Grapplers
lay the wood at Park Hill
Pirate
wrestling team posts victories over high quality opponents
by Tad
Brewer
Landmark reporter
Platte County's wrestling team looked to continue in
its winning ways for yet another season as it opened up
their 2000-2001 season at the Park Hill Duals.
The Pirates worked to obtain a win at the event as the
team begins shooting for its third straight Missouri Class
1A-2A state championship.
The teams at the duals included Park Hill, Liberty, Kearney,
Blue Springs South, and Lewis Central Council Bluffs,
IA, who was ranked fourth in the nation in some of the
high school wrestling polls.
Senior Brett Rolofson, a returning individual state champion,
scored a quick pin fall in just 21 seconds into his match
against an opponent from Blue Springs South, in the 103
pound weight class.
In the 112 pound match, junior Jason Callaway lost by
a narrow 2-1 decision to Blue Springs South.
Sophomore Caleb Dixon, seeing his first varsity action,
posted another win for Platte County by outdoing his opponent
and scoring a technical fall, 19-2, in the 119 pound weight
class.
Blue Springs South answered back with another win of
their own in the 125 pound class, when they defeated sophomore
Steve Fisher by a 19-10 major decision.
In the 130 pound class, Blue Springs South pulled out
another victory as they scored a pin fall on sophomore
James Bascue at 2:50 into the match.
Sophomore Joe Hobbs of Platte County fell victim to Blue
Springs South, in the 135 pound class, after South gained
a pin fall at 1:46 into the match.
Junior Brock Wittmeyer posted a win for the Pirates in
the 140 pound match as he won with a 5-4 decision.
Platte County gained another win when senior Jake Fisher,
a returning individual state champion, gained a pin fall
in 52 seconds in the 152 pound class.
In the 160 pound match, senior Robbie Campbell suffered
a pin fall in 1:25.
Junior Nick Jaros contributed another Pirate victory
as he posted a pin fall in 41 seconds on his 171 pound
opponent.
In a match that came as a shocker to most Pirate fans,
senior Zach Sherman suffered a loss, in the 189 pound
class, by a 3-2 decision, coming after he had gone undefeated
all of last season and won an individual state championship.
Junior Nick Butrous won the 215 pound match after his
opponent forfeited.
Senior Chase Verdoorn, another returning individual state
champion, wrestled the 275 pound or heavyweight class,
and scored a quick pin fall 33 seconds into the match.
Earlier in the year, Verdoorn signed a letter of intent
to wrestle for the University of Michigan.
After the results were tallied, Platte County had defeated
Blue Springs South by a score of 38-34.
Rolofson opened up the action against Kearney by gaining
a pin fall at 3:20 into the 103 pound match.
Callaway was awarded a victory in the 112 pound match
when his would be opponent forfeited.
In the 112 pound match, Dixon scored a 19-2 technical
fall for Platte County.
Steve Fisher gained a victory via forfeit in his 125
pound match.
Bascue kept the winning going for Platte County as he
pinned his opponent at 1:58 into the 130 pound match.
Kearney received their first victory when Hobbs was pinned
in 1:46 into the 135 pound match.
Wittmeyer gained another victory when he pinned his opponent
in 1:07 in the 140 pound division.
Riner suffered a loss to Kearney when he was pinned in
58 seconds in the 145 pound class.
Jake Fisher scored yet another pin fall for Platte County
coming at 2:45 into his match up in the 152 pound match.
In the 160 pound class, Campbell gained a victory after
a forfeit by the opponent.
Jaros received another victory after a pin fall to his
171 pound opponent in 1:05 into the match.
Sherman won his 189 pound match by a 10-4 decision.
Verdoorn wrestled his opponent into a pin fall in 1:34
in the 215 pound weight class.
Senior Charles Grutzmacher won his 275 pound match up
by a 10-5 decision, in Platte County’s favor.
Platte County gained another team win as they defeated
Kearney by a score of 66-12.
The Pirates faced tough competition when they wrestled
Lewis Central Council Bluffs, IA.
Rolofson started off the contest by defeating his opponent
by a 6-2 decision.
Callaway fell to his opponent after 5:37 in the 112 pound
division.
Central defeated Dixon in the 119 pound class after a
pin fall 1:56 into the match.
Central continued in its winning ways as they then gained
a 22-7 technical fall over Steve Fisher in the 125 pound
match.
