Ray-Pec wrestlers reach state the hard way
They call the consolation semifinal matches “bubble matches” at district wrestling tournaments because the winner goes to state and the loser calls it a season.
When the consolation semifinals got under way at the Class 4 District 3 tournament Saturday at Lee’s Summit, Raymore-Peculiar found itself precariously on the bubble. Not a single Panther made the finals, and 11 faced the do-or-die of consolation semifinals.
“It’s nerve-racking,” Ray-Pec coach Brett Barbarick said. “I know how hard the kids work and know how hard the staff works. But sometimes that spotlight comes on and it’s hard to work under those circumstances.”
Ray-Pec’s season didn’t go bust, not after seven Panthers won their bubble matches and guaranteed themselves to be among the top four finishers in each weight class that go on to next week’s Class 4 state tournament in Columbia. Ray-Pec wound up with two third-place finishers and five fourth-place finishers, good for fourth in the team standings with 103.5 points.
One of those wrestlers taking third was Maren Cahill, whose third consecutive trip to state took a detour when he lost an 8-5 decision to Ozark’s Cole Roark in the 120-pound weight class quarterfinals Friday.
Cahill pinned his way through the consolation bracket and avenged his loss to Roark with a 5-2 decision in the third-place match.
“We had a tough Friday,” Cahill said. “A lot of us hit the back side early. We had a nice talk with our coach (Friday) night and that really got us all back in it today.”
Which allowed their coach to breathe a sigh of relief afterward.
“The kids grounded it out and showed a lot of heart,” Barbarick said. “They showed a lot of character in those matches.”
Lee’s Summit West had four of its six qualifiers come through the bubble matches and placed third with 110 points. The Titans had two finalists and one champion in Zach Moore, who beat Adam Spainhour of Lee’s Summit 8-1 in the 182-pound division final. The loss was only the second for Spainhour this season.
“That was fun,” Moore said. “That was the first match I had that went all three periods. He’s a pretty tough opponent, a pretty strong kid.”
Lee’s Summit North had five qualifiers, which ties a school record. The Broncos had one finalist in senior Alex Glynn, who placed second at 170 pounds after losing to Tyler Bise of Jefferson City 5-1 in the championship match. Glynn qualified for the first time after losing in overtime the past two seasons in the bubble match.
“I thought we should have got six through, but I’m so happy and so excited for those five,” Lee’s Summit North coach Mick Cronk said.
This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Ray-Pec wrestlers reach state the hard way."