Oak Grove senior Connor Brown wins fourth straight Missouri state wrestling title

The whistle resonated inside Mizzou Arena, and Oak Grove senior Connor Brown rose to his knees and then to his feet. As a populous venue provided a loud, lengthy standing ovation, Brown placed his thumbs in his palms, leaving four fingers pointed toward the sky.

Inevitable. But fitting.

Brown cruised to his fourth Missouri state wrestling championship on Saturday, this one coming in the Class 2 120-pound division.

He is the 26th four-time champion in Missouri wrestling history, the first since 2015 and the only in 2017.

“I’ve been watching (those ovations) since I was in the eighth grade,” Brown said. “It just felt great to get one myself.”

The Oak Grove Panthers clinched their 17th team championship — more than any other program in state history. Tyler Curd added to the margin with a championship at 220 pounds.

Singh wins his third straight

Only one four-time champion may have been crowned Saturday, but Kearney junior Clayton Singh secured his chance at the same feat for next season.

Singh won his third state championship on Saturda, capturing the Class 3 120-pound title with a 13-0 win.

“Connor (Brown) is one of my best friends, so it was cool to see him become a four-timer,” Singh said. “I’d love to follow that next year.”

Staley takes Class 4

The Park Hill reign atop Class 4 is over.

Staley captured its first wrestling state championship in school history — ending the Trojans’ four-year run.

Staley junior Zach Elam capped the team victory with his second individual championship, winning at 195 pounds.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to have three state titles by the time I leave high school,” Elam said. “Two is a step toward three.”

Valdiviez repeats

After winning a state title last year, Rockhurst senior Cameron Valdiviez modified his wrestling style to earn more pins and more dominant victories this season.

A pair of losses reverted him back to his old habits. And it was his old style that led him to a familiar conclusion — winning the Class 4 126-pound championship.

“I believe I had to go through those struggles to reach the heights that I did,” Valdiviez said.

Two-time champions

▪ After losing to Grain Valley senior Wolfgang Clapper in the district tournament last week, Smithville junior Alex Rivera flipped the result, edging Clapper 1-0 in the Class 3 138-pound final for his second state championship.

“He’s a tough kid. He’s strong,” Rivera said. “But I stuck to a gameplan and kept him from scoring.”

His teammate, Jacob Boyd, also took home a second title, winning at 195 pounds. Smithville was second in Class 3 and got a third title from senior Austin Purtle at 160 pounds.

▪ Platte County junior Cody Phippen (Class 3, 113 pounds) won his second title.

“Some people think just because it’s state that it’s a big tournament, but we go to big tournaments all around the country, so I was ready for this,” Phippen said.

Casey Jumps gave Platte County a second championship at 220 pounds.

More champions

▪ Liberty freshman Jeremiah Reno completed an undefeated season, capturing the Class 4 106-pound championship. He gave Liberty its first individual championship since 2007.

Two hours later, Liberty had another. Freshman Greyden Penner won the Class 4 145-pound division.

▪ Belton took home two state championships. Sophomore Braden Bradley won the Class 3 106-pound division, and sophomore Robert Weber won at 152 pounds.

▪ Senior Ottis Peeler gave Raytown South its first champion since 2001 by taking Class 3 170 pounds. He finished 41-0 on the season.

▪ Park Hill sophomore Devin Winston won the Class 4 170-pound title.

▪ Liberty North senior heavyweight Daterraion Richardson won the Class 4 title.

▪ The first state championship in Summit Christian Academy history belongs to Brett Campbell, who won at Class 1 182 pounds and finished 56-0.

▪ Lawson senior Adrean Fisher won the 195-pound bracket, finishing 42-3.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Oak Grove senior Connor Brown wins fourth straight Missouri state wrestling title."