The Cutlass » Wrestling

Pirate wrestling season overview

ajefferson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:41:38 +0000

This year’s Belton wrestling team has so far participated in 10 meets and has many more to compete in. Their record so far is 4-4. With four duals left, they hope to beat their record from last year of 7-4.

Sophomore Clay Stine said that he has had a good season so far and that he looks forward to the rest of the season.

“The season so far has been delicious,” Stine said. “I have won some tournaments and my record is good this season.”

Stine’s record this season so far is 22-3, his final record of last year was 40-11.

Stine said that he thinks senior Kevin Estell will be able to make it to state this year if he goes into tournaments with a good mind set like he has had all year.

Sophomore Sergio Ramos said that he has not had that good of a season so far.

“I have lost quite a few matches this season, but it I did better than I expected to do this year,” Ramos said.

Head coach Jeff Davis said that the wrestling team is blessed with the tough and hard working athletes that are on the team. He also added that the team continues to prove every day, with the help of the staff that is driving the young men at a torrid pace.

“The wrestling team is young, with only one varsity senior,” Davis said. “Taking second at the 12 team North Kansas City tournament speaks for the drive these high fliers possess.”

Not only did the wrestling team place second at the 12 team North Kansas City tournament, but six pirate wrestlers made it to the finals. The six champions at the meet that made it to the finals were freshmanBrian Sanders, sophomore Clay Stine, freshman Caleb Chevalier, junior Robbi Jones, freshman Austin Goin, and senior Kevin Estell.

Estell is the only varsity senior on the 2011-2012 wrestling team. He said that his season is going pretty well, and so far the season has been what he has expected. He has an amazing record of 25-1, and hopes to keep it going throughout the rest of the season.

“We have a young team, and at first they weren’t very experienced, but throughout the course of the season they have stepped up and started getting better,” Estell said.

Many of the wrestlers on the team has said that they predict Estell can definitely make it to state if he has a good mindset and ambition to make it all the way. Estell also said he thinks he can make it to state.

“I know I can make it to state,” Estell said. “There are over five kids ranked in top ten in my districts, so I think it will be good competition.”

Estell said he thinks that there have been a couple of duals where wrestlers haven’t done their best.

“We all have good and bad days, but we definitely learn from our mistakes,” Estell said.

As the wrestlers season continues and quickly approaches, they will be training very hard to have chances to make state.

Pirates defeated at Platte County

cnickerson — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:35:37 +0000

The Belton High School wrestling team traveled to Platte County on Jan. 21 for a weekend long tournament. The Pirates faced Platte County and ten other teams during the tournament. The Pirates came out of the tournament without placing as a team, but had three wrestlers that placed in their weight groups. Sophomore Clay Stine and senior Leroy Barnes both placed third in their weight classes, and junior Kevin Estell placed first in his class.

Sophomore Blake Mann said that he thinks that the team did not do as well as he would have liked and that it defiantly could have been a better tournament.

“We didn’t do very well at the tournament,” Mann said, “but there were a lot of really good wrestlers to compete against. The only way focus to get better is to go up against good wrestlers.”

Varsity wrestling coach, Justin Wisdom, said that the team went into the tournament with a depleted line up. He also said that he thinks this tournament is one of the toughest in the state because there were over 50 ranked wrestlers there.

“A lot of Pirates struggled,” Wisdom said, “but I’m looking forward to getting back on track at the next tournament at Liberty.”

Junior Kevin Estell was one of the three wrestlers to place in his weight class. He has been a part of the wrestling team since his freshman year, and he said that he does not think the team put out their best effort.

“As a team, I think we could have done better than we did,” Estell said.

The team hopes to be placed in the top three at the tournament at liberty on Jan. 30 to make up for the loss at the tournament at Platte county.

Pirates beat the bears

eevans — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:16:34 +0000

The re-scheduled wrestling meet was held on Thursday night against the William Chrisman Bears. Despite some seniors with injuries, the Pirates came home with a tight win of 39-36.

Many Pirate wrestlers were successful at the meet. Junior Kevin Estell and Sophomore Zuberi Muwwakkil both won their matches by a pin. Estell pinned his opponent in the first round and Muwwakkil pinned his opponent in the second round.

Estell said that even though a few people were out, the Pirates still brought home a tough win and the team did good.

“The pirates still wrestled to their best ability,” Estell said. “It felt good to win as a team and it felt good to win my match in the first round. We all did pretty good.”

