The numbers just didn’t add up for the Helias Crusaders.
“We just gave up too many bonus points, that was a big factor,” Helias coach Weston Keleher said after the Crusaders dropped a 51-19 decision to the Neosho Tigers in the final match Saturday afternoon in the Missouri Duals at Rackers Fieldhouse. “When you give up six falls, that’s an extra 18 points there.
“We gave up too many bonus points, we didn’t get enough bonus points and we didn’t win the tossups, that’s a recipe for not winning a dual.”
The dual started at 120 pounds and Neosho won the first three matches to take a 15-0 lead. Helias got on the board at 138 when Jordan Fincher won by a fall just :15 into the second period.
Jace Duemmel then posted a 16-2 major decision at 144 to pull the Crusaders to within 16-10.
“Jace had a tough weight class this weekend, but he battled in all of his matches,” Keleher said. “Everybody knew he was a guy, but they didn’t know if he was that guy. He’s that guy now.”
Duemmel finished 4-0 at the Duals, with two wins by fall.
After a 3-2 loss at 150, Eli Homan got the Crusaders back on the board with a win by fall in 3:14 at 157 to cut Neosho’s lead to 18-16.
Fincher and Homan, both freshmen, combined to go 8-0 in the two-day tournament. Fincher won three times by fall and once by technical fall, while Homan had three wins by fall and one by forfeit.
“They wrestled well all weekend,” Keleher said. “They are tough, they’re here to wrestle.”
After Homan’s win, Neosho won the next five matches to take a 45-16 advantage.
“They were pretty solid in the upper weights,” Keleher said.
Helias picked up its final win at 106 when Parker Lock rallied from a 5-0 deficit after two periods to take a 12-7 victory. The dual closed with a a loss by fall at 113 to make the final 51-19.
“It’s always a good dual, it’s good to see them because they’re a tough team that’s perennially a powerhouse on the state level,” Keleher said. “We just haven’t made it over the hump against them since I’ve been here. I take it home with me after this tournament.
“We just have to figure it out and I haven’t been able to do it yet.”
Helias finished 3-1 in duals during the weekend, defeating the Lebanon JV (79-0), the Lebanon varsity (50-25) and Lee’s Summit (43-23).
Helias is back in action Tuesday at home in a Central Missouri Activities Conference dual against Hickman.
Capital City goes 2-1 on Saturday
The Capital City Cavaliers closed the Duals by going 2-1 on Saturday.
“The kids wrestled tough and with grit, that’s something we’ve been preaching and it finally showed up this weekend,” Capital City coach Mitch Werdehausen said.
Capital City posted wins against the Lebanon JV (66-12) and Grain Valley (39-38) and fell to St. Michael the Archangel (42-34).
The Cavaliers were 3-2 in duals in the tournament. On Friday, Capital City fell to Neosho (70-3) and defeated North Point (48-24).
“We did a good job fighting all weekend, we fought in all of our matches,” Werdehausen said.
A.J. Kempker at 132 pounds and Nathan Yoder at 175 led the Cavaliers with a 4-1 records during the two days. Kempker won twice by fall and twice by decision. Yoder won twice by fall, once by a major decision and once by a regular decision.
Finishing 3-2 for Capital City were DeMarkus Lyddon-Allen at 126, Bishop Boyd at 138, Eli Jenkins at 150, Jacob Weaver at 157 and Reyce Turner at 285.
“We’re building every time we’re on the mat, we have a lot of young kids on the team and we’re trying to not let them get discouraged,” Werdehausen said. “Just keep going after it.”
Capital City will be back in action Tuesday night in a quadrangular at Eldon.
Jays sweep Saturday
The Jefferson City Jays rebounded from a tough first day to go 2-0 in its duals Saturday.
“It was a better day,” Jefferson City assistant coach Candace Cameron said. “The boys performed, they kept their heads up and wrestled the way we knew they could.”
Jefferson City defeated North Point (48-17) and Blair Oaks (39-34) on Saturday after falling by a combined three points in losses Friday to Lee’s Summit (41-39) and St. Michael the Archangel (37-36).
Braden Werdehausen at 138 pounds and Joe Kuster at 150 pounds both went 4-0 on the weekend. Werdehausen won three times by first-period falls, while Kuster won twice by fall.
Cameron McKee at 144 was one of three Jays to finish with a record of 3-1. All of McKee’s wins were by fall.
“He was upset with himself yesterday and came back today and did a great job,” Cameron said.
Also finishing 3-1 for Jefferson City were Rodney Wilson at 175 and Cohen Davis at 190. Two of Davis’ wins were by fall.
Cameron was pleased with what she saw from the younger wrestlers in the lineup.
“They come off the mat and they recognize what they have to work on,” she said. “That’s great with a young team.”
Jefferson City is back in action Friday and Saturday at the Cape Girardeau Central Tournament.
Blair Oaks gains valuable experience
The Blair Oaks Falcons knew they would be shorthanded for the Duals.
But it wasn’t a lost weekend.
“We did alright,” Blair Oaks coach Mike DeMilia said. “We still have some JV kids who have stepped into the varsity lineup, we have kids wrestling up in weight.
“We definitely had some challenges.”
Blair Oaks finished 0-4 in duals. After falling to Grain Valley (38-24) and Lebanon (39-39 in a tiebreaker) on Friday, Blair Oaks lost 41-24 to North Point and 39-34 to Jefferson City on Saturday.
“We competed hard in the dual against the Jays, we did just about all we could with the guys we had,” DeMilia said.
Blair Oaks had three wrestlers finish 4-0 -- Zach Rackers at 175 pounds, Carson Rustemeyer at 215 and Hayden Steadman at 285. Rackers won all four of his matches by fall, while Rustemeyer and Steadman both had two wins by fall.
Rustemeyer’s performance caught DeMilia’s attention.
“He’s been a JV kid who stepped into a varsity tournament that stepped in and did well,” DeMilia said.
For many of the other Falcons, it was their first taste of varsity competition.
“We had some guys get on the mat for the first time this year or for the first time in high school, it was good for them to get that experience,” DeMilia said. “You can practice all you want, but you really don’t know what you’re weaknesses are until you wrestle somebody else.”
Blair Oaks is back in action at home Tuesday in a quadrangular against Fatima, Knob Noster and Palmyra.