Newland wins first-place, Knights finish fifth

By DONN ADAMSON\Daily Journal Sports Editor

COLUMBIA - Joey Newland captured first-place at the Missouri state wrestling tournament on Saturday with a 7-5 overtime win over Asa Shaffer of Raymore-Peculiar in the 112 weight class. Newland, a junior, also perfected his season to 48-0 with the win.

Newland's win also gave the Knights a leap past St. Charles West into fifth place with 103 points as a team. Park HIll placed first in Class 3 with 185 points with Raymore-Peculiar coming in second at 156.

Helping Newland with the team points were five other wrestlers who all medaled, too. Craig Wilson (119) placed third after winning his last match, 8-3. Kevin King (145) also won third-place with a 4-3 win. Tyler Epstein (189) took fourth place, Michael Zaricor (140) won fifth place, and Nicholas Hoehn (125) came in sixth.

"Our kids did great. Having six wrestlers place in the state tournament, I'd say that's really something great," commented Coach Mark Krause of the Knights' season.

North County's Jesse Coale (140) suffered a 1-0 loss in his third-place match to take fourth place. It was the Raiders only medal in Class 3.

The Ste. Genevieve Dragons had three medalists in finishing eighth in Class 2 with 63 points. Platte County took first place with 166 points. State champion in 2004, Tanner Wolk (171) placed second, after a 5-4 loss in the championship match to Oak Grove's Michael Moore (49-0) the only wrestler to beat him this year. Wolk finished the season at 44-2.

Taylor Huck (160) won third place with a 13-6 decision, and Adam Johnson (135) also won his last match with a fall in 2:18 for fifth place.

The third day of wrestling started with the third-round of wrestlebacks for Class 3 and 4, and then went into the consolation semi-finals for all classes. Wilson, King and Epstein earned the right to wrestle for third place for Farmington with a win in the consolation semi-finals. Wilson recorded a fall in 3:55, King won a 2-1 decision and Epstein won by the score of 13-9. Hoehn lost a 4-6 decision and Zaricor lost by fall in 4:50.

Coale won his consolation semi-final for North County with a fall in 4:50 over Zaricor.

Huck won a 14-7 decision to earn a shot at a third-place medal for Ste. Genevieve, but Johnson had to settle for a chance at fifth place after a 4-2 loss in the consolation semi-finals.