Jackson wrestling team wins third consecutive conference title

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jackson's third consecutive SEMO Conference wrestling tournament title didn't come without a little drama.

Even with two of their top wrestlers sidelined with injuries, the Indians managed to place eight wrestlers in Saturday's championship finals and came away with five first-place finishes to edge Farmington for the SEMO Conference championship at the Sikeston Field House.

Jackson finished with 332 points, while Farmington was second at 291.5. Ste. Genevieve was third with 253.5.

"It was a great meet for the team," said Jackson coach Steve Wachter. "Not only to win it for themselves but also for those two young men that weren't in the lineup."

Wachter was referring to seniors Jarrett Reisenbichler and Josh Stone, two anchors who missed the meet after suffering broken bones in their hands. Reisenbichler was a three-time defending SEMO Conference champion in the lower weights, while Stone would have been gunning for his third conference title.

But Wachter was pleased with how his other wrestlers stepped up to defend the Indians' title.

"We had some kids that stepped up," Wachter said. "And we had some kids that have been injured that helped step up. I know every team goes through some type of adversity, but we've been going through some, and we seem to have handled it pretty good in this tournament."

Gus Guilliams (106 pounds), Jake Byrd (126), Micah Collier (145), Carson McCord (182) and Preston Hobeck (285) won individual titles for the Indians, while Payne Guilliams (132), Clayton Collier (152) and Bryce Dickerson (195) placed second.

"The key match for us today was Bryce Dickerson getting into the finals," Wachter said. "It was just an outstanding effort, a great match for him."

Dickerson (24-13), a sophomore, decisioned Jared Nicholson (30-10) of Farmington 1-0 to gain a berth in the championship match, where he fell 3-2 to Steven Haley (31-1) of Poplar Bluff.

The sophomore Guilliams, who has been recovering from injuries to his back and ribs sustained last season, got the Indians off on the right foot, pinning Nathan Geisner of Ste. Genevieve in 1 minute, 28 seconds to win the title at 106 pounds.

"I shot in on a sweep, cut it back, got on top, got a cross-face barb wire and pin," said Guilliams (16-2), who successfully defending his conference title from a year ago. "I've been battling injury, and this has been my goal coming back, just to come in and win this and eventually be a four-timer."

Byrd, a junior, scored an 8-0 major decision over Rhiley Smith of New Madrid County Central at 126 pounds for his second straight conference title.

"I was just going out there to get the major or the (technical fall), so I was proud," said Byrd, who hopes to improve on his one-and-done finishes at the state tournament his first two seasons. "I've been going a lot harder in practice on drills, pacing myself a lot more."

Micah Collier took advantage of a half-Nelson hold that led to his pin of Dexter's Seth Rush in 1:40 at 145 pounds.

"That's my main thing on top," Collier (28-4) said of his winning combination that secured his first conference title. "I've been hitting it all weekend, it's been a real big success to me, so I was wanting to stick with the game plan and make it to the finals and hopefully get the pin."

He acknowledged feeling the urgency to step up with two teammates out with injury.

"I was hoping to step up this weekend and help the team out and do the best I could," said Collier, who won each of his matches over the weekend by pinfall. "I worked to my potential and scored all the points I could, so I was pretty happy I could contribute to the team that well. I was excited."

McCord continued his outstanding season with an 11-4 decision over Sikeston's Joshua Stinnett at 182 pounds, a bout McCord called his toughest of the season.

Stinnett hit on an inside cradle early in the second period to close the gap on McCord's early lead, forcing the Jackson junior to change his strategy and become more aggressive.

"With him scoring on me, I knew I had to go for it," said McCord (32-2). "Keeping him on the defensive so he couldn't go on the offensive. That guy's one of my best friends, and that was the toughest match I've had this season."

Hobeck struggled in his match against Farmington's Jason Harrington, the two heavyweights grunting and grinding to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Following a scoreless one-minute overtime, both wrestlers scored escapes in the twin 30-second double-overtime sessions. In the sudden-death tie-breaker, Hobeck, by virtue of winning the flip, chose the down position, and quickly managed an escape to claim the win.

"I was just kind of waiting until the end because I knew I could stand up (for the escape)," said Hobeck (21-2), a state qualifier last year who won his third conference championship. "He's pretty tough. He wore me out a little bit. He's pretty strong for his size."

Wachter hopes his charges continue to improve -- and heal -- with district competition just around the corner.

"We had a couple outstanding wrestlers not here tonight that I just feel really bad for," Wachter said. "Reisenbichler was a three-time (conference) champ that I feel pretty positive he could have been a four-time champ. ... We were missing to outstanding seniors. I felt bad for them because it was their senior year."

Team scores -- 1. Jackson 332, 2. Farmington 291.5, 3. Ste. Genevieve 253.5, 4. Sikeston 208, 5. Dexter 179, 6. Poplar Bluff 173.5, 7. New Madrid County Central 138, 8. Windsor 117, 9. Kennett 75, 10. Central 55.5, 11. North County 52.5, 12. Notre Dame 48.

Championship matches

106 -- Gus Guilliams (J) pinned Nathan Geisner (SG) 1:28.

113 -- Wesley Dickens (SG) pinned Bradly Harman (F) 2:32.

120 -- Matt King (PB) pinned Wade Dickens (SG) 2:00.

126 -- Jake Byrd (J) dec. Rhiley Smith (NMCC) 8-0.

132 -- Tanner Jones (SG) dec. Payne Guilliams (J) 4-3.

138 -- Courtney Hawkins (S) pinned Garrett Manley (NMCC) 3:45.

145 -- Micah Collier (J) pinned Seth Rush (D) 1:40.

152 -- Austin Brewer (SG) dec. Clayton Collier (J) 4-1.

160 -- William Seibert (F) dec. Ryan Yarnell (W) 14-4.

170 -- Ethan Stevens (D) won by forfeit over Collin Huitt (F).

182 -- Carson McCord (J) dec. Joshua Stinnett (S) 11-4.

195 -- Steven Haley (PB) dec. Bryce Dickerson (J) 3-2.

220 -- Ethan Vaeth (SG) dec. Devin Savage 25-8.

HWT -- Preston Hobeck (J) dec. Jason Harrington (F) 3-2.