Park Hill South junior blazes trail Park Hill South junior blazes trail

When Park Hill South junior 182-pounder Chase Gray walked off the mat from his state title match last weekend at the Missouri State Wrestling Championships, you saw some of the same things seen in many wrestlers who come up just short of a state title. Disappointment, exhaustion, messed up hair, maybe a cut or swollen eye. What you didn’t see, though, are his accomplishments up to that point and the incredible leadership provided as a captain which resulted in a ninth place team finish, one of the school’s most successful wrestling seasons to date.

Even before this season, Gray was a stand out on the mat and has been a big part of the Panthers wrestling program’s climb over the past two seasons. As a freshman he qualified for state, returning the next season as a sophomore to be elected a team captain. Not only rare, it was the first time a sophomore had been named a captain by his teammates. “It’s never happened, unheard of,” Park Hill South coach Dan Dunkin said.

His sophomore season he qualified for state once again, leading a group of six Panther wrestlers to Columbia for the state tournament. Gray came up short of placing for the second straight year. Coming into this year, Gray, once again picked by his teammates as a captain, had a serious shot at breaking the school’s all-time wins record. He did just that in early February when he surpassed in three years what former Panthers of the past had done in four years. A significant achievement, Dunkin says his positive attitude makes him fun to coach and easy for his teammates to look up to.

“He’s well respected, great kid to coach,” Dunkin said. “He’s one of those naturally tough kids to where you tell him to do something and he goes and does it with a smile on his face.”

Leading eight Panther wrestlers to state this year, Gray was looking to place and overcome his state performances of the past two years. Winning his first three matches, the third of which was a close 1-0 victory in the state semifinals, earned him a shot at the state title as a finalist. Much the same as Gray had broken the all-time wins school record earlier in the season, his appearance in the state title match wasn't just a first for him, it was also a first for Park Hill South, which had never had a wrestler compete for a championship before. Falling 5-0, Gray would finish a runner-up, but the achievement speaks for itself.

"It feels great," Gray said. "Yes, I would have liked it to end better, but I can't be completely disappointed."

"In the short-term, I think he's disappointed. He had a great tournament, no doubt," Dunkin said. "If you look at his season and what he's accomplished, plus his drive to be a state champion, knowing his attitude, it's only going to help him."

The fire inside, evident just moments after Gray walked off the mat, is already looking towards the future and next year, not only individually, but also what the Panthers have returning as a team.

"I'm definitely going to do more off-season wrestling to better myself, hit the weight room," Gray said. "We're always prepared for our matches and I think that's part of the role of being a captain. We should have more finalists next year, as a team we'll do very well. I think if we keep progressing at this rate, we're going to be very tough to beat."