The Missouri State High School Activities Association held the boys’ district wrestling tournaments across the state of Missouri last weekend. This will be the 6th year the Carthage Tigers have competed at the Class Four level against the largest schools in the state. Included in the Class Four, District Three competition were Carthage, Springfield Central, Glendale, Kickapoo, Sedalia Smith-Cotton, Ray-Pec, Waynesville, Willard, Nixa, Ozark, Joplin, Neosho, Lebanon, Lee’s Summit, Lee’s Summit West and Republic high schools. The district tournament reached its boiling point a few times during the two-day competition when wrestlers were disqualified and parents and fans, alike, got involved in altercations.
The excitement, however, did not derail four Carthage wrestlers from their ultimate goal of qualifying for the state tournament. Senior Bradyn Tate (138 lbs.), juniors, Tanner Putt (106 lbs.) and David Recinos (215 lbs.) and freshman Caden Groon (113 lbs.) punched their tickets to the big show this Friday and Saturday, February 23rd and 24th at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO. Heading into this year’s competition, and the last for Tate, the boys sat down and discussed a little about what makes them tick and got them to this point.
Carthage News Online: What has posed your biggest challenge this year?
Bradyn Tate: Not letting my expectations that I set last year overwhelm me (in my senior season).
Caden Groom: Just being a freshman and being small.
David Recinos: Keeping a positive mindset.
Tanner Putt: Dealing with different scales at each school.
CNO: Heading into the state tournament, what improvements have you made since the beginning of the year?
Tate: I’ve gotten better at scrambling on my feet and my mentality going into matches is better.
Groom: My mindset is better and my confidence is stronger.
Recinos: Learning to wrestle differently at 215 lbs. than I did at heavyweight.
Putt: My shots have gotten better.
CNO: What goals have you set for yourself that you still hope to fulfill?
Tate: Place higher than my sixth place finish last year.
Groom: I want to place at the state tournament.
Recinos: Place at state.
Putt: Win a state championship.
CNO: Who has been your toughest opponent this year and what was the outcome of that match?
Tate: Facing Lovelady from Liberty North at the Carthage Dual Tournament. I lost an 8-1 decision to him.
Groom: Austin Brown from Hannibal who beat me at the Platte County Tournament by fall.
Recinos: Jake Fernandez who pinned me at Platte County.
Putt: My overtime loss in the COC Tournament championship match to Isringhausen from Branson.
CNO: What motivates you to keep up the vigorous work ethic that wrestling requires?
Tate: I always want to be better than my brother was.
Groom: Edxel (Coach Morales). He always pushes me to be better.
Recinos: Coach Petticrew.
Putt: My dad.
CNO: What wrestling superstitions do you have?
Tate: I never put my singlet on until after warm-ups.
Groom: I always have to wear my favorite Adidas socks when I wrestle.
Recinos: I say a prayer before every match.
Putt: I always wear my lucky underwear when I wrestle.
CNO: Finish the following statement: “If I don’t _______, I feel like I’m not going to perform my best.”
Tate: Eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich before I wrestle.
Groom: Have a good mindset.
Recinos: Pray.
Putt: Have a coke before my matches.
CNO: Who would you say are your role models and people that you look up to?
Tate: My coaches and my brother.
Groom: My coaches.
Recinos: My coaches.
Putt: My coaches.
CNO: Why did you choose wrestling?
Tate: I actually didn’t…but then I saw my brother doing it and I wanted to try it too.
Groom: My mom was trying to get my brother to wrestle and convinced me to do it.
Recinos: Jaxton Lopez and his dad kept trying to get me to go out for the team.
Putt: I thought it was going to be like WWE.
The Carthage boys’ team will begin state competition at 5:45 pm this Friday evening and continue through Saturday. A state sendoff will take place at the high school on Thursday at 8am.
