Eagles wrestling to feature younger team in 2024-25

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.
 

Grain Valley junior Hayden Moehle participates in a crawling exercise during wrestling practice Tuesday. Photo credit: Michael Smith

​Grain Valley junior Zac Bleess does a seal crawling exercise during wrestling practice Tuesday at Grain Valley High School. Photo credit: Michael Smith