From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
District tournaments — the first step in postseason competition — begins for wrestlers across Missouri tonight.
Joplin journeys to Jefferson City for the Class 4 district tournament, hosted by Jefferson City High School.
The Class 3 district meet at Belton includes Webb City, Carthage, Neosho and McDonald County.
Carl Junction, Monett and Nevada are in the Class 2 district tournament at Bolivar, and Seneca and Diamond are entered in the Class 1 district at Knob Noster.
First-round matches at all four sites begin tonight at 6, and Saturday’s action begins at 10 a.m. The finals are set for 3:45 p.m. Saturday in Jefferson City, 4:30 in Knob Noster and Bolivar and 5 in Belton.
The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the state tournament, scheduled Feb. 19-21 at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
The delegation from southwest Missouri includes five returning state champions — Carter Boatright from Neosho, Colbey Skaggs from Seneca and Kyle Meyer, Kellen Bounous and Ethan Davis, all from Monett.
The Cubs are the defending Class 2 state champions. In the latest rankings on MissouriWrestling.com, the Cubs are ranked third in the class behind Platte County and Kirksville.
The Class 3 district at Belton, in a word, is loaded with No. 1-ranked Oak Park, No. 2 Kearney and No. 3 Neosho headlining the field. The Wildcats took fourth in last year’s state tournament, the highest finish in school history.
