With a combined 142 boys and girls teams and more than 1,000 wrestlers from some of the top wrestling programs from Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and the Midwest, the Kansas City Stampede tramples the degree of competition for most other tournaments.
The Seckman boys and girls wrestling teams won’t face tougher tests than they met at the Hale Arena on Dec. 18-20 until they get to the Mizzou Arena in Columbia for the state championships Feb. 27-28. Some coaches consider the Stampede harder than state. Out of 66 teams, the Jaguar girls were 27th with 75 points, while the boys were 28th with 72.5.
“I thought we wrestled really well. This is a steppingstone for the rest of the year,” said Ryan Moyer, who is the head coach for both Seckman wrestling squads.
The Seckman boys finished 13th in the state in Class 4 last season and return the majority of their lineup among the 14 weight classes ranging from 106 to 285 pounds. They’ll try to push as many wrestlers through to state as they can at the District 1 tournament at Lafayette High in February.
Junior Kaemen Orine and his brothers, Kai and Draegen, both graduates, have all been tested at the Stampede. A three-time state champion, Kai won his Stampede weight class twice. Draegen was the Jaguars last state champion in 2024. Kaeman qualified at 106 last season and lost in the consolation second round. At the Stampede, Orine finished fifth at 106 after winning a 15-3 major decision over Conroe Woodlands College Park sophomore Nick Payne.
“He went to the preseason nationals and was sixth,” Moyer said. “He lost a couple of close matches at the Stampede. What’s nice is we were trying to get him 100 pounds last year. Now he’s a full size 106-pounder.”
Another brother of a multiple state champion, junior Chance Ruble, was third in the state at 150 last season. Cole Ruble won state titles in 2022-2023 and this season, playing football at Southeast Missouri State University, led the Redhawks in all-purpose yards (875).
Chance wrestled five matches at 150 at the Stampede, winning the first three by technical fall (21-5, 18-3) and fall (:53). After taking decisions by 4-0 and 4-1, Ruble met Edmond North, Okla. junior Garrison Sartain in the final. Ruble led Sartain 2-1 going into the third period, but Sartain scored an escape and takedown to win 5-2.
“We’ve been working on things on his feet,” Moyer said of Ruble. “Once you become one of the top kids in the state, kids shut down and don’t want to attack. He does what Chance does, and that’s wrestle at a high pace. Whatever college gets him, it will be special to have him.”
Sophomore Carson Owens was fifth in the state at 120 and Moyer said he’s been working hard since that match.
At Stampede, Owens lost a 9-5 decision in the 132 quarterfinals before winding up eighth.
“He’s right there in all of his matches,” Moyer said. “Each match he’s lost was in OT or the last few seconds against top kids in the state.”
Senior Colton Fowler lost his first match at 157 at Stampede before winning two matches on the backside.
This is the eighth year of girls wrestling in Missouri. The Jaguars are in Class 2 for one more year before the state adds a third class for the 2026-2027 season. Seckman will be in District 1 at Northwest High.
Moyer said the Seckman girls are on solid ground with 40 wrestlers in the program. The Jaguars won the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament in O’Fallon earlier this month.
Senior Caroline Owens was one match away from the medal round at 140 pounds at state last season. She took eighth place at 145 at Stampede.
“She just got down to weight,” Moyer said. “After losing in the ‘bubble match’ last year, she’s worked to take the next step and place at state.”
Junior Lilly Julius was a state qualifier at 190 and wrestled there at Stampede.
“Her season’s been up and down so far. She’s getting back to working hard like the end of the last season.”
Senior Madison Clover was a state qualifier at 235 and she’s already wrestled 20 matches for the Jags this season. She finished fourth at FZN and won two consolation bouts at Stampede.
Sophomore Skylar Bain won two matches at Stampede at 100 and was in the top four at FZN.
“Last year she only weighed 92 pounds and we got her above 100.”
Senior Cameron Beck (135), junior Olivia Vickers (140) and freshman Heidi McArthur (110) have all had success this season. Moyer said Vickers holds the school record for girls in the squat and bench presses. McArthur won her weight class at the Troy Tournament and was second at FZN.
The Seckman girls traveled to Battle High in Columbia to compete in the Wonder Woman, another highly-competitive tournament that draws in top wrestlers from neighboring states. The Jaguars were 28th out of 87 teams with 71.5 points, a half-point better than Festus High. Owens was Seckman’s top finisher, coming in seventh at 145.