by Cole Arndorfer
 
The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, January 16 for its monthly meeting.
 
The Board recognized boys swimming and diving state qualifiers and all-state band members. Six swimming and diving state qualifiers were recognized and two all-state band members were recognized.
 
Following recognitions, Valley Kids Program Director Amanda Hegarty, spoke to the board about the program. Hegarty outlined the goals she hopes to achieve as the program director, which include expanding enrollment at all sites, enhancing staff training with broader professional development, increasing awareness of the Valley Kids program by participating in school events, and deepen community engagement through staff and student participation in local community service projects.
 
The board then moved into new business, starting with discussion over the 2025-2026 budget planning process. The board’s attention was brought to important calendar dates regarding budget planning.
 
For the second item under new business, the board approved adding a 0.25 FTE 504 coordinator for the spring of this school year. This is a part-time position from now until the end of the school year with no guarantee that the job will continue past that. This position will help take some of the stress off of the current full-time employees in these roles.
 
The final item the board approved was adding a baseball coach stipend for the spring season. In the past, the high school has had three baseball teams. With one more coach a fourth team can be added, thus minimizing the number of cuts that need to be made while accommodating the growing interest and level of talent.
 
The meeting was then adjourned into executive session. The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, February 20th at 6:00pm in the Leadership Center. 

by Bill Althaus
​
Moments after he was honored for joining the Grain Valley High School 1,000-point club, junior guard Eli Herbert scored 34 points in three quarters of the Eagles 85-52 victory over visiting Platte County.

Herbert scored nine in the first quarter, seven in the second, 16 in the third - including three 3-pointers - and two free throws on the first, and his only offensive series, in the fourth quarter.

"When Eli's shooting like he did tonight," said senior guard Aaron Barr, who finished with 21 points Tuesday night, "he's unstoppable. I'm just happy that we could give him some help offensively. He's been providing most of our offense this season and tonight, he got some help."

It was the first game this season that coach Andy Herbert's Eagles had two players with more than 20 points.

"Aaron is capable of having a big offensive game like he did tonight, and we got a lot of help inside with Kevin (Johnson, 10 points) and Sam (Pendergrass, 7 points) totaling 17 points and grabbing a lot of rebounds.

"And Eli continues to shoot the ball well. When the game got out of hand, we pulled our starters at the beginning of the fourth period."

Eli was a big fan of that move.

"The guys on the bench work as hard as we do, and there are some games they don't get the chance to play," said Herbert, who is averaging 23 points per game, which is second in metro area.

"It was so cool to see Sam score seven points in the first quarter and then Kevin scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter."

The 6-5 Eagles dominated the Panthers from the opening tip, taking a 20-11 lead after one quarter and 42-27 lead into the half.

A 26-point third quarter saw the Eagles soar into the fourth quarter with a 68-43 advantage.

"We have the talent to score like this against anyone we face," Coach Herbert said. "But we need to have everyone contribute, like the guys did tonight."

by Michael Smith
 
Grain Valley junior Zac Bleess has been the heart and soul of the Grain Valley boys wrestling team for the past three years.

Even when he came to the Eagles as a freshman, head coach Donald Horner said he knew he was going to be a major part of the team and was going to be a leader.

He came into the program with a lot of experience as he had been wrestling since he was in kindergarten.

Those traits played a factor in Bleess’ milestone he accomplished in a dual against Platte County Tuesday on the road.  While Grain Valley fell in a close dual with the Pirates, 39-36, the Eagles junior earned his 100th career victory after pinning Platte County freshman Ian Giess in the 132-pound weight class.

“It means a lot to me. It just shows the work I have put in the past couple of years,” Bleess said of the milestone. “It’s just another match. Nothing else matters aside from the district and state tournament. But it’s a reminder of what I have been doing the last couple of years and it motivates me to keep working.”

He credited senior Colston Parks for some of his success.

“Colston has been my lifelong partner,” Bleess said. “His dad was my first coach. Without them, I probably would have quit a long time ago.”

