Brooks brothers each come up one match short of a state medal

Kynndrick and Braylin Brooks were the lone representatives for Nevada Tiger wrestling in the MSHSAA boys Class 2 state tournament held last Thursday at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.

Kynndrick qualified in the 106-pound bracket. As a freshman, this was quite an accomplishment in and of itself.

Kynndrick finished in third place at sectionals, meaning he would face a sectional runner-up in the first round of the state tournament.

Brooks faced Gage Gross, a freshman from Ste. Genevieve who entered the tournament with a record of 28-4.

Brooks got out to an early lead in the match and was wrestling well — before Gross came storming back and overwhelmed Brooks, picking up a pinfall victory.

The loss put Brooks on the back side of the bracket, where he could still work his way back to a fifth- or sixth-place finish.

After a bye, Brooks faced Nick Kessler, a freshman from Moberly who came to state with a 32-16 record. Brooks returned to the form that got him to 29-4 entering the tournament and picked up a 7-1 win over Kessler.

The win put Brooks in the consolation semifinals, which meant another victory would earn him all-state honors and a chance to wrestle for fifth place.

Brooks faced Michael Martin, a 29-5 sophomore from Owensville, but would come up short — as Martin pinned Brooks, ending his season one win short of a medal.

Kynndrick had a great year and has a very bright future in the Nevada Tiger wrestling program.

Braylin, a 25-11 junior, entered into the 113-pound weight class also having finished third in his sectional, meaning he too would wrestle a sectional runner-up in the first round.

Brooks started off the state tournament by pinning Creek Hughes, a 21-14 freshman from St. Clair.

In the quarterfinals, Brooks faced Carter Prenger, a 31-9 sophomore from Helias Catholic in Jefferson City, who proceeded to pin Brooks on his way to a third-place finish.

The loss sent Brooks to the back side of the bracket, where he faced Huck Simmons, a 14-6 freshman from Priory. Brooks took care of business and pinned Simmons in the second period.

The victory moved Brooks to the bubble match, where a win would advance him to the fifth-place bout but a loss would end his season.

Brooks faced someone he was familiar with in Chris Sullivan, a 37-9 freshman from Harrisonville who pinned Brooks in the district tournament.

Brooks would wrestle very well and put together a far different match than the first time around. Brooks was the aggressor and nearly pinned Sullivan if not for the short one-minute first periods in the consolation rounds.

After being saved by the bell, Sullivan came back to pin Brooks, ending his season one victory short of being a medalist.

Braylin showed great improvement over the season and wrestled hard every time he took to the mat. This outcome will do nothing but motivate Brooks as he prepares for his senior campaign next season.

Even though the outcome was not what either Brooks brother had envisioned, it was still a great honor and accomplishment to make it to state in this marathon of a season. It was also an honor for each to make it to state with his brother.