Jackson's Michael Lewis highlights rollar coster season with first medal

The most common goal for any wrestler is to win a medal at some point in their career.

It took Jackson senior Michael Lewis three years to win his first medal. He finally achieved it by winning first place in the SEMO Conference JV Tournament this past weekend in Jackson, a tournament that included a handful of wrestlers who competed in the varsity tournament a week ago.

Lewis entered the tournament confident, having a history with the combatants in his bracket. He started his run with a pin over Dexter’s Alex Dyle in 82 seconds, and a pin over Cape Central’s Garrett Snider in the second period. He clinched his first medal with a 4-3 decision over Sikeston’s George Rodgers but he won the gold with a pin over Sikeston’s Quentin Wilkins Jr.

Once he got into a pinning position, the realization of his achievement overwhelmed his emotions.

The season has been a roller coaster for Lewis. The senior has gone back and forth between JV and varsity, where he has notched 10 wins.

“I'm just happy I got so many wins in varsity,” Lewis said.

Lewis will finish his career in the district tournament with a chance to make a run toward states. He made his varsity debut in the first tournament of the season in a way that caught everyone by surprise.

“I'm scrolling through my phone and then coach calls me,” Lewis said. “He's like, ‘hey, Craig [Aufdenberg] got kicked in the head, he has a concussion. We need you to go to St. Louis. Can you do that?’ So I tried to call my parents. They were walking so they didn't pick up. I called coach back and I'm like, ‘my house is like seven minutes away, wait for me.’”

Shortly after Lewis rushed home and got prepared to meet his team on the bus. However, his teammates were not prepared for his arrival.

“I get on the bus, and everybody's absolutely confused,” Lewis said. “They're like, why are you here so late? What took you a half hour to get on the bus? I was like, ‘I'm not supposed to be here. Craig is supposed to be here and I got short notice.’ And so like the entire weekend, everybody's like, ‘Why are you here?’”

Lewis got his first varsity win on a first-period pin over Mikeal Tran of Ritenour and finished in sixth place. He netted 12 team points, which led to Jackson finishing the tournament tied for first place with Lafayette (Wildwood).

“That was awesome,” Lewis said. “The coaches were loving it, and that just made me happier because I stepped up with like 30 minutes to get to St. Louis. They were just so happy that I stepped up and got a pin and then we actually tied for first place, so we got a thing for that. If I hadn't been there, we would have lost and got second.”

Lewis first got into wrestling because the football coaching staff encouraged their players to join the wrestling team during the offseason. There is a strong connection between the two sports, especially in the higher-weight classes. His older brother, Alex Lewis, played football and started wrestling and after initially resisting the idea himself, Lewis gave it a shot and it quickly became his athletic identity.

“Mikey started from ground zero,” Jackson coach Jerry Golden said on Jan. 4. “He has come a long way and, he's learned how to compete. Whether it's JV or varsity, he's got enough experience now where he's just gonna go out and compete, not worry about winning or losing, just compete and use this technique to get better.”

Lewis is powered by an emotional approach that is similar to the Incredible Hulk.

“You either have to be angry or you have to be happy,” Lewis said. “If you're sad, you're not going to win. If you're happy, you're confident, and if you're angry, then you're just going to lay it all on the other person.”

That’s his secret, he’s always angry.

__Jackson place 8th in Kyle Thrasher__

The Jackson Indians finished 8th and Poplar Bluff finished 27th among 42 teams in the 2023 Kyle Thrasher Tournament this past weekend at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles.

Landon Vassalli (113) finished in first place and notched his 30th win of the season with a 5-3 decision over Nathaniel Provost of Ft. Zumwalt North in a sudden victory. The junior also reached the 100-win career benchmark.

Griffin Horman (190) finished in second place after a 3-2 decision against Luca Riley of Belton in the championship round. The senior won all of his matches leading up to the gold medal bout by pin.

Poplar Bluff’s Logan Hite (165) placed third after winning by injury default over Jackson Sapp of North Point 1:26 into the match.

__Sikeston places 3rd in DeSoto__

The Sikeston Bulldogs finished in third place in the 45th DeSoto Bob Georger Classic this past weekend at DeSoto High School. Cape Central finished in 10th place and Notre Dame finished in 14th place in the 21-team tournament.

Dominic Mullin (175) finished in second place, Blayne McDermott (150) and Jacob Leavitt (144) placed third, and Connor Lawrence (113) finished in fourth for the Bulldogs.

Charlie West (215) won the only medal for Notre Dame after defeating DeSoto’s Cory Dierks by fall in the second period of the third-place match. Ethan Jackson (175) notched his 20th win of the season by pinning Tristan Morrow of Ft. Zumwalt East in the first period.

Davarious Nunley (175) finished in fourth place for Cape Central and Valdi Zalite (144) placed fifth with a win by fall over Potosi’s Landon Sprous.

__A great weekend for the girls__

Plenty of female wrestlers made their way to the podium this past weekend. Cape Central’s Niah Hopkins (170) and Notre Dame’s Emma Steimle (190) placed second in DeSoto.

Alayna Ray (235) and Jasmynne Green (105) won first place for Sikeston. Ellie Douglass (100) placed second, and Kimarhri Wilkins (130) and Shanell Williams (145) finished in third place for the Bulldogs, who finished in third place in the team standings.

Jackson saw three wrestlers (Kaleigh Milam, Gracie Metzger, and Mallorie Metzger) win gold in the Seckman Women's Tournament.