And head coach Donald Horner is glad he didn’t as Bleess has been an integral part of the Eagles.

“He did the right things, had the right attitude and worked his tail off (as a freshman),” Horner said. “He went to Fargo (Nationals) before he ever went to high school. Zac is the type of kid every coach wants on their team. He’s an amazing human being and is super coachable. The other guys want to follow him because he’s a good kid.”

Sophomore Sjoeren Aumua agreed.

“Zac is a leader and a role model for our team,” Aumua said.

Senior Gavin Barker (215 pounder) joined Bleess as one of seven Eagles to win a match. He dominated his match with Peter Tremain and won by fall in 52 seconds.

“I went to the double wrists to turn him over,” Barker said. “I kicked (his legs) over because I couldn’t get over with my arm. His hips went over really hard, so I just jumped over and got him to his back. I thought he was slipping so I hooked his head backward with my arm, posted out and got the pin.”

Aumua (150) chipped in with a win of his own as he controlled his match from start to finish, winning by fall in 3:20 over Isaiah Seymour.

“I thought I could have done better,” Aumua said. “I was not on my game. I couldn’t get to my attacks, but I was able to get wrist control.”

Also picking up wins for Grain Valley were freshman Brady Jones (113), who pinned Lennon Fitzpatrick in 1:11; Junior Justin King (126) defeated Hank Marriott 9-4; Parks (138), who pinned Jackson Woolsey in 2:54; and freshman Kobe Hughes (144) edged Grant Fadler.

Despite Grain Valley winning seven out of 12 contested matches, it was unable to pick up a Suburban White Conference win. The Eagles led the dual 36-33 going into the final bout, but junior Cole Johnson pinned Alec Fenstermaker (285) to give the Pirates the win.

Grain Valley was missing two wrestlers who are normally in the lineup. Junior Tyler Jones (120) didn’t make weight and senior Mason Bertrand (175) was out with a shoulder injury.

We didn’t have (a 190 pounder) but we can’t use that as an excused,” Bleess said. “It was a very winnable dual. I fully feel like we could have won by 10 or 15 points. We have some areas we need to work on, but I think we’ll get there.

Girls
The Grain Valley girls wrestling team had seven opens, which gave Platte County 42 free points. It was too big of a deficit to overcome as the Eagles fell 63-12.

​Junior Jayden Moehle (235) pinned Madeleine Stone in 4:30 and senior Adalia Del Real (155) won by forfeit.

by Michael Smith


For the past half decade, the Grain Valley girls’ basketball team has been one of the best in the Kansas City area.

Because of how good the Eagles have been, they’ve had a handful of blowouts, which has allowed veteran head coach Randy Draper to go deep into his bench and get some of his non-rotational and junior varsity players some time on the floor.

That was the case in Monday’s Suburban White Conference contest against Ruskin. The visiting Eagles lead from start to finish, getting out to a 12-0 lead in the first period and never looking back in a 89-20 rout on the road.

Junior varsity players such as junior Chloe Hernandez, freshman Avery Lunn, sophomore McKenna Heidrich and junior Anniston Reed got to see the floor. Others deep on the bench such as senior forwards Ava Ferguson and Keyonna Bullock and senior guard Cara McHardie also received a good amount of playing time on Monday.

“Cara can really shoot the ball and Ava and (Bullock) are really good on the glass,” Grain Valley head coach Randy Draper said. “They went in and did their job. There wasn’t anyone I was not pleased it.”

Ferguson and McHardie both had five points each, Lunn and Reed had two each and Bullock had one. In total, 12 players scored at least one point.

“I think I played well, but I think I could shoot more,” McHardie said. “I think I handled it well.”

Going against a rebuilding Ruskin team allows for the Eagles (12-1, 6-0) to try new plays and work on improving certain aspects of their game.

“We input new plays every practice,” Ferguson said. “We do workshops and work on other things all around.”
Ball movement was one area Draper had questions about coming into the 2024-25 season. In previous seasons, he said players who were advanced level passers and could facilitate an offense.

