Cassville sees 6 of 9 state wrestlers bring home medals
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
Shortly into the second period of his 165-pound Class 2 championship match, Cassville junior Colten Roark hooked the leg of Hallsville’s Colt West and scored a reverse, and as his opponent attempted to stand up, Roark launched into a move he knows all too well.
“Watch the spladle,” the Hallsville coach warned as Roark made his move.
“Crank it!” Cassville Coach Nathan Fortner yelled as Roark flipped West over and locked in the pin of his career — designating him Cassville’s second- ever individual state champion in boys wrestling after Zach Coenen, who passed a message through Fortner congratulating Roark, won the 2021 Class 2, 220-pound title.
“[Getting that pin] felt amazing,” Roark said. “It was almost more satisfying than I expected, one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me. I knew all my hard work the past month paid off, and winning the title proved I was meant to be there.”
“It was old-fashioned Colten Roark,” Fortner said. “He’s going to split the kid in half and get the win.”
Roark said the spladle was a premeditated move, an opportunity he saw in West’s semifinal match.
“It was a split-second decision to go for it, but I watched him in the semis and noticed he was tripodding a lot,” Roark said. “I told Coach Fortner if he did that against me I would go for it.”
Roark said the move carried ample risk, as he rolled across his back twice before locking in the hold completely.
Roark’s path to the title bout at the Class 2 MSHSAA Boys Wrestling Championships took him through four matches, none of which on paper were remotely close. He scored major decision wins in his first two bouts, 18-10 over Lafayette-St. Joseph’s Elias Chapin and 15-4 over Kirksville’s Luke Calahan. In the semifinal, Roark pinned Savannah’s Kaiden Phillips in 2:31, and the spladle for the title came at 2:49 into his match against West.
“I think if he wrestled anybody in that bracket, he would destroy them,” Fortner said. “I don’t think there’s anybody even close to his level, and I think he has flipped a switch in the past month where he knows he’s the guy to beat. He’s not looking at other guys, he’s just going to go do what he does and how he wrestles. And, they’ve got to try and stop him.”
As for the pin in his semifinal match, Roark said a chunk of his motivation came from knowing two of his teammates were on nearby mats in semifinals themselves.
“In between periods, I was looking to their mats to see how they were doing,” Roark said, speaking about fellow juniors Tristan Thompson and Riley James. “I was trying to get mine done so I could see how theirs were going.”
Fortner said a harbinger of Roark’s success came in practice the weeks leading up to the postseason.
“He upped the intensity in the practice room,” Fortner said. “His teammates can attest to that — if you’re rolling with Colt, you better be ready to go. He’s just a tough kid, a really tough kid. He’s fun and high energy; I mean, sometimes, he drives me nuts with stuff, but I also love it, so I don’t want to take it away from him.” That elevated effort outside of competition, Fortner said, manifested in the championship match itself.
“Colt was locked in,” he said. “He had a freshman in the finals, and the kid looked glazed over and scared to death, and Colt was just staring him down the whole time. Colt’s confidence is through the roof right now, and it’s filtering to his teammates, too.”
The family aspect of the Cassville wrestling program was apparent in the tunnel, Fortner said, as during Roark’s final, the event area entrance was smattered with state finalists preparing to wrestle their last matches — then there was the entire Cassville team.
“These kids were already done, seasons over, and they were down there to support their teammate,” Fortner said. “I think that says something about our team.”
The championship has been a work in progress for Roark, who finished fifth in 2023 and fourth in 2024. He is also the back-to-back district champion at 165 pounds.
“He’s motivated for next year, and he also showed a lot of leadership qualities,” Fortner said.
“Next year, I want to do my best again and try to get another [championship],” Roark said. “[The only other thing I want to say is], I love my mom.”
Motivation and leadership like Roark’s is what Fortner hopes will continue to sustain the program, which has more and more placers each year.
“Guys like Colt, Tristan, and Riley, I would hear them having conversations with guys saying things like, ‘You’re still in it. You got the next one,’” Fortner said. “It was just really cool to see, and the seniors did the same thing. I would watch Colt and Riley build up the seniors because they had never been [at state].”