Seniors Ricky Cornwell and Josh Knight won their matches by decisions and senior Nic Taylor won his match by a major decision. Senior LeRoy Barnes won by a technical fault. Freshman Clay Stine and senior Sommari Muwwakkil had opens in their weight class.

Barnes said he was proud of his teammates for doing so well, and Belton has a good wrestling team.

“Some seniors were out,” Barnes said. “But that never stopped us from performing well and winning our matches.”

As the season continues on, the wrestling team hopes to reduce the amount of injuries that the wrestlers received and will continue to work and wrestle hard.

Pirate wrestling takes 8th place in tournament

eevans — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:37:09 +0000

This past weekend, the Pirate wrestlers competed in the Raytown South Holiday Tournament. The Pirates came home from the two day tournament with a of ranking 8th out of 17 teams.

Although the Pirate wrestlers improved from last year, they said they would have liked to get a higher rank than what they received. Friday night brought tough matches to the Pirates, but the team felt confident going into the second day of the tournament on Saturday.

Even though the team struggled on Saturday, they still brought home two individual champions, Le’Roy Barnes and Ricky Cornwell. Along with with the champions, four other Pirate wrestlers were placed in the top eight of their weight classes.

Coach Justin Wisdom said that even if the wrestling team didn’t get the overall rank they wanted, the wrestling team has improved a lot this year.

“We still received a better rank from last year,” Wisdom said. “And we are continuing to improve as the season progresses. Many individual were successful in the past tournament, we just had a few slip-ups.”

Even though the wrestling team didn’t reach the exact rank they would have liked to have, it only means more room for improvement for a better season.

Pirates dominate Winnetonka Griffins

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:30:30 +0000

The Belton Pirates Wrestling team secured their fifth victory (third in conference) Tuesday, with a huge margin of victory over the Winnetonka Griffins. Belton won nine out of thirteen bouts, with six of the victories coming by way of pin, and one by technical fall.

The night started with the 152 pound weight class, where senior Ricky Cornwell pinned his opponent to put the Pirates ahead in the total score early. Cornwell was followed by a disappointing loss in the 160 pound weight class.

Belton rebounded quickly, with back to back victories; senior Nic Taylor pinned his opponent in the 171 pound weight class, followed by senior Darrione Rodgers pinning his opponent for the 189 pound weight class. Rodgers said that he felt pretty confident coming into the duel.

“The kid I was going up against wasn’t very experienced,” Rodgers said. “This was probably one of the easier duels; we have a trio duel coming up after winter break where I will have to go up against the number one wrestler in the state for my weight class.”

After a brief lapse, when the Pirates lost in the 215 pound weight class by technical fall, Junior Kevin Estell came out strong in the 285 pound weight class, pinning his opponent with ease.

Estell said he was very confident coming into the duel, but still thought it would be a big duel with his opponent.

“When the duel started, he tried overpowering me,” Estell said. “I was able to compose myself, find a game plan, and counter to get the pin.”

After a technical fall victory in the 112 weight class, by freshman Clay Stine, the dual was out of reach for the Griffins. Seniors Le’Roy Barnes and Jesse Archer still pressed forward, with both wrestlers winning their duals in the 135 and 145 pound weight classes, respectively, by way of pins.

Barnes said he was sure that he would come in and “take care of business” against the Griffins.

“I took my time this dual, I wanted to get a bit of a work out in,” Barnes said with a smile.

The Pirates are 5-1 overall, with a 3-0 conference record. The team looks forward to the Raytown South tournament this weekend, and hope to come out of the tournament victorious.

Pirates Wrestling dominates on the road

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:16:36 +0000

The Pirates wrestling team traveled to Raytown for two duels in one week against Raytown and Raytown South. The Pirates beat the Raytown Blue Jays 49-23 and the Raytown South Cardinals 51-29.

The Pirates seemed to be the dominate team against both their opponents throughout the night. The Pirates lost three matches in the duel against Raytown when Jacob Winkler, Robbi Jones, and Nic Taylor lost by pins or technical falls. However, Le’roy Barnes, Somari Muwwakkil, Ricky Cornwell, Darrione Rodgers, and Josh Bruce won there matches by pin fall. Kevin Estell wrestled an outstanding match, after avenging losses in previous seasons he was able to come out on top this season after winning in a 3-2 decision.