This season, Draper had mostly players who were score-first players in the past and against Ruskin, he wanted his team to work on ball movement and crisp passing. The Eagles looked sharp in that area of the game as they got multiple open layups.

“I thought the last multiple games, we haven’t moved the ball the same as we did earlier in the year,” Draper said, “so we tried to really hard to do that tonight and I was really pleased. We talked at halftime about how good it looked. The ball didn’t stick.”

That helped Grain Valley take a 23-5 lead at the end of the first period and a 49-9 advantage at halftime. The Grain Valley offense exploded for 36 points in the third quarter to trigger the turbo clock in the fourth after taking an 85-14 lead.

In the third, sophomore guard Melanie Marcum hit a corner three and got a loud ovation from the Grain Valley bench.
 
“Melanie doesn’t shoot,” McHardie said. “She gets playing time, but never shoots it. That was good to see.”

​Junior Addy Seyfert put in a team-high 18 points and sophomore Madison Rust and junior Aspen Reed chipped in with 16 each for Grain Valley. 

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley boys wrestling team had a solid mix of youth and experience.

The Eagles have six underclassmen and eight under classmen in their lineup, with the former including five freshmen.

Those freshmen had standout performances in Tuesday’s dual against Oak Park as four of the five freshmen picked up wins as Grain Valley cruised to a 54-18 victory at home.

It helps that many of the freshmen on the team have had previous wrestling experience at the youth level. Brody Davis (165 pounds) is one of those freshmen. He has wrestled since he was five years old. In his match against Cameron Broeker, his experience was apparent.

He had a takedown, a four-point near fall, and a reversal to earn a 9-0 major decision.

“Wrestling at the youth level really set me up for high school,” Davis said. “Going from youth to high school is different. You can be a dog at the youth level and be a state champion and still have a difficult time in high school. The opponents aren’t as easy as you think to beat.

“I think we can build a good team with all the incoming freshmen. We might have some ups in downs in between weight classes, but I think we will be successful in the next two to three years.”

Fellow freshman Kaeler Byrd (106) and Brady Jones (113) picked up impressive wins as well. Byrd began the season on the junior varsity squad before working his way to varsity. He showed he belonged as he got a quick takedown and pin of Calvin Watson in 1 minute and 11 seconds.

“I just had to work harder and get my weight up, so I can compete against bigger competition,” Byrd said. “I had a bad tournament recently, so I have to keep working and keep getting stronger.”

Jones, like Davis, is someone who came to the team with experience at the youth level. That’s helped him find success this season and he showed his experience in his match with Michael White. He had two takedowns, two near falls and an escape to earn a 15-0 tech fall in 2:28.

“I tried to pin him in the first period. I didn’t get it,” Jones said. “I think overall, I did well technique wise.”

Freshman Kobe Hughes (144) also had a big day as he earned six points by pinning Logan James in 3:12.

Other Eagles to pick up wins were junior Tyler Jones (120), who won by tech fall 19-4 over Giovanny Neale; Junior Zac Bleess (132), who used an armbar to turn Noah Boswell and get a pin in 1 minute; Senior Colston Parks (138), who pinned David Tolliver in 3:12; Junior Chase Brenner (150), who used a cradle to pin Julian Hergert in 1:29; Sophomore Brody Braa, who earned a 13-3 major decision over Charles Sipp; and Gavin Barker (215), who pinned Vance Salazar in 1:46.

Girls
The Grain Valley girls wrestling team started with five opens and Oak Park had two, so it had to overcome an 18-point deficit.

The Eagles did just that by winning five out of six contested matches to win 40-36.

Junior Jayden Moehle won the match that decided the dual as she pinned Cerina Woods in 1:26 after Grain Valley trailed 36-34.

“I feel like I stepped a little too far out at the beginning and I can always work to improve on my wrestling,” Moehle said. “I have also been working on other moves aside from my outside single (leg takedown). That has been my go-to move. My doubles were there, I just need to hit them.”