One of those seniors managed a medal, 120-pounder Bradley Stumpff. Falling in his opening match, Stumpff pinned his next two opponents and scored a sudden victory win in the medal bubble round. Stumpff was winning the fifth-place match in points but was caught in a vulnerable spot and pinned, finishing in sixth place.
“This was Brad’s best year,” Fortner said. “He started wrestling when he was a freshman, and I told him [Saturday] after he got his medal, there are a lot of kids in the state championships that do not get a state medal. It’s rare to get one if you start as a freshman in high school. How much better he got in four years is very impressive, and it’s because he works really hard.”
Stumpff said the feeling of winning a medal was tough to wrap his head around.
“I wrestled all the time and prepared myself but didn’t get to go, so on Day 1 when I got there and saw all the mats, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m here,’’” he said. “It was surreal to medal and have my coaches and family there was a great feeling. I feel like I overachieved winning a medal.”
Stumpff’s bubble match was one of the tournament’s most exciting, as he earned the takedown points for the win with just 1 second on the clock.
“When I stepped on the line, I said I wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he said. “The only one who could win it was me, and I had to be tougher and want it more. That’s what was going through my head. I just thank God and give him the praise and glory that I was blessed to be able to do it.”
Senior Jaret Hinson, at 138 pounds, was a match away from the medals, going 2-2 alternating wins and losses.
“The 138-pound bracket was really tough; he upset a lot of guys and was one match away from placing, and his main goal was just to qualify,” Fortner said. “He wrestled in the youth program in middle school, but he’s always made it to like the blood round in high school at districts. I am just super proud of him. I’m super proud of my seniors Brad and Jared. They did a great job in the postseason part of our wrestling season.”
Hinson said he started hot, but struggled in the quarterfinal against the eventual third-place finisher.
“I would have liked to place higher, but I gave up too much in the first period of my last match,” he said. “It meant a lot to be there after last year and getting an undesirable call to make it this year and almost place.”
Thompson took third place in the 157-pound bracket, suffering a gutting 7-4 semifinal loss where he gave up a takedown in the final seconds of a match he’d led for over 5 minutes.
“That was one of the hardest losses,” Fortner said. “But, I think Tristan is the best in the state at that weight class. I still do. He dominated his consolation semi and third-place matches. He’s just a really good kid, with character and leadership, and that’s what I told him. I said I’ll take that over state championship any day, and he’s still got another year.”
Thompson said he’s happy with third, but he thought he could have wrestled a little harder to finish even higher.
“I did better than past years, but small mistakes will bite you at state,” he said. “I didn’t reach my end goal, but I’m happy with where I am. I’ll keep working hard ad use this year’s defeat as next year’s victory. I have to work to get bigger and stronger in the weight room.”
Another junior, Riley James, had his sights set on a title at 175 pounds, but he was forced to settle for the same medal as last year, finishing fifth. James won his first two matches on Day 1 to reach the semifinals, but on Day 2, he lost the first two matches on points and earned a pin in his third and final bout.
“It was definitely not how I wanted it to go,” James said. “I have to practice harder, and getting fifth will motivate me next year to win. We mess around quite often, but I need to lock in during practice more and give it my all.”
Fortner said James had been nursing an injury, and after a challenge match within the team against Roark, James was forced to wrestle up a weight class, a rare occurrence at the state championships level.
“He’s a really good wrestler, and I know he’s going to put in the work this summer and next year to get on top of the podium,” Fortner said. “You could definitely tell by the end of the week that he was not where he wanted to be — fifth did not satisfy him.”
Cassville’s final boys medalist brought home fourth place at 190 pounds — freshman Zach Myers. Wrestling in the youth program for at least a decade, Myers won his first match but fell in the quarterfinals, then ripped off two decisions and a pin for a shot at third place, a match in which he was pinned. Myers said through the twists and turns this season, it felt amazing to place in his first-ever state tournament in high school.
“All the hard work and getting pushed by the upperclassmen motivated me to place higher and higher,” he said. “It meant a lot to have the upperclassmen we have. I have had a lot of people talk to me about ‘wrestling with the big dogs,’ and to be able to do that is great. I will keep working and give all praise to God.”
