St. Louis - Ryan Herman rolled to win the heavyweight classification as the Maryville wrestling team opened its 2023-24 season at the Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open. Herman's efforts highlighted six Elite Division placers for the Saints in a tournament held at Parkway Central High School.
 
Herman opened his tournament with a fall in just 2:29, and he notched a 4-1 semifinal victory to reach the finals. In the title bout, Herman downed Division I opponent Keith Miley from Little Rock in an 8-1 decision.
 
Cole Ritter finished second at 165. He rolled to a 15-1 major in his opener and recorded a 6-5 decision over a Division I foe. However, he was edged out 5-3 in the first-place match by Owen Zablocki of Indianapolis.
 
Jeramiah Larson battled to a fifth place in the 197 classification. After dropping his opener to the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the weight class, he had a walkover and then cruised to a 14-3 major in his next consolation match. Larson eased past his opponent from Missouri but was narrowly edged 13-12 in the consolation semis. He took fifth place via a medial forfeit to close his day.
 
In the 133 classification, two Saints battled their way into the third place match. J.P. Homfeld shutout his opening foe with a 12-0 major but lost his next contest. He posted an 8-4 win to reach the third-place match against fellow Saint Lucas Laux. Laux started his tourney with a 4-2 win but lost his semifinal match. He bounced back to win his consolation semi with an 8-4 win. In the third-place battle of Saints teammates, Homfeld edged Laux with a narrow 1-0 decision.
 
At 125, Sam Shafer began his day with a 3-1 decision but dropped into the consolation bracket following a loss to his opponent from Indiana. He notched a fall in his first consolation bout but lost his next contest. In the seventh-place match, Shafer bounced back with a 12-4 major over Bryson Rowley of Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
In the "Amateur Division", the Saints had two first place winners, three runners up and a third-place finish. Maryville is next in action when it heads up to St. Charles, Mo., for the Lindenwood Open Saturday, Nov. 18, in Hyland Arena.