Pirates’ Brown to chase second consecutive state wrestling title after winning district crown

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Austin Brown’s road to winning another state wrestling championship has him heading back to Mizzou Arena.

The Hannibal junior won the 120-pound championship at the Class 3 District 2 meet last Saturday at St. Charles High School, earning a 21-5 technical fall over St. Charles junior Derek Plaza-Smither in the title match.

Brown, who won the state title at 113 pounds as a sophomore, will take a 32-3 record to Columbia for the Class 3 state championships, which begin Friday.

As the top seed, Brown received a bye into the semifinals, where he scored a 19-4 technical fall over Warrenton’s Coltan Tinker. In his two matches combined, Brown recorded 13 takedowns. The only points he allowed were escapes.

Brown will be joined at the state tournament by seven Hannibal teammates.

Pirates junior Drake Brinkley reached the title match at 138 pounds, pinning Fort Zumwalt South’s graham Hasheider in 4:55 in the quarterfinals and earning a 4-3 decision over Wentzville Holt’s Chad Benwell in the semifinals. In the title match, Whitfield’s Caleb Carter scored a 13-3 major decision over Brinkley, who is 14-4 overall.

Hannibal freshman Carter King finished third at 106 pounds, pinning Ladue Horton Watkins’ Luther Ciorba in 1:50 in the third-place match. King holds a 10-10 record.

Pirates junior Chase Youngwirth took third at 126 pounds. He scored a 19-3 technical fall over Parkway North’s Markell Kimmins in the third-place match to improve to 20-16 overall.

Hannibal’s Hayden Paxton took third at 165, scoring a 12-3 major decision over Parkway Central’s Brady Becker in the third-place match. The freshman won four matches — two by pin, one by technical fall and one by major decision — to improve to 23-16.

Pirates freshman Kael Viehmann finished fourth at 113, getting pinned in 33 seconds by Whitfield’s Nolan Londe in the third-place match. Viehmann is 15-16.

Hannibal junior Peyton Pritchett took fourth at 150 pounds. After winning a 10-1 major decision in the wrestleback semifinals, Pritchett was pinned in 1:51 in the third-place match by Warrenton’s Max Tesson. Pritchett takes a 25-17 record to state.

The Pirates’ Tanner Allen suffered a first-round loss but fought through wrestlebacks to finish fourth, winning three consecutive matches before getting pinned by Whitfield’s Mason Marks in the third-place match. The junior has a 15-22 record.