Forrest, Crahan named Outstanding Wrestlers at Missouri Border Brawl, loaded with talented boys and girls
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - NCAA week kicked off with the traditional Missouri Border Brawl, an All-Star card of boys and girls high school wrestlers and some local youth wrestlers, held this year at St. Pius X High School. There were many nationally ranked athletes on this year’s card.
In a highly anticipated boys folkstyle battle, No. 2 Jax Forrest of Bishop McCort in Pennsylvania and No. 3 Kyler Larkin of Valiant Prep in Arizona squared off in folkstyle. The match was loaded with excellent scrambles, showing off the talent of both athletes. Using the college rules with three-point takedowns, Forrest scored the first three takedowns and Larkin scored a late takedown. Add in the escapes, and Forrest won, 10-6.
Based upon his performance in the battle of two of the nation’s pound-for-pound stars, Forrest was named the Outstanding Wrestler among the boys. Forrest is a past U17 World medalist, and Larkin was also a member of a U.S. U17 World Team.
In a battle of top-10 talents in women’s freestyle at 145 pounds, No. 8 Brenya Crahan of Missouri opened up her offense to defeat No. 9 Kaylee Davis of Oklahoma, in a 10-0 technical fall. Crahan opened the scoring with a takedown, then added another takedown on a scramble for a 4-0 lead. A fireman’s carry extended her lead to 6-0 at the break. Crahan closed it out with two second-period takedowns.
For her dominant win over another highly-ranked athletes, Crahan was named Outstanding Wrestler among the girls competitors.
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL MATCHES
The event started with high-level girls high school wrestling. There are 12 nationally ranked girls on the card, including six match-ups with both athletes in the rankings. They wrestled in the college style, which is freestyle wrestling.
Match one featured No. 10 Aroma Marrufo of Missouri getting a 10-0 techncial fall over No. 29 Hannah Lopez of Oklahoma. Marrufo scored the opening takedown to lead 2-0, and added a throw-by to extend the lead to 4-0. She closed out the win with a takedown and two ankle laces .
Missouri’s Louise Juitt scored a big win at 140 pounds, knocking off No. 17 Maggie Buurma of Michigan, 7-2. Juitt opened the scoring with a two-point headlock. Buurma got on the board with a stepout making it 2-1. Juitt adde a takedown to lead 4-1 at the break. Juitt added a second-period step out and a counter takedown.
At 103 pounds, No. 16 Zoey Haney of Missouri took out Jaydin Alvarado of Kansas in a 12-2 technical fall. Alvarado scored the first takedown, but Haney came back with her own takedown and four ankle laces to lead 10-2. A low-single leg takedown ended the match in the first period.
In another ranked battle at 127 pounds, No. 6 Angelina Vargas of Missouri stopped.No. 14 Leiannah Landreth of Kansas by technical fall, 10-0. Vargas did a pair of takedowns and turns to lead 8-0, then hit a slick single leg takedown to end the match.
At 152 pounds, in a comeback decision, No. 18 Sage Rosario of Kansas beat No. 6 Jayci Shelton , 6-6 by criteria. Rosario opened the scoring with a stepout, but Shelton scored two step outs and takedown, and was able to get two more stepouts for a 6-2 lead. Rosario answered with two late takedowns to tie it at 6-6 and get the criteria.
No. 6 Jayden Keller of Missouri was dominant in her pin in 1:27 over No. 29 Hannah Lopez of Oklahoma at 105 pounds. After three takedowns and a tilt, Keller turned Lopez and secured the fall.
In the wildest bout of the girls matches, No. 10 Sevreign Aumua of Missouri edged No. 17 Maggie Buurma of Michigan 12-10. Aumua was dominant early, with multiple takedowns and a turn with a cradle to lead 8-1. After a Buurma exposure, Aumua added a 4-point takedown to lead 12-3. Buurma rallied step out then multiple to close it to 12-10 as time ran out.
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL MATCHES
There were a number of ranked boys (based upon the Flo Rankings on the card, and not all of them were able to win their battles. In addition, it was a great night for wrestlers from the host school, St. Pius X, the 2023 Missouri Class 1 state champions, which had three of their athletes coming away with victories.
The home crowd enjoyed the 230-pound battle, when state champ Rylan Kuhn defeated No. 12 ranked Oscar Williams of Oklahoma, 3-1. Kuhn scored the only takedown of the match in the second period, and was able to keep Williams at bay in the third period when the wrestlers were on their feet the entire period.
Another ranked athlete was beaten at 132 pounds, when Dean Anderson of Arizona defeated No. 17 Thomas Verrette, a Colorado state champion who is now in Oklahoma, 10-7. Although Verrette scored the opening takedown, Anderson came back to take an 8-4 lead. Another Verrette takedown closed it to 8-7 and an Anderson escape made it 9-7. Anderson rode out Verrette in the third and added a riding time point.
The ranked wrestler who had little trouble was No. 18 Joseph Jeter of Oklahoma, who ran up the score before cradling and pinning Marco Dalakishvili of Missouri in 3:07.
Joining Kuhn as winners from St. Pius X High School were Marco Dalakishvili (150) and Jackson Rotterman (190).
Dalakashvili wrestled twice, and won his opening match, beating Brady Duling of Kansas, 11-6. He was able to jump to a 7-0 lead and maintained his edge as Duling battled back.
