Blair Oaks hosts state wrestling powers

Ben Thomas of Blair Oaks wrestles Dylan Shotwell of Whitfield at 152 pounds during action Friday night in Wardsville.
Ben Thomas of Blair Oaks wrestles Dylan Shotwell of Whitfield at 152 pounds during action Friday night in Wardsville.

WARDSVILLE, Mo. - It was the send-off Blair Oaks coach Tim Karsten has been orchestrating for quite some time.

For years, he had been looking for a way to get Whitfield, one of the top Class 1 programs in the state, to wrestle at Blair Oaks. The Warriors agreed to make the trip from St. Louis on Friday, along with local powerhouses Fulton and Centralia, for a quad dual with the Falcons.

In the final home contest for Karsten, who is retiring this year after coaching 16 seasons with the Falcons, Blair Oaks lost to second-ranked Whitfield 49-24 and tied with fourth-ranked Centralia at 42, but the Panthers won the match by criteria.

The Falcons finished the regular season with a 51-27 win against Class 2 Fulton to wrap the regular season with a 14-5 dual record.

Karsten, who went to graduate school with Whitfield coach Charlie Sherertz, said he was fortunate to find a way to arrange for three top programs to participate in his final home match.

"It's a good way to get a good push," Karsten said. "We had fun going to St. Louis (to wrestle Whitfield) every year for seven or eight years. I said, 'Next year's going to be my retirement year. Will you come out?' And he said, 'Well, you have to find me some good teams to wrestle.'

"I knew Centralia and Fulton would be good ones to bring in here. Those are three teams that, year in and year out, are big battles."

Blair Oaks built a 42-12 lead in its first dual of the night against Centralia. The Panthers were open in five weight classes and Blair Oaks added wins by fall from Jayce Griggs at 120 pounds and Bo Thomas at 138.

Centralia then won the final five matches, all by fall, to tie the match at 42. The Panthers won the criteria tiebreaker to take the match.

Whitfield has nine state-ranked wrestlers by MissouriWrestling.com. Six of them wrestled against the Falcons on Friday, with five winning by fall.

For the Warriors, Max Darrah won by fall in :07 at 285 and Mike McAteer won by fall in :20 at 120. Both are ranked No. 1 in Class 1.

"We wrestle them to get better," Karsten said of Whitfield. "They're the best team in the state."

Kyler Griep was the only Blair Oaks wrestler to go 3-0 Friday. In addition to winning two matches by forfeit, Griep won a 10-3 decision against Whitfield's Matt Schueddig at 145.

Blair Oaks had to adjust its lineup Friday, having to fill in spots for four wrestlers.

"We shifted up a little bit because of weight issues and some other problems," Karsten said. "It all fell together. It's been that kind of year. We don't know where our lineup's going to be, but we fill one out."

The Falcons won seven open weight classes against the Hornets to score 42 of their 51 points. Joey Conway started the dual by winning a 9-5 decision against Solomon Huff at 120 and Sam Dudenhoeffer won by fall in the third period at 170 against Peyton Dunlap.

Before Blair Oaks wrestled Fulton in the final dual of the night, there was a 20-minute break to recognize Karsten, who has been the only coach in Falcon wrestling history. In 16 seasons, Karsten compiled a 151-53 dual record and led the Falcons to a Class 1 state championship in 2014.

Blair Oaks superintendent Jim Jones spoke on behalf of the school district and presented Karsten with a plaque. Others close to the Falcons wrestling program also said a few words, thanking Karsten for helping start the program during the 2001-02 season.

"Without Tim Karsten, there would be no Blair Oaks wrestling," Jason Clark said during the presentation.

Up next for Blair Oaks is the Class 1 District 2 tournament next Friday and Saturday at Versailles. Karsten hopes to add to the list of 77 state qualifiers during his tenure with the Falcons.

"We're going to go out there and wrestle the best we can," Karsten said. "Now it's not about the team. It's about you. You do your best and the team will come along with you."

Blair Oaks 51, Fulton 27

106 - Joseph Barkho (F) won by forfeit.

113 - Jackson Caswell (F) won 5-0 against Jayce Griggs (BO).

120 - Joey Conway (BO) won 9-5 against Solomon Huff (F).

126 - Brandon Dews (F) won by forfeit.

132 - Tucker Caswell (F) WBF in 3:03 against Dalton Bridges (BO).

138 - Bo Thomas (BO) won by forfeit.

145 - Kyler Griep (BO) won by forfeit.

152 - Ben Thomas (BO) won by forfeit.

160 - Zac Armstrong (BO) won by forfeit.

170 - Sam Dudenhoeffer (BO) WBF in 4:44 against Peyton Dunlap (F).

182 - Cameron Vititoe (F) WBF in :55 against Adam Jurgensmeyer (BO).

195 - Lucas Holtmeyer (BO) won by forfeit.

220 - Scott Farley (BO) won by forfeit.

285 - Adam Dyer (BO) won by forfeit.

Whitfield 49, Blair Oaks 24

106 - Connor McAteer (W) won by forfeit.

113 - Wade Raeman (W) WBF in :47 against Sam Frisbie (BO).

120 - Mike McAteer (W) WBF in :20 against Jayce Griggs (BO).

126 - Legend Alicea (W) WBF in :58 against Joey Conway (BO).

132 - Dalton Bridges (BO) won by forfeit.

138 - Ethan Hovis (W) won 9-0 against Caleb Meeks (BO).

145 - Kyler Griep (BO) won 10-3 against Matt Schueddig (W).

152 - Dylan Shotwell (W) won 10-3 against Ben Thomas (BO).

160 - Zac Russell (W) WBF in 2:49 against Sam Dudenhoeffer (BO).

170 - Zac Armstrong (BO) won by forfeit.

182 - Noah Elmore (W) WBF in :55 against Adam Jurgensmeyer (BO).

195 - Lucas Holtmeyer (BO) won 8-2 against Davide Pace (W).

220 - Scott Farley (BO) won by forfeit.

285 - Max Darrah (W) WBF in :07 against Adam Dyer (BO).

Centralia 42, Blair Oaks 42

Centralia wins by criteria

106 - Austin Dawson (C) won by forfeit.

113 - Andrew Newbrough (C) WBF in 1:49 against Sam Frisbie (BO).

120 - Jayce Griggs (BO) WBF in 1:12 against Nicklaus Toedebusch (C).

126 - Joey Conway (BO) won by forfeit.

132 - Dalton Bridges (BO) won by forfeit.

138 - Bo Thomas (BO) WBF in 3:45 against Carson Sanders (C).

145 - Kyler Griep (BO) won by forfeit.

152 - Ben Thomas (BO) won by forfeit.

160 - Sam Dudenhoeffer (BO) won by forfeit.

170 - Jackson Evans (C) WBF in :38 against Zac Armstrong (BO).

182 - Trevor Bodine (C) WBF in 1:58 against Adam Jurgensmeyer (BO).

195 - Quentin Foster (C) WBF in 5:08 against Lucas Holtmeyer (BO).

220 - Sam Hasekamp (C) WBF in :41.

285 - Trey Taft (C) WBF in 3:04 against Scott Farley (BO).