Mules, Dexter advance at wrestling districts

Day one of the MSHSAA Boys wrestling district tournament is in the books, and both Poplar Bluff and Dexter wrestling teams look to punch their ticket to state.

Members of the Poplar Bluff Mules did not disappoint Friday as three standout wrestlers landed a spot in the district semifinals.

Mules’ senior Lucas Robertson (30-3) won big on the first day of districts in the 150-pound weight division with a win over Mike Williams of SLUH, winning by fall at 2:29. Roberson got his spot in the semifinals by defeating Robert Williams (Marquette) by fall at 28 seconds. Roberson will face off against Hunter Song (28-13) of Lafayette for a shot at the district finals.

Junior Logan Hite (34-6) received a first-round bye and after a quarterfinal win against Sahil Sajid (8-10) of Parkway South, Hite will matchup against Fox High freshman Charlie Chapman (39-8) in the semifinals in the 165-pound weight division.

Senior Dace Wisdom (28-13) punched his way to the semifinals in the 144-pound weight division with a win by fall over Jeremiah Mcclain (17-16) of Seckman by a fall of 1:38 and a quarterfinal win over Dylan Wertel (26-21) of Christian Brothers College.

Dexter Bearcats

The Dexter Bearcats wrestling team made an impact on the first day of districts, with four members getting the opportunity in the semifinals to take top honors in the district.

“I thought we wrestled very well today,” said Dexter coach Cody Boyer. “So far, this is the best we've wrestled all year, and that's what we need right now. I'm excited about how we wrestled today.”

Senior Eric Harmon (30-5) received a bye for the first round of the 132 weight division and landed a trip to the semifinals with a win over Brian Schlafly of MICDS by fall at the 1:36 mark.

Junior Ryan Young (22-13) won by technical fall over Daniel Stolarski of Affton. With a win by fall over Landon Sprous of Potosi, Young has a chance at the district title.

Junior Kasen Forkum (12-4) received a bye for the first round and got his shot at the semifinals with a winning pin of Mike`kel Payne of Kennett in the 150-pound weight division.

With a bye in the first round and quarterfinals, Senior Kolin Simpson (16-6) lands a spot in the semifinals for the 285 weight division.