Sophomore Lucy Dampf (140) also earned a pivotal win to help her team overcome surrendering 30 points due to forfeits. She had a touch match against Diamond Keytue, but ended up pulling away in the third period as she took a 16-9 decision.

“I thought I did good,” Dampf said. “I just had to make sure I knew what I was doing. I have wrestled that girl before and lost. I knew what I needed to work on after the last match I had against her. It helped me do better in this match.

Others to win contested matches for the Eagles were sophomore Val Bleess (120), who pinned Aliyah Lowe in the third period; Senior Adalia Del Real (155), who pinned Bailee Wardlow in 2:21; and Evie Wyatt (170), who pinned Kaitlyn Willard in 2:37.

​Senior Mackenzie Davis (125) and sophomore Ceci Del Real (145) both won by forfeit for Grain Valley.

by Michael Smith


It had been 12 days since the Grain Valley girls’ basketball team played a game.

Because of the Christmas break, the Eagles had a nine-day break before their game against Lee’s Summit North scheduled for Jan. 6 was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Eagles finally got to play their first game in almost two weeks against Suburban White Conference rival Platte County Thursday at home. Despite the long layoff, Grain Valley didn’t miss a beat as they dominated the offensive glass and got out in transition often in the second half to earn a 60-48 victory at home.

Both teams were tied at 10 following the first period, but a six-point second quarter from junior Addy Seyfert helped her team go up 27-17 at halftime. In the second half, the Eagles’ scoring in transition and offensive rebounding helped them maintain a lead for the rest of the contest.

Senior Camryn Kelly had three steals and three fast-break layups in the third quarter. Midway through, she stole the ball from Platte County, made a layup and then immediately stole the inbound pass from the Pirates and put in a layup to give Grain Valley its biggest lead at 39-22.

“You couldn’t catch your breath,” Grain Valley head coach Randy Draper said of Kelly’s back-to-back steals and baskets. “Camryn was unbelievable. Our press was pretty good. We changed from D to O and O to D quick.”

Added Seyfert: “Our speed is a big strength and we sped them up. That is what won us the game I think. Our press brought up our pace.”

Kelly said she has struggled to score in recent games so she has focused more on the defensive side of her game. It paid dividends for the Eagles Thursday.

“My scoring hasn’t been as dramatic this year, so I have been trying to advance more aspects of my game. I am try to read when and where they are going to pass it and get deflections and tips.”

Sophomore Madison Rust also had two key putback layups and scored eight points in the paint as the Eagles went into the final period up 45-31.

“I notice in the games, especially against Platte, they have some taller girls, and they are down on the other side,” Rust said. “I usually attack the weak side and get the rebound and I go back up with it.”

Platte County made a run to start the fourth. It began the period outscoring the Eagles 13-6 and a 3-pointer from Lauren Stone, who had a game-high 25 points, helped Platte County slice the lead to 51-44 with 2:50 remaining in regulation.

On the ensuing possession Seyfert, who had been a consistent scorer for the Eagles, hit a big 3-pointer to put the Eagles back up by 10. They then dropped the dagger on Platte County’s chances of a comeback when Kelly got her sixth steal of the second half and she passed the ball up ahead to Rust who put in a transition bucket.

The win helped Grain Valley improve to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the Suburban White Conference. Seyfert led the Eagles with 16 points, followed by Rust with 14 and Aspen Reed with 10.

“Addy and I talked about her scoring before the game,” Draper said. “She’s a great scorer and I think she can score more. She can shoot threes, she can shoot free throws, she can post you on the block. She’s just a really good player.”

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley boys wrestling team was battle tested coming into its Suburban White Conference opener against Belton.

Some of their top returning wrestlers like seniors Gavin Barker and Colston Parks, junior Zac Bleess and sophomore Sjoeren Aumua competed in the Kansas City Stampede Tournament in late December, which had some of he best high school wrestlers from around the United States competing in it.

The competition was stiff as returning state qualifiers like Blees, Parks and Aumua did not place at the Stampede event. But matches like those the Eagles who competed valuable experience.