“As a freshman, it’s super impressive to place at 190 pounds,” Fortner said. “Usually you see juniors and seniors, which is what we always joke with Zach, that this is a man’s weight class and he still 15 years old, or 14. He’s just young, but I’m super proud of him. He had a great season, and I think it’s going to motivate him in the next three years.”
Cassville’s sixth medal came on the girls side, with lone qualifier Analeigh Winchell finishing fourth as a sophomore at 170 pounds.
“It felt really good to medal,” she said. “I was worried around Christmas if my grades were good enough to go, and after districts and learning I was going, I was very excited.”
Winchell dropped her opening match to a wrestler that wound up not placing, but rode through four straight wins for the shot at bronze, including one match that meant more than others. In the medal bubble match, Winchell faced Marshfield’s Gracelyn Bull, an opponent she had yet to beat this season.
“It was the most stressful match, but the most rewarding,” she said. “I have to keep my grades up and put in more work, and I hope next year to get in the top three and get a state championship my senior year, if not next year.”
Casey Parsons, Cassville girls wrestling coach, said she was overjoyed for her one qualifier to medal, especially facing adversity early.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Analeigh,” Parsons said. “She lost her first round match to a girl both her and I knew she could have beat, and instead of letting that loss get to her head — she let it fuel her. She came back on the backside and was focused, determined and on fire. It is really tough to go out in the first round of any tournament, but especially the state tournament, and wrestle your way back to the podium.
“That is exactly what she did, and at 25 pounds less than her opponents. I look forward to seeing what Analeigh does the next two years, she will be working hard to top the podium next year at state.”
Falling outside of the medals were the Wildcats’ two bigs, sophomore 190-pounder Jesse James and junior 220-pounder Ethan Sizemore. Fortner said a tough pin call in James’ opener put him in a tough position going forward.
“I would’ve liked to see what would’ve happened, because Jesse is one of those kids that will wrestle clear until the end of the match,” Fortner said. “But, Jesse had a great year. His goal was to make it to state, and he did, and he got to do it with his brother [Riley], which I think is really special. He’ll be back. He’s young, and he’s highly motivated and loves wrestling.”
James said despite both losses, he was proud to have been in contention.
“I’m proud of myself because I had an injury and didn’t get as many matches this year,” he said. “I was hyped just to be there and know how much better I’ll get because of it.
“My goal is to be a state champion, then maybe take it to college and follow in my sister’s [2024 state champion Faith James] footsteps. I definitely wanted to make it last year and go with Riley and Faith, but it didn’t work out. I was happy this year to do it with my brother, someone who always pushes me to be better.”
Sizemore said now that he’s gone to state once, he will have a better feel for the atmosphere in his senior year.
“It was pretty cool, and big, a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and with more people,” he said. “I feel I didn’t do as good as I should have, and I will definitely look to qualify again and be more prepared mentally. I can’t think it will be easy, or be overconfident. I’m really glad I got to experience it with this group of guys.”
Fortner said he was proud of Sizemore for getting to the final 16 in his weight, and he was proud of the team as a whole — which finished in sixth place among the 55 schools in Class 2.
“These guys set their goals at the beginning of the year and worked their butts off all year to try and reach those goals, and the majority of them did,” Fortner said. “Then, they exceeded those expectations. From top to bottom, I’m super proud.
“Sixth is by far the highest we’ve ever finished as a team, and the kids are motivated to bring back a team trophy.”
Fortner said another key to Cassville’s success is community support, which was more apparent this year than any year before.
“It’s cool to look up now and see so many Wildcats up in the state tournament stands cheering these guys on,” he said. “Wrestling is a different animal; I mean, those Saturdays are long. It’s not like a game and then you come home. Those parents are sitting in the stands all day supporting their kids. I want to thank the boosters and my coaching staff, too. They love these kids and want to see them succeed. And, with the boosters, my phone was blowing up all week. We’ve got a ton of support, which is just building the program.”
Publisher’s note: More photos from state may be found online at: https://cassvilledemocrat.zenfoliosite.com/photo-galleries/winter-sports-1/2025-mshsaa-state-wresting-championships?ct=2.
