12:05am — Sparta wrapped up action on the first day at the Harrisonville Christmas Invitational with nine wrestlers without a loss. Those wrestlers included Tristan Zurfluh (2-0), Derek VonRuden (3-0), Nick Winchel (2-0), Paul VanTassel (2-0), Michael Murnane (3-0), Toby Mosley (2-0), Morgan Leis (3-0), Xavier Lopez (2-0) and Tom Tourdot (2-0). Many of these guys had numerous byes, but they have not been included in their records.
Records for other Spartans include Dylan Winchel (1-1), Bryce Nowaczyk (1-2), Alex Hemmersbach (1-2), Clinton LaBeause (0-2) and Chris Beeler (2-1).
Some of the more impressive victories from day one include Derek VonRuden’s 3-2 victory over a 17-5 wrestler and Nick Winchel’s pins over wrestlers that were 18-2 and 17-0. While only wrestling twice on the first day, Winchel has really made his matches count against some of the top competition in his bracket.
Sparta remains near the top of the team standings in third place with 127 points. Just ahead of the Spartans with 129.5 points is St. Charles West followed by Deer Creek with 130 points in first place. Those margins mean nothing in a tournament where most of the matches have yet to be wrestled and one where Sparta scored over 700 team points last year to take third place. In other words, there is a lot yet to come.
8:48pm — Not a ton has happened in the last hour, but a few matches have taken place. Dylan Winchel lost his second match of the night to fall to 1-1 on the day while Michael Murnane (2-0), Toby Mosley (2-0) and Morgan Leis (3-0) continued their winning ways. Murnane won 10-6, Mosley won by pin in 55 seconds and Leis won by pin in 1:11.
On the team side, Sparta has fallen behind St. Charles West by seven points. Sparta has 107 points while St. Charles West now has 114 points. I think this might be partly because many Spartan wrestlers have yet to wrestle in this round.
I think this will be the final update tonight as I’m heading out, but when I get back I’ll do a final update on how the Spartans fared during the first day in Harrisonville.
7:48pm — All of Sparta’s wrestlers have seen action on the mat this evening and most continue to do very well. Dylan Winchel (1-0), Tristan Zurfluh (1-0), Derek VonRuden (2-0), Nick Winchel (1-0), Paul Vantassel (1-0), Michael Murnane (1-0), Toby Mosley (1-0), Morgan Leis (2-0), Xavier Lopez (2-0), Tom Tourdot (2-0) and Chris Beeler (1-0) are all undefeated so far tonight. Some of these guys received numerous byes, but those have not been included in the records.
Derek VonRuden picked up a 3-2 win over Nick Koon of Carl Junction who fell to 17-5 after the loss. Nowaczyk lost his second round match by tech fall while Alex Hemmersbach rebounded from a first round loss to win his second match by decision. At 189, Clinton LaBeause has lost his first two matches of the night.
On the team side, Sparta holds a 8.5 point lead over St. Charles West for first place overall. It’s still very early in the tournament, but the early team results have to be pleasing for Spartan fans and the coaches. A number of ranked teams trail the Spartans in this tournament. Of the Missouri ranked teams trailing are Richmond (ranked 4th in Class 1, 31 points back), Kirksville (ranked 4th in Class 2, 26 points back), Mexico (ranked 10th in Class 2, 31 points back) and St. Charles West (ranked 9th in Class 3, 8.5 points back) Those are the Missouri teams that are ranked. It’s a good beginning for the Spartans.
5:30pm — Some actual wrestling has taken place in Missouri. Tristan Zurfluh, Bryce Nowaczyk and Morgan Leis all won their initial matches. Tristan and Morgan won by pin while Bryce won his match by decision. More updates to come…
4:55pm — It’s been all byes so far for the Spartans through an hour of wrestling at the Harrisonville Christmas Invitational down in Missouri. Expect some actual wrestling to start here soon for the Spartans.
