R-T Photo/Shani Kinney
Drew Rorebeck looks to pin Marceline’s Alex Cupp during the finals of the 132-pound division of the Class 1, District 4 Tournament in Maysville Saturday. Rorebeck won the match by fall, giving him the district championship at 132.
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Mason Mounce will get his shot at a gold medal at state after finishing second as a sophomore and third as a junior. Mounce’s first match at districts was a quarterfinal match where he picked up a win by fall. That would be a common theme for Mounce, who pinned his semifinal opponent as well before pinning Carrollton’s Josh Frank in the finals to win the individual district title at 160.
“Mason Mounce was untouched throughout the whole tournament, pinning every one of his opponents,” Bacon said. “It is such a good feeling watching a kid like Mason go out and do what he does best. He knows how to control his opponents in every position, which comes from his tireless work ethic in the off-season and in the practice room. In the finals, Mason had Josh Frank from Carrollton, who was a state finalist last year. After the first period it was obvious that Mason was in control and on his way to winning a district title. In the third period, Mason locked up a cradle and was able to get the pin after controlling the entire match.”
Like Mounce, Rorebeck found his way to an individual district championship, also going 3-0 and pinning all of his opponents on the day. After back-to-back wins by fall in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Rorebeck pinned Marceline’s Alex Cupp to take the gold.
“Drew looked great throughout the whole tournament, pinning every one of his opponents as well,” Bacon said. “That’s as good as it gets four anyone at the district tournament. It was obvious that Drew wasn’t going to take home anything but gold once he stepped on the mat. He looked impressive in every position. He wrestled Alex Cupp from Marceline in the finals, who he had a very close match with earlier in the season. Drew caught him early in the first period and put him to his back to secure a very convincing pin.”
Mack nearly missed a third title for Trenton, finishing second at 170. Mack earned wins by fall in the first round and the quarterfinals and then advance to the championship match with a 3-0 decision win in the semifinals. Mack ran into South Harrison’s Austin Ward in the finals, however, and was defeated by a 9-0 major decision.
“Thomas Mack wrestled very tough this weekend and battled his way through a close semifinals match, winning 3-0,” Bacon said. “He then faced South Harrison’s Austin Ward in the finals. Thomas gave up a few points to Austin’s notorious cradle, but looked very tough on his feet throughout the match. He lost by a 9-0 major decision, but Thomas and I were both happy with the way he wrestled.”
Shields had to work the hardest to advance to state. After wins by fall in round one and the quarterfinals, Shields was pinned in the semifinals, sending him to the consolation bracket. A win by fall in the consolation semifinals, however, put Shields into the third-place match and clinched a trip to state for the junior grappler. Shields dropped the third-place match by a 6-3 decision to Albany’s Duncan Payne, but advanced with his fourth-place medal.
“Trey Shields had a big weekend and reached a goal that he has had for a long time, qualifying for the state tournament,” Bacon said. “I can’t explain the feeling of watching a kid that works as hard as Trey qualify for state. After barely coming up short last year in the bubble match, Trey went out and did what he needed to do, picking up three pins along the way. Words can’t describe how proud I am of this young man.”
The four medalists helped Trenton place fourth overall in the 15-team field with 104 team points. Maysville won the district title with 151 points and Marceline was runner-up with 136. Gallatin rounded out the top three, just ahead of Trenton with 129 points and Maryville was fifth with 102.
Brendon Johnson (113), Jeramiah Chipps (220) and Terrin Ellis (285) all came up one win short of advancing to state, falling in the consolation semifinals. Johnson was pinned in the first round, but battled all the way back to the brink of a state bid with two wins by fall in the consolation bracket. His day ended in the consolation semifinals, however, as he was pinned by Jacob Partridge of Maysville.
Chipps was pinned in his first match of the day, in the quarterfinals, but a 7-1 decision win advanced him into the consolation semifinals. He was pinned there by Reed McBroom of Brookfield.
Ellis came the closest to making state. He was pinned in the quarterfinals but moved into the consolation semifinals with a 6-5 decision win. Elroy Anderson ended Ellis’ run there barely, defeating the Trenton heavyweight by just a 3-0 decision.
Nick Gass (195) and Lucas Clark (145) both picked up one win on the day for Trenton, going 1-2 each, and Daniel Rodriguez (120) and Tyler Warner (138) were both 0-2 on the day to round out Trenton’s wrestlers.
“As a team, we were able to place fourth, thanks to the help from some of our kids who came up short in the end for a medal,” Bacon said. “Brendon Johnson, Jeramiah Chipps and Terrin Ellis all made it to the bubble match, which determines who will go to state. Along the way, they picked up some valuable team points. Nick Gass and Lucas Clark were also two kids that got a big win for us at the district tournament. Probably the toughest thing about the district tournament is that not everyone makes it to Columbia, but I still wouldn’t trade any of my non-qualifiers for any other kids. All of these young men represented Trenton wrestling in a very positive way. This community should be proud of each and every one of these young men.”
For Mounce, Rorebeck, Mack and Shields the season lives on for one more tournament. State wrestling action begins at Mizzou Arena in Columbia on Thursday. Weigh-in is scheduled for 8 a.m. and first-round matches follow at 10 o’clock. Tournament action continues through Saturday night.