Five Boys Medal In Historic Finish At Liberty

The varsity Eagles landed their highest-ever placement at the Liberty Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 14. They placed third out of thirty teams and tallied a whopping 130 points. Sullivan had five wrestlers who overcame tough competition to leave Wentzville with medals. 

Head coach Carl Lawrence was proud of Ian Henderson (106) for clinching the top of the podium. The freshman went undefeated, locking up Carter Pryor (Hillsboro) in a 10-9 decision, Finn Wilson (Battle) in a 20-2 technical fall and Caleb Dyer (Lutheran St. Charles) in a 9-8 ruling. The standout rookie racked up 23.5 points for Sullivan. 

Lawrence was also impressed with Conner Roach for sweeping the 132 class. He finished first, pinning Liam Keen (Francis Howell Central) in 2:39, Robert Caito (Ladue) in 0:31, Zac Govero (St. Charles West) in 1:43 and Logan Pennock (Fort Madison) in 1:26. The senior earned a team-high 32 points for the Eagles.

Carter Blankenship (126) was the runner-up for his class with 26 points. He took down his first three opponents: Jaxon Pelhank (Troy Buchanan) in 1:17, Chase Youngwirth (Hannibal) in 2:36 and Mason Wideman (Francis Howell Central) in 2:48. The senior’s only loss was in the first-place matchup.

Austin Ray (150) took fourth in Liberty, going 2-2 and scoring 15. His two victories were an 8-3 decision over Pharell Holman (Cahokia) and a 4:34 pin over Peyton Pritchett (Hannibal).

Camden Henderson (120) was Sullivan’s fifth and final medalist. The junior ranked fourth in his class, winning two of his four bouts for 14.5 points. He dominated Elijah Hopgood (Pattonville) in a 20-4 technical fall and Ethan Kale (Kirksville) in a 10-1 major decision. 

Ethan Turner (175) won consolation with a 4-1 record and 12 points. He brought down Bryton Roark (Shawnee Mission West) at 0:37, Cristian Bergmann (Kirksville) at 3:38, Jacob Rivera (Ft. Zumwalt East) at 3:17 and Cameron Broeker (Oak Park) at 1:52.

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