Pritchett shows he’s ready to take center stage for Hannibal wrestling program

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Peyton Pritchett waited in the shadows.

He got his chance to step into the spotlight on Tuesday, and he delivered a riveting performance.

Pritchett, a Hannibal junior wrestler in his first season on the varsity squad, won both of his matches at 150 pounds — one by pin and another highlighted by a suplex takedown in the final minute — as part of the Pirates’ victories over Warrenton and Jefferson City Helias in Tuesday’s triangular at Korf Gymnasium.

In his second match of the night, Pritchett trailed Helias’ Blaine Curtis 7-6 with 30 seconds left in the third period before he saw a window of opportunity.

“I felt him get a little bit light, then I got him in the air, and I was like, ‘Here we go,’” Pritchett said.

Pritchett slammed Curtis to the mat and maintained control to earn three points, which helped him seal a 9-7 victory, put an exclamation point on his first meet as a full-time varsity wrestler, and contribute to a 47-30 Pirates triumph over the Crusaders.

“I ended my night with a big smile, and also a big cramp,” Pritchett said.

Pritchett wrestled on junior varsity as a freshman and sophomore behind Tristen Essig, who won a Class 3 state championship at 132 pounds in 2024 and is in his freshman season wrestling at the University of Central Missouri, and Koen Ramage, who finished second in Class 3 at 157 pounds in 2024.

Pritchett paid close attention and put into practice what Essig and Ramage taught him.

“Tristen really helped me with my leg riding,” Pritchett said. “In my second round, when I got to the very end, I was just keeping the guy down. Koen definitely helped me improve on my lifts. He’s a tall guy, so when he sprawls on you, you just can’t get back up.”

Pritchett pinned Warrenton’s Austin Schelhase with 1:16 left in the second period of his first match. The Pirates only won four of their 10 matches against the Warriors, but three forfeit victories helped Hannibal squeak past Warrenton 35-32.

Hannibal’s Austin Brown, the reigning state champion at 113 pounds, moved up to 126 pounds to face Warrenton’s Manny McCauley, a state qualifier himself in 2024.

“I’m going down to 120 after this,” Brown said. “I just wanted to start out at 126 to get him. He’s a good opponent. I just want to wrestle him. I could have gone 120, but I really wanted to have that opponent.”

Brown wrestled intelligently and tactically to earn a 4-0 win over McCauley and got a forfeit victory against Helias.

“I know (McCauley) attacks well, so I was a little cautious, didn’t want to get caught in something stupid,” Brown said. “I was just being smart about it. I’m usually more aggressive, attacking more, but this one, I just didn’t want to get caught in anything stupid.”

At 132 pounds, Hannibal junior Chase Youngwirth got four points for the Pirates with a 13-3 victory over Warrenton’s Jude Lohrmann. Youngwirth held on to win 7-6 over Helias’ Alex Wieberg. Youngwirth led 12-0 entering the third period against Lohmann and likewise 5-2 against Wieberg.

“I have to get better in my endurance, but I was just thinking, ‘Don’t give this up. I can’t give this up,’” Youngwirth said of his match against Wieberg. “I can’t give up on my team. I can’t go to my back. I’ve got to stay strong.”

At 157 pounds, Jaxson Essig was the only other Pirate to win both of his matches. The first came via forfeit, and he scored five points by defeating Helias’ Chace Phillips 19-4.

At 106 pounds, freshman Carter King won his first high school match by besting Warrenton’s Logan Johnson 14-5. King led 11-0 after two periods.

“(King) didn’t finish how we thought he should have, but to get that win in his first match as a freshman is huge for him,” Hannibal coach Jake Borgmeyer said.

At 138 pounds, Hannibal junior Korbin Howe rebounded from losing to Warrenton’s Noah Lohrmann 11-10 on a takedown just before the final buzzer by pinning Helias’ Klein Bonnot 1 minute, 27 seconds into the match.

“(Howe) wrestled a state placer and fell just shy in the last second,” Borgmeyer said. “He bounced back and had a great second match to avenge that loss. I’m proud of him for bouncing back.”

Like Howe, Pirates junior Tanner Allen, wrestling at 175 pounds, won his second match following a loss in his first. After Warrenton’s Korben Johnson defeated Allen 20-3, Allen pinned Helias’ Isaac Dudenhoefer 27 seconds into the second period.

The Pirates’ only victories in the girls matches against Warrenton came on forfeits as the Warriors won 27-18.

The Pirates will travel to O’Fallon, Mo., for the Fort Zumwalt North Invitational on Saturday before hosting Quincy High School on Dec. 10.