). This loss sent him to the fifth-place match. In the fifth-place match, Wyett defeated Clinton’s Lucas McMenemy (21-10) via pinfall. Wyett finished his season with a 5th place medal from State.
Cooper Collins beat Mason Grosz (38-9 record) via decision 5-2. This win secured him, at minimum, a top-six finish and a guaranteed medal. Cooper defeated Simon Hartline (43-6) by injury default in his fourth-round matchup, advancing to the third-place match. Unfortunately, following an illegal slam to the head in the previous match, Cooper was deemed not medically fit to compete in the third-place match and was forced to forfeit. Cooper received a fourth-place medal at state. An unfortunate end to his sophomore year, but there is no doubt he will be back for a vengeance next winter, hoping to end up with the gold medal.
In his first match of the day, Ryne Marcum won 2-1 against Christian Sullivan with an impressive record of 32-5. This close win also guaranteed him a medal. In the semifinals of the consolation bracket, Ryne defeated Luke Marlatt (32-7) via pinfall, advancing him to the third-place match. In the third place match, Ryne lost via decision 4-9 against Conner Roach (37-4). Ryne ends his junior year with a 4th place medal and an impressive 36-9 record!
Excelsior Springs had three of their seven competitors medal in this tournament, with Wyett Shipman getting fifth place, Cooper Collins getting fourth, and Ryne Marcum finishing fourth place! The men’s team finished in 13th place with 47 total points. This successful tournament was a fantastic way to cap off yet another incredible year for this extraordinary wrestling program.
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