The Kewpies host 11 teams this weekend, including Rock Bridge.
Hickman kicks off its 12-team wrestling tournament tonight with redemption on its mind.
The Kewpies are looking to bounce back from last week’s 45-22 loss to the Jefferson City Jays. A victory in this tournament, however, will not be achieved easily. This year’s Hickman Invitational will feature tough opponents for the Kewpies, such as Jefferson City and Northwest, as well as rival Rock Bridge.
Hickman coach J.D. Coffman said that the addition of Joplin and Eureka to the tournament is one of the reasons that this year’s tournament has increased in difficulty.
“This year’s tournament will definitely be tougher,” Coffman said. “In the past we have had 10 or 11 teams, but this year we have a full 12.”
Much of the attention at the tournament will be on two local wrestlers who are ranked at the top of their weight classes, according to missouriwrestling.com. Hickman senior K.C. Pescaglia and Rock Bridge junior Taylor Crane will be battling to keep their positions at the top of the 125-pound and 135-pound divisions, respectively, while Jefferson City junior Austin Hile will also be seeking to retain his status at the top of the 189-pound division.
In the 125-pound division, Pescagalia will have to overcome third-ranked Eureka sophomore Matt Lester and fifth-ranked Northwest senior Vito Krischke. In the 135-pound division, Crane will have to face fifth-ranked Northwest junior Herb Krischke.
While Coffman is confident Pescaglia will do well in the tournament, he also believes that sophomore Vince Pescaglia, the younger brother of K.C., will also have a strong showing in 112.
“Vince has a tough weight class. He’s won and lost some tough matches,” Coffman said.
The tournament, which starts tonight at 5, will stop after three rounds of round-robin action, and resume with the semifinals at 9 Saturday morning. It will conclude with the championship finals at 3:30 Saturday afternoon.
The other schools participating in the invitational include Blue Springs South, Lee’s Summit North, Oakville, St. Charles West and Ruskin.