MSHSAA Boys Class 4 District 3 Results for Carthage
106 – Tanner Putt (38-5) placed 1st and scored 26.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Tanner Putt (Carthage) 38-5 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal – Tanner Putt (Carthage) 38-5 won by fall over Arthur Pille (Glendale) 20-17 (Fall 3:04)
Semifinal – Tanner Putt (Carthage) 38-5 won by fall over Lucas Allen (Joplin) 21-11 (Fall 1:21)
1st Place Match – Tanner Putt (Carthage) 38-5 won by fall over Kaleb Branch (Lebanon) 30-14 (Fall 1:43)
113 – Caden Groom (29-15) placed 4th and scored 13.5 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 won by tech fall over Brayden Behning (Raymore-Peculiar) 14-23 (TF-1.5 5:09 (16-1))
Quarterfinal – Phillip George (Republic) 39-11 won by decision over Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 (Dec 5-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 won by fall over Kaden Coffey (Ozark) 18-15 (Fall 3:21)
Cons. Round 3 – Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 won by major decision over Gavin McAtee (Nixa) 10-17 (MD 9-0)
Cons. Semi – Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 won by decision over Bradley Hiteshew (Glendale) 29-10 (Dec 5-4)
3rd Place Match – Zach Pruitt (Lee`s Summit West) 32-8 won by decision over Caden Groom (Carthage) 29-15 (Dec 5-2)
120 – Wyatt Hole (21-23) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Luke Nally (Lee`s Summit) 23-13 won by fall over Wyatt Hole (Carthage) 21-23 (Fall 1:11)
Cons. Round 1 – Sebastian Ioanis (Neosho) 13-12 won by decision over Wyatt Hole (Carthage) 21-23 (Dec 13-7)
126 – Emerson Ixcol (17-17) place is unknown and scored 2.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Emerson Ixcol (Carthage) 17-17 won by decision over Shea Rogers (Republic) 28-18 (Dec 7-6)
Quarterfinal – Rylan Lashley (Central (Springfield)) 30-10 won by fall over Emerson Ixcol (Carthage) 17-17 (Fall 3:46)
Cons. Round 2 – Luke Smith (Lebanon) 21-22 won by decision over Emerson Ixcol (Carthage) 17-17 (Dec 6-5)
132 – Grady Huntley (25-15) place is unknown and scored 8.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Grady Huntley (Carthage) 25-15 won by fall over Ezra Rutherford (Nixa) 18-21 (Fall 1:09)
Quarterfinal – Lucas Gideon (Central (Springfield)) 31-11 won by major decision over Grady Huntley (Carthage) 25-15 (MD 9-0)
Cons. Round 2 – Grady Huntley (Carthage) 25-15 won by fall over Landon Raab (Willard) 12-22 (Fall 3:33)
Cons. Round 3 – Grady Huntley (Carthage) 25-15 won by decision over Andrew Burke (Joplin) 17-20 (Dec 9-7)
Cons. Semi – Keaton Overcast (Republic) 43-6 won by fall over Grady Huntley (Carthage) 25-15 (Fall 4:46)
138 – Bradyn Tate (48-2) placed 1st and scored 21.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Bradyn Tate (Carthage) 48-2 won by decision over Cohen Bane (Central (Springfield)) 23-10 (Dec 6-0)
Quarterfinal – Bradyn Tate (Carthage) 48-2 won by major decision over Daniel Gonzales (Republic) 25-13 (MD 12-1)
Semifinal – Bradyn Tate (Carthage) 48-2 won in sudden victory – 1 over Chad Culp (Smith-Cotton) 30-3 (SV-1 5-3)
1st Place Match – Bradyn Tate (Carthage) 48-2 won by decision over Aidan Ward (Nixa) 30-13 (Dec 2-1)
144 – Aydan Nye (11-17) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Reed Wilson (Nixa) 32-12 won by fall over Aydan Nye (Carthage) 11-17 (Fall 1:04)
Cons. Round 1 – Aydan Nye (Carthage) 11-17 won by fall over Jason Eubanks (Glendale) 14-13 (Fall 4:49)
Cons. Round 2 – Beau Benton (Kickapoo) 28-19 won by fall over Aydan Nye (Carthage) 11-17 (Fall 2:10)
165 – Lenny Escobar (23-20) place is unknown and scored 5.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Lenny Escobar (Carthage) 23-20 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal – Gary Walker (Willard) 22-2 won by fall over Lenny Escobar (Carthage) 23-20 (Fall 3:32)
Cons. Round 2 – Lenny Escobar (Carthage) 23-20 won by major decision over Redd Flowers (Glendale) 11-24 (MD 9-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Lenny Escobar (Carthage) 23-20 won by fall over Noah Sipe (Smith-Cotton) 7-10 (Fall 2:37)
Cons. Semi – Gavin Birkett (Raymore-Peculiar) 34-6 won by decision over Lenny Escobar (Carthage) 23-20 (Dec 6-3)
175 – Joshua Hill (10-25) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Kieler Branch (Lebanon) 9-17 won by decision over Joshua Hill (Carthage) 10-25 (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 1 – Joshua Hill (Carthage) 10-25 won by decision over Noah Phelps (Central (Springfield)) 7-24 (Dec 6-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Tobias Thompson (Nixa) 27-15 won by tech fall over Joshua Hill (Carthage) 10-25 (TF-1.5 5:00 (15-0))
190 – Alexander Salas-Marquez (16-23) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Maddox Wilkins (Republic) 45-5 won by fall over Alexander Salas-Marquez (Carthage) 16-23 (Fall 4:45)
Cons. Round 1 – Alexander Salas-Marquez (Carthage) 16-23 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 – Jerian Maupins (Smith-Cotton) 16-7 won by fall over Alexander Salas-Marquez (Carthage) 16-23 (Fall 0:55)
215 – David Recinos (33-9) placed 3rd and scored 13.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – David Recinos (Carthage) 33-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal – David Recinos (Carthage) 33-9 won by major decision over Champ Porter (Nixa) 19-24 (MD 11-2)
Semifinal – Ruben Arvizu (Ozark) 29-11 won by decision over David Recinos (Carthage) 33-9 (Dec 5-2)
Cons. Semi – David Recinos (Carthage) 33-9 won by decision over Deric Washington (Glendale) 31-10 (Dec 7-2)
3rd Place Match – David Recinos (Carthage) 33-9 won by decision over Aidan Carver (Raymore-Peculiar) 31-11 (Dec 4-2)
285 – Jaxton Lopez (13-15) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
Champ. Round 1 – Brady Griffin (Willard) 41-3 won by fall over Jaxton Lopez (Carthage) 13-15 (Fall 0:29)
Cons. Round 1 – Jaxton Lopez (Carthage) 13-15 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 – Everson Tomlinson (Neosho) 31-7 won by fall over Jaxton Lopez (Carthage) 13-15 (Fall 0:39)