That showed in Wednesday’s dual against the Pirates as Bleess, Parks and Aumua all earned wins to help their team capture a comfortable 54-16 victory at home.

Bleess (132), a returning two-time state medalist, controlled his match from start to finish against Belton’s Kayden Vaught. He built a 6-2 lead before using an arm bundle to get a pin in 1:21.

“I really need to wrestle in a tournament like (the Kansas City Stampede),” Bleess said. “It really exposes my weaknesses. It’s cool winning matches like today where I get a quick pin, but I don’t get better that way. I like to have challenging matches like facing Ryan Shelton of Kearney or Tony Martinez of Fort Osage.

“Having those kids that can push me to be better is exactly what I need.”

Parks (138) had a similar experience at the Stampede as he said he learned from it. On Wednesday, he built a 10-1 lead in his match with Isaac Michalena before he used an armbar for a turn and a pin in 1:23.

“I think the competition is helping because I am getting used to wrestling 138-pounders,” Parks said. “I think my technique will help get me through it.

“I felt like (the match against Michalena) was pretty sloppy wrestling for me. I felt like I was getting to my stuff, but I stuck him and got the pin.”

Aumua (150) got to face one off against one of Belton’s best wrestlers in Diego Suarez. The sophomore got a headlock and throw and a four-point near fall in the first period and kept his opponent at arm’s length from there as he ended up with a 12-4 major decision victory.

“It was there the whole time he was underhooking me,” Aumua said of the throw. “The big throw was there and once I got it, I leaned back and got back points.”

Grain Valley had some first-year varsity wrestlers who made big contributions, as well. Freshman Brody Davis (165) pinned Kavion Thompson in 1:48, freshman Kobe Hughes (144) won 8-0 and junior Justin King (126) earned a 11-3 major decision.

“We have kids who buy into what we’re doing,” Grain Valley head wrestling coach Donald Horner said. “We are lucky to have kids like Kobe Hughes, Brady Jones and Brody Davis who have wrestling experience coming in. Their coaches did a great job getting them ready for high school competition.”

Freshmen Kaeler Byrd (106), Grant Burd (190), Brody Jones (113) and Gavin Brooke (120) all had wins by forfeit.

Girls
The Grain Valley girls wrestling team split six contested matches with Belton but surrendered 30 points due to forfeit, which helped result in a 52-30 loss.

Junior Jayden Moehle (235) pinned Emily Kilpatrick in 34 seconds; senior Mackenzie Davis (125) used a chicken wing to turn and pin Mikaela Stewart in the first period and senior Adalia Del Real (155) was ahead 15-2 before pinning Karsyn Austin from the top position in 2:15.

Senior Evie Wyatt (170) and freshman Ella Hay (190) both had wins by forfeit for the Eagles.

Filing has closed for candidates intending to run for open seats on the Grain Valley Board of Aldermen and Grain Valley School Board. 

Those filing to run for open alderman seats:
Brian Bray; Alderman Ward III
Jim Myers; Alderman Ward I
Lisa Limberg, Alderman Ward II

There is one open seat in each of the city's three wards. 

The following candidates have filed for the April 2025 Grain Valley School Board election:
​Jeffrey Porter
Michael Cassidy
Jason Williams 

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley boys’ basketball team got a big addition to their team this season – literally and figuratively.
The 6-foot-8 center was formerly homeschooled, played for Kansas East Christian Academy last season, and led all Kansas City metro are basketball players with 13 rebounds per game a year ago.

Now, he comes of the bench as a backup center to junior Sam Pendergrass, and he showed his impact in Friday’s Suburban White Conference game against Fort Osage. Johnson was one of four Eagles in double figures with 14 points, he also added six rebounds and three blocks to help Grain Valley earn a 70-55 victory on the Road.

“Kevin played amazing, he was really good,” Grain Valley junior Eli Herbert said. “He was so active.”

He went up against Fort Osage’s 6-foot-6-star center Isaac Woodward and got the better of the matchup. Pendergrass and Johnson held Woodward in check, holding him to just eight points.