Rotterman scored a takedown as time was running out to defeat Cash Colley of Texas, 6-4. Cooley scored a first-period takedown and led 4-3, when Rotterman fired up the crowd with his last-second heroics. Cooley was a member of the 2023 U.S. U17 Greco-Roman World Team.
At 135 pounds, Hudson Hackbarth of Oklahoma was totally in control of his 15-0 technical fall over Dillan Chisam of Missouri. Hackbarth displayed a variety of scoring moves on his way to the victory.
Colin McAlister of Kansas was the winner in a 165-pound battle with Elijah Sanders of Missouri, 13-6. Sanders scored the first period, and the lead went back-and-forth for awhile. McAlister scored the last two takedowns in the match and added a riding time points.
Quinn Herbert of Illinois was tough on the top, turning Cash Cooley twice in the third period and earning riding time for an 8-1 victory at 190 pounds.
YOUTH BOUTS
There were six youth boys matches on the card, featuring some talented young athletes from the region. The winners were Jeremiah Minikwu of Feelhaver Elementary in Iowa (60), Billy Roberts, a Home schooled wrestler from Missouri (61), Ira Samm of St. Pius-St. Andrews in Missouri (70), Cole Martin of Platte City Middle School in Missouri (77), Jacobie Robbins of Kearney, Missouri (95) and Liam Vargas-Todd of Eagle Heights Elementary in Missouri (60), MO (60).
UFC champion and USA Wrestling Greco-Roman World Team member Randy Couture was in attendance, as this event is a fundraiser for his Extreme Couture GI Foundation.
The event was streamed live and is now archived on FloWrestling.
MISSOURI BORDER BRAWL
At Kansas City, Mo., March 19, 2024
105 Girls – No. 10 Aroma Marrufo (Fort Osage HS, MO) tech fall No. 29 Hannah Lopez (Moore HS, OK), 10-0
140 Girls – Louise Juitt (Belton HS, MO) dec.d No. 17 Maggie Buurma (Fowlerville HS, MI), 7-1
103 Girls – No. 16 Zoey Haney (Troy Buchanan HS, MO) tech fall Jaydin Alvardo (Junction City HS, KS), 12-2
127 Girls – No. 6 Angelina Vargas (Park Hill HS, MO) vs. No. 14 Leiannah Landreth (Mulvane HS, KS), 10-0
145 Girls – No. 8 Brenya Crahan (Nixa HS, MO) tech. fall No. 9 Kaylee Davis (El Reno HS, OK), 10-0
152 Girls –No. 18 Sage Rosario (Manhattan HS, KS) dec. No. 6 Jayci Shelton (Centralia HS, MO), 6-6
60 Boys –Jeremiah Minikwu (Feelhaver Elementary, IA) dec. Liam Vargas-Todd (Eagle Heights Elementary, MO), 2-0
61 Boys – Billy Roberts (Home schooled, MO) pin Khylen Sanderson (Seal Elementary, KS), 2:49
70 Boys – Ira Samm (St. Pius-St. Andrews, MO) pin Graeme Lockhart (BCLUW Elementary, IA), 3:59
77 Boys – Cole Martin (Platte City Middle School, MO) pin Abel Mixon (Derby Middle School, KS), 3:46
95 Boys – Jacobie Robbins (Kearney, MO) dec. Jacob Bonebrake (Shawnee Heights, KS), 9-5
60 Boys – Liam Vargas-Todd (Eagle Heights Elementary, MO) vs. Kai Stevens (Derby Elementary, KS), 6-0
105 Girls – No. 6 Jayden Keller (Brookfield HS, MO) pin No. 29 Hannah Lopez (Moore HS, OK), 1:27
145 Girls – No. 10 Sevreign Aumua (Grain Valley HS, MO) dec. No. 17 Maggie Buurma (Fowlerville HS, MI), 12-10
133 Boys – No. 2 Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort, PA) dec. No. 3 Kyler Larkin (Valiant Prep, AZ), 10-6
150 Boys – Marco Dalakishvili (St. Pius X HS, MO) dec. Brady Duling (Bishop Carroll Catholic HS, KS), 11-6
190 Boys –Jackson Rotterman (St. Pius X HS, MO) dec. Cash Cooley (Allen HS, TX), 6-4
190 Boys – Peyton Parn (Brookfield HS, MO) pin Brock Johnson (Paola HS, KS), 1:52
135 Boys –Hudson Hackbarth (Edmond North HS, OK) tech fall Dillan Chisam (St. Pius HS, MO), 15-0
132 Boys – Dean Anderson (Valiant Prep, AZ) dec. No. 17 Thomas Verrette (Edmond North HS, OK), 10-7.
165 Boys – Colin McAlister (Mill Valley HS, KS) dec. Elijah Sanders (Richmond HS, MO), 13-6
230 Boys – Rylan Kuhn (St. Pius X HS, MO) dec. No. 12 Oscar Williams (Edmond North HS, OK), 4-1
150 Boys - No. 18 Joseph Jeter (Edmond North HS, OK) pin Marco Dalakishvili (St. Pius HS, MO), 3:07
190 Boys – Quinn Herbert (Loyola Academy, IL) dec. Cash Cooley (Allen HS, TX), 8-1
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