Bascue could not halt the attack by Central as he fell
victim of a pin fall in 1:59 in the 130 pound division.
Hobbs halted the streak of wins as he pinned his opponent
just 33 seconds into the 135 pound match up.
Wittmeyer added another consecutive win for the Pirates
when he won the 140 pound match by a 15-8 decision.
Riner was forced to take on the number one ranked 145
pound wrestler in the nation, and fell to him 37 seconds
into the match.
Jake Fisher was awarded a win via forfeit in the 152
pound match.
Central defeated Campbell with a 22-7 technical fall over
Campbell in the 160 pound division.
Jaros was able to gain a win by holding his opponent
off, in the 171 pound class, by winning after a 7-5 decision.
Sherman was victorious in the 189 pound match when he
scored a 17-2 technical fall.
Verdoorn pinned his opponent in 56 seconds in the 215
pound weight class.
Grutzmacher fell to Central after 1:24 in the 275 pound
match.
Platte County was victorious as a team, again, by defeating
the nationally ranked Lewis Central 38-34.
Rolofson opened up the Pirates action against Liberty
as he won the 103 pound match with an 18-1 technical fall.
Callaway won the 112 pound match by a 10-3 decision.
Liberty was victorious in the 119 pound match, as they
defeated Dixon by a 9-5 decision.
Steve Fisher defeated his opponent by a 17-12 decision
in the 125 pound division.
The 130 pound grappler from Liberty was able to defeat
Bascue by a 12-6 decision.
Liberty then went on to gain a pin fall, in the 135 pound
match, in 3:54 against Hobbs.
Wittmeyer won again in the 140 pound match when he posted
a 16-4 major decision.
Riner fell to Liberty in the 145 pound match, after he
suffered a 16-1 technical fall.
Jake Fisher halted Liberty’s momentum by scoring
a pin fall in 3:42 in his 152 pound match.
Campbell pulled off a win via a 4-2 decision in the 160
pound match.
Jaros was awarded a victory in the 171 pound match after
a forfeit by his opponent.
Sherman gained a 19-3 technical fall over his competition
in the 189 pound match.
Butrous suffered a pin fall to Liberty in 3:11 in the
215 pound match.
Grutzmacher capped off the set against Liberty when he
won his 275 pound match with a 7-4 decision.
Platte County pulled off another victory, this time by
a score of 38-23.
Rolofson opened up the action against Park Hill by winning
the 103 pound match by a 16-1 technical fall.
Callaway won his match via pin fall, at 2:59 into the
112 pound match.
Dixon scored a 17-9 major decision over his competition
in the 119 pound match.
Steve Fisher kept the Pirate win streak going when he
won his 125 pound match at 3:35 into the match with a
pin fall.
Bascue was victorious in the 130 pound match when he
scored a pin fall at 4:33 into his match.
Park Hill was able to pull off a 6-0 decision over Hobbs
in the 135 pound match.
Wittmeyer got the Pirates back onto the winning track
as he won the 140 pound match with a pin fall at 1:12
into the match.
Park Hill was able to successfully overcome Riner by
scoring a pin fall at 1:29 into the 145 pound match.
Park Hill won again in the next match as they were able
to hold up a 16-9 decision over Campbell in the 160 pound
match.
Jaros scored a pin fall at 1:15 into the 171 pound match.
Sherman successfully defeated his opponent with a 17-2
technical fall in the 189 pound match.
Butrous was victorious in the 215 pound match when he
won by a 12-7 decision.
Grutzmacher concluded the duels against Park Hill by
winning the 275 pound match in a thriller that went into
two overtimes before Grutzmacher was able to win by a
2-1 decision.
“I was a little rusty, but I won some matches and
I wrestled pretty good for my first match of the season
after having less than a week of practice,” said
Grutzmacher. “I feel if we just keep making strides
throughout the year, we could win our third straight state
championship.”
The Pirates successfully defeated Park Hill 56-12, winning
the Park Hill Duals.
“Considering six of the guys had less than a week
of practice, we did good,” said head Coach Phil Dorman.
“It’s pretty good to wrestle a premier wrestling
school in the nation to see where we stand. The reason
why we wrestle this strong competition is to help us prepare
for doing well at the end of the year.”
The Pirates next action includes wrestling at Lawson,
on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 6:30 p.m., and wrestling at the
Melvin Douglas Invitational in Topeka on Dec. 8.
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