When the Pirates went head to head against the Blue Jays it was a mismatch in numbers. The Blue Jays did not have a full roster, but the Jay’s did have some very talented veteran’s on the team. The Blue Jays won four of the matches pinning Bruce, Muwwakkil, Taylor, while also winning a technical fall over Dalton Hillard. The Jay’s actually held a slight lead in the beginning of the duel.

The Pirates, led by Clay Stine, Le’Roy Barnes, Dakota Croft, Darrione Rodgers, and Kevin Estell, took the lead in their hands after each came up with victories by pin or major decision. The team pulled ahead and cruised the rest of the way into a run away victory over the Blue Jays.

“I pinned my opponent in the Raytown duel in 19 seconds and didnt seem to have much trouble at all,” Rodgers said. “My Raytown South opponent was a little bit tougher but I was still able to pin him in the first round.”

The Pirates picked up their 4th win on the road duels in Raytown to improve their record to 4-1 with a 2-0 conference record as they continue on with their season.

Belton wrestlers compete in state tournament

adviser — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:19:45 +0000

A long season has finally come to an end for wrestlers. The Pirate wrestlers first traveled to Carthage to compete in the district tournament where wrestlers had to place at least 4th to continue on the the state tournament in Columbia.

The team had 11 wrestlers compete in the district tournament but only four wrestlers came out placing for Belton. Junior Le’Roy Barnes was the first to compete in the 125 weight class where he placed fourth. Next, senior Tanner Jones took third in the 160 weight class. Then, reigning champ senior Glen Whitney dominated his weight class at 189, taking first. Finally, sophomore Kevin Estell took third in the 285 weight class.

These four wrestlers earned their spot in the state tournament where they left for Feb. 18. Before the tournament started, all wrestlers were paraded out into the Mizzou Arena where they competed and were praised, but right after the parade ended the wrestling quickly began. Wrestlers only get two losses before they are out of the tournament and they need one to make it to the next day.

Both Whitney and Barnes are veteran state qualifiers. This experience is new for Estell and Jones who would soon learn what its like to compete with the best.

Whitney, Barnes and Estell were all able to make it to the next day. Both Whitney and Barnes won the first round match and Estell won his second match. Jones lost his second match by two points, ending his season. However, Barnes’ victory came over the number one seed from another district giving him a big upset, but he would only find himself to run into the same kid again.

All three wrestlers won their next matches, but soon Barnes would be sent to the back side of the bracket after his first loss. Estell came one victory away from making it to the medaling round before he was finally beaten again and was out of the tournament. Barnes won his way to third place match as Whitney battled to the finals. Whitney, who placed first last year in this tournament, was on a mission to protect his title and become the first Belton wrestler to win state more than once.

The final day of the tournament finally came so the finals were under way. Barnes competed for third place against the first place seeded wrestler he beat first round, but he was unable to have a repeat and came up short in his match but still earned a good fourth place. Finally, the big match of Glen Whitney was underway. The match was close all along and ended up going into double over time. The worst came when Whitney let his opponent up in hopes to just take him back down but was unable to score any points in the short 30 seconds period. Whitney came up short by one point losing his finals match. But still accomplished second place which is still a great achievement.

The season finally came to an end for all the wrestlers and for the seniors for good expect for any who take a spot in college. The years on are left for the lower class men to step and fill the shoes of the wrestlers who left this year.

Pirate Wrestlers begin a long week

adviser — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:23:00 +0000

The Pirate wrestling team entered a long week having three duels and one upcoming tournament. Jan. 25, the Pirates hosted a conference match against the Lee’s Summit West Titans. Two days later, the team traveled to Winnetonka to face off against Winnetonka and Staley.

The week didn’t start off well for the Pirates ofter a disappointing loss against the Titans. On top of facing a well lined-up team, the Pirates were forced three opens in their line-up. The Titans already had an 18 point lead before the duel even started. The Pirates tried to make up for the losses but it wasn’t easy, some were able to deliver and some unable. Seniors Glen Whitney and Tanner Jones, juniors Josh Knight, Le’Roy Barnes and Tanner Jones all come out with victories. Even with valiant efforts, the team came up short with the final team scores of 22-50.

The team was only given one day to rest until they were on a bus and on their way to Winnetonka High School. The Pirates first face off against the hosting team, Winnetonka. The Pirates come out strong and did what they needed to do to with their match. The Pirates still had three openings in their line up in the 125, 135 and 140 weight classes. As a team, the Pirates were successful and came out with a needed victory. Wrestlers Josh Knight, Le’Roy Barnes, Bryce Beilman, Tanner Jones, Glen Whitney, Darion Rodgers and Kevin Estell all came out with victories leading up to the final score of 44-21.

