Troy defines ‘Trojan Style’ to capture back-to-back district titles, will send nine to state tourney

ST. CHARLES – Led by seniors Zoey and Madison Haney, the Troy girls wrestling program ascended to new heights last season, resulting in the program’s first district title and a fourth-place team trophy at the Missouri state wrestling tournament.

The Trojans knew the graduation of the Haneys would be felt on the scoreboard, but they did not realize how much of a void it would leave in the areas of leadership and camaraderie.

“We were kind of shell-shocked at the beginning of the season,” Troy coach Josef Lee Wolfrum said. “Our team didn’t have an identity.”

Troy picked a perfect time to win its first tournament of the season, crowning four district champions and capturing the Class 2 District 2 championship Saturday at Francis Howell North.  

The Trojans, which scored 199.5 team points, will send nine wrestlers to the Class 2 MSHSAA State Championships, to be held February 27-28 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Francis Howell Central placed second with 168 points and will send seven wrestlers to state, including three district champions. Francis Howell North placed third with 114 points.

The Class 1 girls and Class 1-2 boys state tournament takes place at Mizzou Arena on February 25 and 26. The Class 2 girls and Class 3-4 boys state tournament occurs February 27 and 28.

Troy trotted a wrestler onto a district championship mat in each of the first four weight classes Saturday afternoon, winning three.

At 100, sophomore Isabella Cullen cruised to the district title with technical falls in both the semifinals and finals. Sitting behind 2024 state champion Zoey Haney on the depth chart last season, Cullen did not participate on the varsity team until this year, but she absorbed a great deal of knowledge and technique from the four-time state placer.

“She took me in and helped me be where I am today. Now, I’m trying to do the same for everyone else,” Cullen said.  

Cullen (39-6) finished sixth at the prestigious Wonder Woman tournament in December and continued to improve throughout the year. As the first Troy wrestler to compete in the district finals Saturday, Cullen did not consider herself a tone-setter.

“We all set the tone for each other,” Cullen said. “Our attitude is, ‘No matter what happens, just keep going,’”

At 105, sophomore Addilyn Amos kept it going by compiling seven takedowns in 3:21 of mat time to cruise to a technical fall victory over Mialee Copeland of Francis Howell – a defending district champion who pinned Amos during a dual meet last season.

“That wasn’t one of my best matches, so I was nervous going into this one, but I just trusted my training,” Amos said.

Amos (38-7) exploded onto the scene last February, winning an unexpected district title and then placing third at the state tourney two weeks later. Her only postseason loss came to Camdenton senior and eventual state champion, Abigail Fugelsang.

She will not enter Mizzou Arena as an unheralded underdog this time.

“I’m a lot more confident this year. But with bigger expectations, it gets even more nerve-wracking,” Amos said. “The state tournament is really a mental game. You just have to trust in your training, trust in yourself and trust in God.”

Troy junior Haddley Dale won a 8-5 decision over Yanni Smith of Fort Zumwalt West to capture the 115 title. Jeralyn Spear placed an exclamation point on the trophy-winning performance with a pin 15 seconds into the 235 final. Spear, who placed fifth at state last year, pinned all four of her district opponents – three in the first period.

Lyla Giesmann (110), Sierra Bromwich (145) and Molly Marischen (155) placed second. Lillie Lapish (120) and Hayden Scorfina (140) placed third.  

“Every one of them that entered this tournament had an impact on this team score,” Wolfrum said. “Every girl from 100 to 235 who qualified can go (to state) and shock a lot of people.”

The Troy wrestlers wear sweatshirts that read, “Trojan Style.” For the first half of the season, they had trouble defining what that meant.

Now, they know.

“It’s about how much we care about each other,” Cullen said. “The team environment started a little rough. We had some bumps in the road, but my favorite part of this season is how we’ve come together. We always support each other and pick each other up.”  

Wolfrum added, “Our captains (Marischen and Scorfina) really stepped up. It’s been special to see these girls come together as a family the last month.”  

For a photo gallery of the Class 2 District 2 tournament, click this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Girls-Wrestling-2024/Girls-Wrestling-2026/Class-2-District-2-Tourney-at-FHN-2-14-26