By: Ross Martin Kade Willis continued to prove to himself — and the rest of the state — that he belongs during the Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championships last year. Now a junior at Central (Park Hills), he ran all the way to the 132-pound state championship match, losing a tight 4-3 decision to […]
By: Ross Martin For early practices, Trenton only had 17 total wrestlers in the room. Don’t count participation as a concern for coach Charlie Bacon, who looks to restore the Bulldogs as a Class 1 power. Trenton sent just three to the Class 1 Missouri State Wrestling Championships a year ago, but behind a third-place […]
By: Ross Martin The task would have been difficult for Center — no matter the extenuating circumstances. The Yellowjackets lost four senior captains from last year’s team and now must rebuild with a likely tougher postseason path. Trevor Rey (170 pounds) and Marquan Dickerson (285) pounds were Center’s lone qualifiers for the Class 2 Missouri […]
By: Ross Martin Oak Grove has gone an almost unthinkable two years without a state trophy. While many can only aspire to reach that level tradition, the Panthers continually embrace their yearly expectations and want to get back to their 2016-17 Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championships team title form. “Expectations are to always compete […]
By: Ross Martin The best indicator for a change in mentality at Lincoln Prep shows in this year’s expectations, even as the challenge becomes undeniably more difficult. The Blue Tigers put two talented freshmen in the Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championships a year ago but now must adjust to a step up in competition […]
By: Ross Martin There were the inevitable disappointments in the Class 3 Missouri State Wrestling Championships, but Willard finished seventh as a team and celebrated brothers Christian Finley and Michael Finley making the championship bouts at 106 and 113. All appeared to be trending in a positive direction. Then came the scary scenario that played […]
By: Ross Martin St. Charles may be replacing a pair of third-place finishers from last year’s Class 3 Missouri State Championships and three qualifiers total, but don’t think optimism is dimmed. The Pirates experienced a breakthrough season, and the final result could have been even better if not for an unfortunate injury. “Outlook is very […]
By: Ross Martin Entering the third year of existence, St. Paul Lutheran continues to seek out program milestones. Most notably, the Saints want to get back to the Class 1 Missouri State Wrestling Championships. St. Paul Lutheran placed 15th out of 15 teams in last year’s Class 1 District 3 tournament with only two wrestlers […]
By: Ross Martin In four years, Chase Stegall has experienced the full gamut of emotions in a search for a state title. The senior standout for Northwest (Cedar Hill) burst onto the scene as a freshman, bouncing back from a first round loss in the Class 4 Missouri State Wrestling Championships to win five straight […]
By: Ross Martin The anchors to the lineup have graduated, but Diamond coach Bill Gray has a good mix of experience and potential in his practice room. The biggest question to answer remains how to turn the regular season success into medals at the Class 1 Missouri State Wrestling Championships. Diamond qualified five last year […]