Johnson also set good screens throughout, and one even led to him getting an open layup. He set an off-ball screen on a Fort defender in the second quarter just outside the restricted area. That freed up forward Evan Colston to receive a pass near the free throw line.

When an Indian defender rotated to guard Colston, Johnson rolled to the basket and received a pass for a wide-open made layup. He also had three offensive rebounds that led to six points for himself and scored a critical eight points in the fourth to help the Eagles close out the game and maintain a double-digit lead.

“That was a focus for this week,” Grain Valley head coach Andy Herbert said. “We have big bodies; we need to screen people. We did a very good job of that. With his body type, that’s right in Kevin’s wheelhouse.

“Kevin is a big, strong kid He’s competitive. He’s a very sweet kid, but he’s very competitive. Isaac is the best post man he’s played, and he and Sam did a good job.”

Johnson said he was pleased with the way he played Friday.

“I posted up well and did everything the best I could,” Johnson said. “I made all my shots except my free throws. I love plays that involve picks because it gets guys open and can get me open under the basket.”

Johnson wasn’t the only one for the Eagles to have a good game as Eli Herbert led the team with 19 points, senior guard Aaron Barr added 12 and junior Anthony Juarez also had 12.

Juarez is in his in his first year starting as a small forward for Grain Valley (2-3). He did a little bit of everything as he defended well on the perimeter got out in transition and scored on the fast break and hit a corner 3-pointer in the third quarter.

“He’s good. He does it all for us,” Eli Herbert said of Juarez. “When he plays confident, he’s so good. He was hitting open shots today. That’s when he’s at his best when he is playing free.”

The Eagles led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter and were powered by five points from Barr and dominated the paint in the second period with 10 points in that area, with of those coming off assists as Grain Valley went into halftime up 29-22.

The Eagles outscored Fort Osage 21-15 in the third quarter to enter the fourth up 50-36 and were powered by an eight-point quarter from Eli Herbert in which he made five free throws and a three from the left wing.

The Indians didn’t get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way as Johnson helped the Eagles close it out with his rebounding and inside scoring in the final eight minutes.

​“We’ve been telling our guys, we’ve got good players,” Any Herbert said. “Anthony is a really talented kid. Today, he felt it and believed it. Evan is a long, athletic kid. The guys got confidence as the game went on and should help us going forward.”

by Cole Arndorfer
 
The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, December 5 for its December meeting. The meeting included four reports, and discussion on one set of new board policies.
 
After opening the meeting, the board moved into reports starting with a representative from Mercer giving a report over the district’s health coverage. This provided board members time to look over information about the district’s current health insurance carrier and ask questions regarding the processes behind the financial side of its coverage.
 
Next, the board heard from Activities Director Brandon Hart about the current state of middle school sports. The district’s objectives for middle school athletics at this time is to continue adding opportunities for seventh graders to join an athletic team. This year, the district added seventh grade basketball as an option for students, while next year it is looking at adding seventh grade volleyball.
 
Hart then spoke about the addition of high school girls flag football for the spring of 2025. Although the sport is non-MSHSAA sanctioned currently, there are 24 high schools in the metro already offering it and there has been considerable interest in potential team members at the high school.
 
The board then approved the addition of three coaching stipends for the addition of high school girls flag football in the spring.
 
For the final report, Dr. Welle gave an update on the 2023 bond project.
 
The last item of the meeting was the first read of one new set of board policies. The policies will be brought back at length at the next workshop.
 
The board then moved into executive session. The next Board of Education meeting will be Thursday, January 16 at 6 pm in the Leadership Center. 

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head girls basketball coach Randy Draper and his players were excited to begin a new era on Monday.

The Eagles played their first home game in the new gymnasium against William Chrisman, and they put on a show, forcing 33 turnovers and scoring 48 points on the fast break in a 85-18 rout.

The basketball court is longer and wider than the old one and much cleaner according to Draper and his players.

