KANSAS CITY - Three Helias Crusaders earned berths in the semifinals in the opening day of the Class 3 District 4 Tournament at Staley High School.
Nick Gaines at 106 pounds, Slater Schrimpf at 113 and Jacob Schulte at 138 all advanced past the quarterfinals with victories Friday.
Several other Crusaders are alive in the wrestleback rounds - Kaden Quinn at 132, Austin Schnieders at 145, Nick Carr at 152, Kyle Pickett at 160, Logan Distler at 170, Nate Jones at 182, Alex Schwinke at 195, Ben Davis at 220 and Nick Feely at 285.
Will Farmer finished 0-2 and was eliminated at 126. Helias was open at 120.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Class 3 state tournament, which starts Thursday at Mizzou Arena.
Helias is ninth in the team standings after the opening day with 23 points. Staley leads the 14-team field with 87 points, while Kearney (66) and Platte County (52.5) round out the top three.