Joplin hosted the Central Ozark Conference wrestling tournament over the weekend with Neosho coming away as the conference champions.
The Wildcats finished with 280 points as a team to take the top spot by a sizable margin. Ozark came in second at 231.5, while Willard (170.5) took third, Nixa (161) took fourth, Lebanon (146.5) rounded out the top five.
The remaining teams finished in order: Carthage (121), Republic (116.5), Waynesville (107.5), Glendale (89), Joplin (77), Kickapoo (58), Parkview (20), Central (4), Webb City (4)
NEOSHO TAKES TOP SPOT
The Neosho Wildcats were the stars of the tournament, taking home multiple top finishes. Marztian Ioanis led the charge in the 106-pound class, dominating his finals match with a commanding 17-1 technical fall victory over Frankie Pichler of Ozark. Ioanis' performance capped off an undefeated day.
Carter Howard took first at 157, defeating Nixa’s Kaden Yount by major decision, 14-5. Kaymon Rhone (175) took first place after defeating Ozark’s Dayton Moison by a 7-5 decision. Chase Kivett added a first-place finish at 190 pounds with a 9-4 decision over Willard’s Alex Nunez. Lincoln Howard was also atop the podium after defeating Nixa’s Owen Diemoz with a 16-4 major decision.
At 113 pounds, Neosho's Tucker Feagens made it all the way to the finals but was ultimately pinned by Kaleb Branch of Lebanon. Everson Tomlinson (285), Tucker Feagans (113) and Kelton Shaffer (138) all took second place, while Anthony Stotts (126) placed third for the Wildcats.
CARTHAGE HAS STRONG SHOWING
Carthage also brought its best to the mats, securing multiple top finishes. Tanner Putt at 120 pounds showed his dominance by claiming the championship, pinning Joseph Garner of Lebanon in just 1:27 to take the title. Caden Groom was another standout, winning the 126-pound class in a nail-biting 5-4 decision over Keaton Hurst from Ozark. Carthage's strength extended to the 132-pound class, where Jace Nichols took seventh with a tight 5-2 win over Brayden O'Shea of Lebanon.
Randy Teo added a third-place finish for the Tigers at 106 pounds.
COC GIRLS
Carthage highlighted the COC Girls Wrestling Tournament with a sixth-place finish.
The Tigers were highlighted by Kaylee James taking first place at 130 pounds after defeating Waynesville’s Destany Oster by fall 36 seconds into the first round.
Aspen White battled to second place at 115 pounds, losing to Lebanon's Jessa Joiner by fall in the first round.
Hadley White (100), Maylee Brown (105) and Irish Lee (140) all took fourth place.
Final Results for Key Local Wrestlers
Neosho:
106: 1st - Marztian Ioanis
113: 2nd - Tucker Feagens
120: 4th - Sebastian Ioanis
126: 3rd - Anthony Stotts
132: 5th - Brody Mitchell
138: 2nd - Kelton Shaffer
157: 1st - Carter Howard
165: 1st - Lincoln Howard
175: 1st - Kaymon Rhone
190: 1st - Chase Kivett
285: 2nd - Everson Tomlinson
Carthage:
106: 3rd - Randy Teo
120: 1st - Tanner Putt
126: 1st - Caden Groom
132: 7th - Jace Nichols
138: 7th - Wyatt Hole
150: 3rd - Aydan Nye
157: 7th - Kayden Hole
165: 4th - Latrell Abbasi
175: 8th - Maveric Allphin
190: 7th - Phipps Frage
Joplin:
113: 7th - Corey Ivey
126: 7th - Gabriel Kabutha
138: 5th - Andrew Burke
175: 7th - Judah Meredith
190: 6th - James Clemens
Webb City:
138: 6th - Aiden Haines
144: 8th - Landon Kepley
157: 5th - Jaxon Kerans
175: 4th - Tyler Gibson
190: 7th - Cooper White