Jackson's Rouse will try to pin down state title

The Indian senior will wrestle for the 145-pound title tonight.

Southeast Missourian

Jackson's Cody Rouse will wrestle for a state championship tonight at the state wrestling meet at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.

Rouse was the lone Indians wrestler to advance through the quarterfinals and semifinals Friday. Three Jackson wrestlers will bring home medals today.

Senior Brock Howard lost his semifinal match Friday night and will wrestle in the medal rounds today along with senior Kremer Rampley, who lost in the quarterfinals but won two wrestleback matches.

As a team, Jackson is eighth in the Class 3 standings with 53 points. Oak Park leads the team standings with 113 points, and Raymore-Peculiar is second at 112.

Rouse, at 145 pounds, and Howard, at 140, had advanced easily to the semifinals. Rouse picked up a 14-2 major decision against DeSmet's Ross Tiemeyer, while Howard won an 8-0 decision against Liberty's Rudy Ludemann.

Rouse then won a 10-3 decision against Howell's Ryan Griffin to reach the final, where he will try to avenge a sectional loss to Marquette's Bobby Conn.

Howard lost a 9-4 decision to Quantarius Wilson of Hazelwood East in the semifinal.

Rampley was the only other wrestler to survive Friday, making his way through wrestlebacks to the medal round.

Rampley, a 160-pound senior, lost in the quarterfinals for his first defeat this season after a school-record 46 consecutive victories. Rampley lost by fall in 3 minutes 1 second to Jake Oberfoell of Liberty. Rampley (48-1) bounced back to pin Fort Zumwalt West's Justin Meyerpeter in the second round of wrestlebacks, then posted an 8-4 decision against Zach King of DeSmet.

The fourth round of wrestlebacks this morning will determine wrestlers in the third- and fifth-place matches later today. The championship round is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Senior Greg Ludwig and junior Blake Ulrich bowed out in heart-breaking fashion one round from the medal stand, joining teammates Kamden Rampley and Andy Glass on the sidelines today.

Ludwig, a 152-pounder, lost first in the quartfinals Friday, dropping a 13-2 major decision to Leremie Shaffer of Raymore-Peculiar. In the wrestlebacks, he pinned McCluer's Grant Augenstein in 2:58, then lost a 1-0 decision to Caleb Downs of Troy Buchanan.

Ulrich, who had lost his opening match at 171 pounds on Thursday before posting a wrestleback win, posted a 7-5 overtime decision Friday against Rock Bridge senior Erin Slate. He was eliminated on a 10-8 decision to Chad Williams of Parkway South.

Kamden Rampley, a sophomore, and Glass, a junior, were eliminated in the second round of wrestlebacks. Rampley, a 189-pounder, lost a 5-2 decision to Oakville's Ryan Sutton. Glass, at 215, lost an 8-3 overtime decision to Jacob Roesch of Mehlville.

Central junior Cory Huskey also was eliminated in the second round of wrestlebacks. Huskey lost his 152-pound match 10-2 to Rick Cook of Timberland.