Republic senior Wyatt George finished his wrestling career with the best state performance of his career. George lost just one match at the Class 4 state tournament in Independence, capturing a 5th-place medal in the 113-pound division.
Fellow senior David Honeycutt did not medal in his first trip to State. He lost his matches to Chris Bizzle of Park Hill, 6-3, and to Dylan Carlton of Seckman by fall.
George defeated Cooper Rider of Liberty in a 2-0 decision in the 5th-place match. The win capped a three-victory run through the consolation bracket for George, who finished the tournament with four wins in five matches.
George opened the tournament with a win over Aden Solomon of Lindbergh in an 8-0 major decision. In the quarterfinals, George lost a 10-5 decision to Logan Burks of Staley.
Facing a series of elimination matches, George worked his way back into medal contention. He started with a 9-0 major decision against Dalton Kuhn of Timberland. In the next round, George beat Nicholas Chambers of Holt (33-2). George defeated him 4-2 to guarantee himself a medal.
George had lost in the consolation semifinal last year, falling just short of a medal. He had previously won a 6th-place medal in Class 3, but this is his first Class 4 state medal.
George finished his senior season with a 36-7 record.
