Journey to the Top
Wrestling Ranked Second In State
Preparing to start the second period of his match against Liberty High School on Feb. 1, freshman Khyler Brewer walks to the middle of the mat. This is Brewer’s first year wrestling for Staley and his seventh year overall. “It feels good being on varsity as a freshman. I can’t wait for the next years to come for me, and I aiming for a state championship this year,” said Brewer.
The varsity wrestling team is ranked second in the state and 17th in the nation.
“It’s a pretty big deal because you have teams like Neosho and other teams that have won six straight titles, and Smithville that has also won a couple straight titles. It is nice that this happened through all classes,” said wrestling coach Gary Mayabb.
The state ranks are not done by class the way other sports are. It is an overall ranking, so all wrestling programs in the state are compared.
The team has been working in the weight room as well as the wrestling room to be in the best shape that they can.
“I am motivated by winning and the success of the team. I want our team to be at the top of the podium making the upset that I know we can do,” said freshman wrestler Kekoa Grace.
The team got where they are by practicing several days a week, including weekends, but they still had to prove themselves. They beat Smithville High School in a dual on Jan. 4 and lost a close dual to the No. 1-ranked Park Hill High School on Jan. 11.
“We got to this place through hard work and dedication to each other and trying to better ourselves as wrestlers and people,” said senior wrestler Charley Genisio.
The program also has depth on the JV team, and that makes the varsity team better as well. The younger classes helped make an impact on the program mixed with the talent of the older, more experienced athletes.
“I feel confident in where we stand as a team and know we have everything we need, we just have to apply it,” said Genisio.