“The best part about this court is the floor isn’t dusty,” Grain Valley senior Camryn Kelly said. “I feel like we will be more of a defensive team this year because we’re not standing in place for 10 seconds trying to catch our balance.”

The extra length of the court has also been another benefit, according to Draper as the players have had to run the extra distance in practice when running fast-break drills in practice.

“I joked we would have to put water stations on the court,” Draper said. “It’s a longer distance to run. It’s really accelerated our conditioning.”

The extra endurance gained by the Eagles was apparent in the contest against the Bears as they beat the opponent up and down the floor and suffocated them on defense.

Chrisman didn’t score its first points until the 7:40 mark in the second quarter. Grain Valley forced 16 turnovers in the first 8 minutes alone and took a 27-0 lead at the end of the period and took a 47-3 lead into halftime.

Even with a big lead, Grain Valley didn’t let up as it extended the lead to 74-11 going into the fourth, which triggered a running clock.

“We are trying to prepare for other teams because our conference isn’t as challenging as we would like it to be,” said Kelly, who had a team-high 13 points. “We use games like this to portray how we would play a tougher team. Before the game, we talked about how we would play like we would against Rock Bridge, which is one of our biggest competitors in our district.”

Added Draper: ““We don’t do a lot of running just to run. If we run, it’s with a ball. We press. We try to melt you. It’s part of who we are. They don’t get tired often. They are used to it.”

Because of the big lead, Draper was able to get 15 different players in the game, including some listed on the junior varsity roster. The Eagles finished with 37 points from their bench players, led by senior Neveah Clausen’s 11.

​Rust added 11 points and junior Addy Seyfert had 10.

by Michael Smith
 

Grain Valley senior Gavin Barker hadn’t won a varsity wrestling tournament in his career leading up to the Grain Valley Invitational.
 
That changed Saturday as he came out on top in a defensive battle against Mexico’s Grant Walker 2-0 in the championship match to finish first in the 215-pound division at Grain Valley High School.
 
His victory helped the Eagles fifth with 112.5 points. Fort Osage took first with 159 points.
 
“I needed a lot of stamina in that match,” Barker said. “I dropped from 245 pounds, so that helped my stamina. I went on a diet; it was really strict. My stamina is a lot better from last year.”
 
Barker was a win away from qualifying for state last season as he was in the bubble match against Lee’s Summit North’s Drew Gray but he was disqualified. This season, he will have one final chance to qualify for the first time.
 
“My goal is to get to state and place,” Barker said. “I want to face harder people like (Walker). He was really good.”
 
In addition to Barker, Grain Valley had five other wrestlers finish in the top three of their divisions. Three of them were wrestlers who were wrestling at the varsity level for the first time. Freshman Brodie Davis (165) had a sparkling debut. He pinned his first two opponents to get up a championship match with Cy Wilmes. In that match, he fell 17-2 to take second place.
 
“I have to work a lot on neutral, I was pretty sloppy there,” Davis said. “Otherwise, I thought I fought hard on top and bottom. I just need to continue to keep improving before districts.”
 
Junior Chase Brenner (144) mirrored Davis’ varsity debut as he took second place, as well. He won his first match by pin and he topped Fort Osage’s Joseph Davis 8-5 in the semifinals to set up a final bout with Lee’s Summit West’s Jaxton Fetters, which he lost 11-3.
 
“I definitely need to work on setting up my offense better,” Brenner said. “I need to work on my shots more and my defense probably.”
 
Grain Valley junior Tyler Jones (120) had varsity experience coming into the season, but it was previously with Lincoln College Prep. He transferred to Grain Valley and had a solid debut. He finished 4-1 in the tournament and took third after he overcame a 6-2 deficit to pin Fort Osage’s Kaiden Johnson in the consolation finals.
 
“I tell myself I am not going to lose after being taken down,” Jones said. “I had been cramping in my arms and calves all day. The whole time, I wasn’t able to grip him like I wanted to. He’s long, so I couldn’t get around to his legs for takedowns. I knew if I could get him to take a bad shot, I could use my weight to my advantage.”
 
