Push for state wrestling meet arrives for Hobeck, perfect Indians

~The heavyweight hopes to follow his dad's path to a state wrestling title

It's not by chance that the walk to the Jackson High School wrestling practice room can be an inspirational one for Indian team members.

Framed pictures of state champions -- 12 in all -- line the hallway leading to the downstairs room in the school. Similarly, photos of 53 Jackson wrestlers -- those who earned all-state status under present coach Steve Wachter -- ring the large, spacious practice area.

Jackson junior heavyweight Preston Hobeck makes that walk nearly every day during wrestling season. Each time, he passes a photo of his father that recognizes Ron Hobeck's 185-pound Missouri state championship in 1982.

That type of family bond has come to characterize this edition of the Indians wrestling program, one that heads into this weekend's Class 4 District 1 meet in St. Louis on yet another impressive role.

"Wrestling is a tough sport for tough kids, and wrestling is very demanding," said Wachter, who is taking 14 wrestlers to Parkway South High School for the two-day tournament that begins today. "If parents and the family doesn't understand the commitment it takes to excel, sometimes it can be kind of complicated for them. The more understanding and background they have of wrestling, the commitment and dedication it takes, the better it is."

It's that family lineage of wrestling -- either from parents or uncles, or older siblings -- that Wachter believes has helped make this team one of his closest teams in 20 years as Jackson's head coach.

"Our teams are usually pretty close-knit," he said. "A lot of these wrestlers, their families have traveled together, and they know each other real well and understand each other. They understand the positive and negative things of each one and all their friends. I think that helps on the closeness aspect and understanding of each individual."

Jackson finished 10-0 in scheduled dual meets this season, upping its mark to 163-15-1 in duals under Wachter. The Indians had a record 10 individual champions at this year's conference meet, raising that total to 85 in the past 20 years. As a team, Jackson won its 20th conference title since the program's inception in 1970.

Jackson has won the overall team title of every wrestling tournament its participated in this season.

The Indians return six state qualifiers from a year ago, and Hobeck is hoping he earns that elusive state appearance this year. He finished one match short of qualifying for state last season.

"I feel really confident going into districts," said Hobeck, who sports a 29-1 record heading into today's competition. "I would really like to place this year, and I think I can."

Hobeck, who started wrestling when he was 8 years old, came up through the Jackson youth program and knows first-hand the commitment and dedication needed to succeed in the sport.

The walk past his father's picture is a daily reminder.

"It's something I'm proud of," he said. "I can look up to it and say, 'I want to be like that.' So then everyone can be proud of me, and [we] can be a father-son state champ."

Falling in the district semifinals and again in the "bubble match" wrestleback last season has driven Hobeck to work even harder this season.

"I just need to stay focused and push whatever's hurting me," he said. "And win those close matches."

Hobeck, a Class 5 first-team all-state defensive lineman during this past fall's football season, stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 240 pounds -- somewhat small for a heavyweight. But what he lacks in size he makes up for in strength and quickness.

"His quickness is one of his strengths," said Wachter. "And his strength is one of his big strengths. He's very, very powerful, and he's worked hard to get that power. And here comes family again: His dad was very powerful. He was very strong. [Preston] has very good feet. That's what makes him a good football player and a very good heavyweight."

As a small heavyweight, Hobeck often finds himself facing competitors a half-foot taller and 50-60 pounds -- or more -- heavier than himself. It doesn't faze him, he said, because that's where his quickness negates any size disadvantage.

"I feel like I'm quicker and my [endurance] is better and I can probably last longer with them," he said.

Senior Clay Darnell, who wrestles at 220 pounds for the Indians, often spars with Hobeck on the practice mat. Darnell not only helps his teammate work on his weaknesses, but notes that facing Hobeck on a daily basis has helped himself as well.

"He's very good getting into the body, really strong and works really hard," Darnell said. "We've got the same body type. He's really good with his hips. We get into positions we wouldn't normally get in, and we wrestle really [well] together, compare our strengths and weakness, and develop both of our skills where our weakness are our strengths and our strengths are our weaknesses."

Hobeck's lone loss this season was to Jacob Semple, of Waynesville, Mo., in the finals of the St. Charles West Invitational in January. The two could meet again at state -- if Hobeck is able to advance from this weekend's district competition, which Wachter said will be tough. Fourteen schools make up the district, and only the top four finishers in each weight class advance to the state meet in Columbia, Mo.

"Each weight class is kind of neat individually, but heavyweight might be the one that sticks out kind of on its own," Wachter said. "Big things can happen fast at heavyweight. You make a mistake at heavyweight, it might be your last mistake for the match because of the weight that's involved. ... There is a weight discrepancy there, and it's just a little different style at heavyweight.

"It's really hard to say, 'He's going to do this,' or 'This heavyweight is going to do that.' Heavyweight can be pretty exciting sometimes. One mistake can mean disaster for him and make a whole change in the bracket and change the result in the tournament for him."

JACKSON INDIVIDUALS

106 – Jarrett Reisenbichler, jr., 27-0

113 – Gus Guilliams, fr., 20-1

120 – Jake Byrd, so., 30-1

126 – Payne Guilliams, fr., 14-9

132 – Micah Collier, so., 23-2

138 – Tyler Rush, sr., 28-1

145 – Dyland Rush, sr., 18-5

152 – Clayton Collier, jr., 30-1

160 – Gabriel Dudley, so., 16-7

170 – Carson McCord, so., 10-0

182 – Josh Stone, jr., 26-5

195 – Chris Collier, sr., 18-6

220 – Clay Darnell, sr., 28-3

285 – Preston Hobeck, jr., 29-1

The Jackson wrestling team has been perfect entering this weekend's Class 4 District 1 meet at Parkway South High School. The Indians are 10-0 in dual meets and won all four tournaments they participated in. Team members, from left: Gus Guilliams, Payne Guilliams, Tyler Rush, Clayton Collier, Carson McCord, Chris Collier, Preston Hobeck, Clay Darnell, Josh Stone, Gabriel Dudley, Dylan Rush, Micah Collier, Jake Byrd and Jarrett Reisenbichler.