Wednesday's number of state Bulldog wrestlers was already the most in the six years, and two Mexico boys are still in the running for a state title after the first day of the Class 2 boys state wrestling tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Grant Van Horn and Carlos Juarez Ramirez each won both of their matches to advance to the semifinals while Emille Scanavino earned a chance to earn a medal, depending on the result his third-round wrestlebacks match the next day.
The multiple-time state medalist Van Horn posted a 16-1 technical fall and then a 14-6 major decision to move on to the 157-pound semifinals Thursday afternoon, projected to begin at 12:15 p.m. Juarez Ramirez had an 11-2 major decision in his first bout and then the freshman scored a pinfall to make the 106-pound semifinals.
Scanavino pinned two of his opponents in the 285-pound bracket but lost a 3-2 match to Nevada's DJ Glidewell in the quarterfinals, forcing him to earn a podium spot with a victory in third-round wrestlebacks.
Kyler Carr at 144 pounds began his night with a quick pinfall loss, but the freshman bounced back with a pinfall victory in first-round wrestlebacks only to fall just short 6-5 to Odessa's Gabe Studdard in second-round wrestlebacks.
Along with Carr, four other Bulldogs failed to advance to Day 2 after going 0-2, including Brayden Arnold at 113 pounds, Watson Azdell at 132, Isai Hernandez at 165 and Grant Walker at 175 -- with Walker's final loss being a 4-0 decision to Seneca's Sawyer Cornell.
Check for photo galleries of Day 1 of the Class 1 boys and Class 1 girls state tournaments from Wednesday on the Mexico Ledger website.
