Aumua punches ticket to State championship match

by Michael Smith

     One year removed from a third-place finish at the Missouri State High School Girls State Wrestling Championships, Grain Valley sophomore Sevreign Aumua has taken a big leap.
     For the 2021-2022 season, the sophomore has just one loss all season.
     It remained that way on Day 2 of the state tournament. Aumua defeated DeSoto’s Hannah Eberhardt 11-6 in the quarterfinals before pinning Mehlville senior Nadia Abdijanovic in 1:18 during the semifinals to advance to the championship round of the 149-pound weight division.
     She will face Cameron’s Justice Brewer in the title bout, whom she pinned in the district championship two weeks ago.
     “My goal was to get better and place higher than I did last year,” Aumua said. “I am in the finals this year and I have definitely improved. I put a lot of extra work in and got where I am today.”
     “After my match, I got goosebumps. I am just happy I got here.”
     For Aumua to win in the finals, she has to have the right mindset, she said.
     “My biggest opponent is myself and anybody that knows me can say that, too,” Aumua said. “I think I will be pretty OK as long as I wrestle my match.”
     Aumua said she had to fight hard for her pin against Abdijanovic.
     “She had a really strong base, and I knew she had her legs close to her head, so I got her in a cradle,” Aumua said.
     On the boys side, Grain Valley will have two wrestlers competing for state medals. Junior Dru Azcona (126) defeated Francis Howell Central’s Peyton Shepard 7-2 in the quarterfinals but fell to Christian Brothers College’s Kolby Warren 7-3.
     Azcona is still guaranteed a state medal, which goes to the top six placers in each weight division. He will compete in the consolation bracket today and will finish as high as third or as low as sixth.
     That will be the same scenario for junior Tanner Barker (152). He fell to Ozark’s Braxton Strick 3-2 in the quarterfinals but defeated Columbia Rock Bridge’s Owen Twaddle 8-3 and Marquette’s Tommy McBride 11-5 in the consolation bracket to guarantee himself a place on the podium.
     Brock Smith (120) and Justin Deweese (160) were eliminated from the tournament.

Aumua defeated DeSoto’s Hannah Eberhardt 11-6 in the quarterfinals before pinning Mehlville senior Nadia Abdijanovic in 1:18 during the semifinals to advance to the championship round of the 149-pound weight division. She will face Cameron’s Justice Brewer in the title bout, whom she pinned in the district championship two weeks ago. Photo credit: Clara Jaques

Junior Tanner Barker (152) fell to Ozark’s Braxton Strick 3-2 in the quarterfinals but defeated Columbia Rock Bridge’s Owen Twaddle 8-3 and Marquette’s Tommy McBride 11-5 in the consolation bracket to guarantee himself a place on the podium. Photo credit: Clara Jaques

Junior Dru Azcona (126) defeated Francis Howell Central’s Peyton Shepard 7-2 in the quarterfinals but fell to Christian Brothers College’s Kolby Warren 7-3. Azcona is still guaranteed a state medal, which goes to the top six placers in each weight division. He will compete in the consolation bracket today and will finish as high as third or as low as sixth.
Photo credit: Clara Jaques