Central's Wilson, Grovener earn trips to Columbia

~ Wilson needed overtime to win the 160-pound district title.

FARMINGTON -- Central's Zach Wilson knew what to expect heading into his Class 3 District 1 160-pound championship match Saturday night at the Farmington Civic Center.

After all, he'd wrestled his opponent, Tayler Decker of North County, twice this season and eight times in his career.

And Wilson also knew he'd be nervous.

"I was nervous all day," the junior said. "I always get nervous before I wrestle him."

Those nerves required a pit stop in the bathroom before Saturday's match, and they resulted in a close match.

Wilson got called for three cautions during the match, costing him a point. He scored an escape with 30 seconds left in regulation to tie the score and force overtime, where he won, 5-3.

"That was stupid on my part," Wilson said. "I started wrong at the beginning of the match. It was just nerves."

Wilson, 31-13, was one of two Central wrestlers to place in the top four in the district and qualify for the state tournament Friday and Saturday in Columbia.

Trey Grovener, 32-15, placed third in the heavyweight division, beating Dylan Janes of Poplar Bluff in the third-place match.

"Overall, I'm a little disappointed," Central coach James Brake said. "I thought we'd get more through."

The first-year coach praised Wilson.

"Being district champion is huge for him," Brake said. "We're excited. He was 1-1 against that kid [this year], so beating him was huge. He stuck with it and kept wrestling hard, and it paid off."

The coach said he entered the day with high expectations.

"That's what we expected of Zach. He's a team leader, and he wrestles real hard," Brake said. "He wanted it and he worked for it."

The state tournament will be a new experience for Wilson.

"We expect him to be all-state. We expect nothing less," Brake said. "We'll take him through workouts, but we want him to be well-rested. We don't want to kill him. He'll be ready to go."

Wilson knows at least one thing he can expect at the state tournament.

"My first time being there, I'm sure those nerves will come back," he said.

Team standings -- Farmington 225.5, Washington 153, De Soto 121.5, Rockwood Summit 117.5, Hillsboro 105, Poplar Bluff 95.5, Windsor 90.5, North County 72.5, Pacific 68.5, Webster Groves 65, Central 55, Sikeston 43, Gateway 3.