Right after their first duel, the Pirates immediately faced off against Staley. Staley is one of the top teams in Belton’s district. The outcomes of the matches would reflect seeding in the district tournament, but the wrestlers were more focused at the match at hand. The Pirates gave it all they could, still with three opens in their line up, but were unable to put down their tough opponents. Glen Whitney, Darion Rodgers and Kevin Estell pulled through for victories for the Pirates. The team still came up short losing 21-48.

The week is still not over for the Pirates. The team will get a one day break before they contend in the Liberty Tournament. The tournament will last two days and hosts teams from all over.

Pirate wrestlers place in Liberty Tournament

adviser — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:54:53 +0000

The Pirate wrestling team finished off a long week with the Liberty tournament. After already competing in three duels, the team had to spend Friday and Saturday competing again.

Tough teams were piling into the tournament showing that no match was going to be a walk in the park. Teams that were in the tournament were Ozark, Lincoln East, Park Hill South, Liberty and Fort Osage. Although these were only half of the teams actually there.

The tournament was almost cut short because of the sudden snow storm that popped up Friday night. Nixa was originally supposed to be there but was unable because of the weather. It was a scary drive home for the team, with already a few wrecks on the highway, but the weather didn’t last long so the tournament was able to continue the next morning.

The Pirates were able to make a good accomplishment at the tournament. The team had five wrestlers place, four medal and two of which were gold. Josh Knight was the first to wrestle in the finals where he was fighting for third. Knight wasted no time in his match and ended it by pinning his opponent. Le’Roy Barnes followed and was contending for first place. Barnes was wrestling a previous opponent that he had already beaten. It was a high scoring match and Barnes almost got caught but he fought is way back on top to beat his opponent by points. Barnes took first in the tournament.

Dakota Croft also contended in the third and fourth place match but unfortunately came up short. Croft gave it all he had but eventually was outdone. Tanner Jones was the second to last to go, competing for third as well. The score was tied at zero going into the third period and Jones won with a reversal by one point took third. Finally, Glen Whitney, remaining undefeated, was the last to go for Belton. He was contending for first against another wrestler who was also undefeated. Whitney declared his dominance taking the first two take-downs and gaining the lead. Although the match was close, Whitney clearly won the match to prove that he is still number one.

The season is coming to an end for the wrestling team and its now or never for the wrestlers. In two weeks the team will be competing in the district tournament where some of the wrestlers seasons could come to an end. But for the one who do well, they will be on their way to Columbia to compete in the state tournament.

Pirates pinned by Fort Osage Indians

adviser — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:16:01 +0000

The Belton Pirate’s wrestling team came off a disappointing loss on Wednesday. It was the team’s first home duel and they were looking for a win over Fort Osage, who has always been a rival in wrestling.

The duel didn’t start off well for the Pirates. Of the first seven matches, the Pirates only won two of them. Although the team came out strong, the Fort Osage line up was hard for the Pirates to handle.

Senior Robert Mayo came out in the first match of the night in a close match, but unfortunately was caught and beaten. Junior Ricky Cornwell came out with the Pirates first win at the 145 weight class with a close decision over his opponent. From then on the Pirates were a few off, and one on.

Senior Glen Whitney came out and put on a show for the home crowd, earning over five take downs in the first period. After earning enough points for a technical fall, Whitney pinned his opponent to give the team it’s full six points. Sophomore Kevin Estell followed suite pinning his opponent and earning the team another six points. But, not enough wrestlers were able to win or stay out of pinning positions to keep the team in a chance of winning.

As the night came to an end, Junior Josh Knight made quick work and pinned his opponent in less than 30 seconds after quickly acquiring a headlock and taking his opponent strait to his back. Junior Dakota Croft ended the night for both teams with a victory for the Pirates. After having a close call and fighting off his back, Croft dropped his opponent on the mat and worked his way for another pin.

It’s time like these that the team regrets losing one of their captains, Deric Fenzl, who had always been a big help to the team in duels. However, he was mat side and helped coach and cheer on the team. The team was also missing its wrestler in the 119 class, Le’Roy Barnes, who also would have helped out the team.

But it’s the rests of the teams responsibility to step up and fill in the gaps that eventually every team experiences. The night ended with the final team score of 27-44, Fort Osage. The Pirates will not soon forget this loss and will remember it Monday when they duel Lee’s Summit West as the teams only other home duel.