Junior Zac Bleess (132) and senior Colston Parkers (138) both finished third in their respective brackets, as well.

by Michael Smith
 
 
The Grain Valley boys wrestling team has been one that has had a good amount of talent year after year.

Last season, the Eagles qualified six wrestlers for the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships and had two finishes in the top six of their respective weight classes to earn all state honors.

The 2024-25 season, however, will feature a younger team with not as much experience as last year’s team had as the Eagles graduated three seniors from last season’s team, all of whom qualified for state.

Currently, the Eagles are bringing back six wrestlers who were a part of the district lineup in 2024 and will welcome some newcomers to join the fold.

“We have a really big junior class, we have about 10 or 11 juniors,” Grain Valley head coach Donald Horner said. “We also have a big class of incoming freshmen. We have 25. It is good to have depth in numbers.”

Added junior Zac Bleess: “We have a pretty young team, but we have a lot of potential.”

Junior Zac Bleess is one polished wrestler coming back for the Eagles as he has two all-state finishes under his belt. During his freshman season, he took sixth in the 113-pound division and placed fifth last season at 120 pounds.

This year, he will jump all the way up to the 138-pound weight class and he admitted he will have to adjust his wrestling style because of it.

“I am going to wrestle at 132 at the (Grain Valley Invitational this weekend, then I will wrestle at 138 at duals and tournaments for the rest of the season,” Bleess said. “It’s better for the team that way and that’s where I am comfortable at for now.

“At 120, I was by far the strongest kid and I could get away with bad wrestling. At 138, I need to focus on my technique. I was able to adjust to it over the summer.”

Senior Colston Parks joins Bleess as one of the returning state qualifiers as he made it to state for the first time in February. He finished in fourth place at 113 pounds at the Class 4 District 4 Tournament. He made it to the bubble match at state before falling to Liberty’s Cade Dunn 12-8.

This season, he will be looking to earn his first all-state honor.

“I think the points changes are huge because we are so good at neutral,” Parks said. “I have been working on having heavier hands and moving my opponent around to get to my attacks.

Sophomore Sjoeren Aumua is another returning state qualifier as he broke out as a freshman, finishing with a 23-13 record. While he had a breakout season in 2023-24, his success was not a surprise to Horner.

“We definitely want to see Sjoeren get to the podium this year,” Horner said.
“Last year did not surprise us. He is a great wrestler and a great kid, and we expected him to go to state. He is a stud. If you followed him in football, you know he is an athlete.”

Other returning to the lineup who competed at the district tournament last season include seniors Mason Bertrand, Trenton Rock, and Gavin Barker and junior Caine Nelson.

Some newcomers that could enter the lineup this year include freshmen Brodie Davis, Kaeler Byrd and Kobe Hughes and junior Alec Fenstermaker.

On the girls side, the Eagles are coming off their most successful season in the history of the program as four qualified for state in 2023-24.

However, Grain Valley will move on without the best wrestler in the history of the program in three-time state champion Sevreign Aumua, who graduated is now wrestling for Missouri Valley College.

Two state qualifiers are returning in senior Adalia Del Real and junior Jayden Moehle. Del Real qualified for state for the first time last season and finished with a solid 37-11 record. She will be one of the leaders on the team along with Moehle for a girls team that has 12 on the active roster.

She will get one last crack at earning all-state honors this season following the best season of her career in 2023-24.

“I feel like I had a good season but I could have done better,” Del Real. “I have been working on my mindset, pushing through and getting up from bottom.”

Moehle returns with a good amount of success as she took fourth place at state as a freshman and she was the runner-up in the 235-pound division last season as she got pins in her first three matches before getting pinned by eventual state champion Abby Chandler of Northwest High School.

This season, she’s gunning for a state title.

“If I just keep working at it, I think I have a good chance,” Moehle said of winning a state title. “I have been working on my outside sweeps and hitting my doubles (leg takedown). Getting better at the basics and the little stuff will push me to success.”

​The Eagles open their season with the Grain Valley Invitational Saturday at Grain Valley High School.