Sikeston wrestling leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of excellence

The leaves have all fallen, the wind chill has begun to drop and the lines painted onto the field at Sikeston Public School stadium have all but faded.

For some, that means winter sports are digging in for the long season ahead for the Bulldogs’ wrestlers, it means the hunt for Columbia is officially underway.

The mindset around the program is to prepare to finish. Coming off arguably their most successful, yet disappointing season in decades, continuing to work towards winning has to be on the mind of everyone in the room.

Although the program saw its first female state champion, Alayna Ray, it also saw many come short at districts.

“We were just not as prepared as we needed to be,” said Sikeston wrestling coach Blake Angle. “We did not put in as much work in the offseason. We let so many of those matches last year [in the district tournament] get away from us.”

For those who lost late, their eyes have to be focused on preparing both mentally and physically for punching their ticket this year.

“The work was put in after last season,” Angle said. We got the extra reps needed, we are physically and mentally ready, and our attitude and mindset is where it needs to be.”

Much of the preparation for this season began immediately following the conclusion of the state tournament.

Watching Ray capture a gold medal only added fuel to the already burning fire. It has also seemed to elevate the program to another level, with several new additions this season.

The impact was never more obvious than seeing a steady line of red and black uniforms, inscribed with the word ‘Family,’ exit the Sikeston Wrestling room for the annual Red and Black meet.

Running out to Johnny Cash’s hit, “God’s gonna cut you down”, in front of a jam-packed Fieldhouse crowd, It seemed as though the army of athletes was never going to stop.

As the first set of matches got under way the crowd and alumni of wrestlers erupted, marking the beginning of the hunt to February.

“We are young but we are hungry,” Angle said.

Sikeston started its regular season in a triangular meet with Dexter and De Soto on November 28 at Dexter.

Angle and his staff will be working with a much younger group than in years past.

On opening night only four seniors wrestled varsity, Colin Scott (144-pound weight class), Jax Lancaster (157), Sam Lancaster (165) and Elijah Torres (175).

While the other nine slots were filled with underclassmen, four being freshmen.

Senior Ayden King is expected to contribute at the junior varsity level, but he is a valuable asset to the team and will help them in any way he can, even if it’s not on the wrestling mat.

“We have great kids in this group,” Angle said. “They continue to show up every day, work hard, and just get after it.”

Angle believes that although this year’s group may appear young, they are developing well.

The staff came into this season with a plan to revisit the basics and core fundamentals of the sport. As a squad most have come in with a strong foundation and will only continue to grow, building upon success as it comes.

Cultivating that foundation are the feeder programs that Angle helped build and continues to watch grow yearly.

Angle helped build the Sikeston Wrestling Club when he joined as a young athlete. Being around the SWC since its inception has given him the experience and knowledge to maintain a program that produces experienced and capable athletes at the high school level.

The Sikeston Wrestling Club begins athletes on the path to success in the first grade and continues until they reach the high school level.

The Sikeston Wrestling Club is coached by parents, volunteers, and high school student-athletes all of whom embody Angle’s coaching and philosophies.

“We are starting to see the investment in our youth program pay off,” Angle said. “Our club kids come into high school knowledgeable about the sport. They come to us prepared and ready to compete.”

Angle hasn’t engineered this machine alone. He credits his support staff, his assistant coaches, and his high school wrestlers for the program’s success.

In recent years he has surrounded himself with an experienced staff and dedicated community who are vital to the growth and success of the program.

“The kids are coming into high school with a lot of experience on the mat,” he said. “They understand the little things like rules and weight management. They understand the culture and they have a love for the sport. They have been with us since they were kids so they truly feel a part of this family. I have to believe that is coming from our commitment to the club and junior high programs.”

In their debut, the Sikeston boys’ team handled Dexter, winning 57-15.

With seven of the victories coming from pins.

Scott had the lone victory by decision. It was a different story against Desoto as Sikeston was pinned in eight matches.

Freshmen Sam McGill (190) and Freshmen Ben Mcdermott (215) were the shining spots against the Dragons, both securing pins. It was the first varsity pinfall victory of McGill’s high school career.

“We were prepared for Dexter, but Desoto just came out and punched us in the mouth,” Angle said. “We will use that as motivation and continue to get better. It is still very early in the season.”

The Sikeston boys and girls team will travel to O’Fallon, Missouri this weekend to compete in the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament.

The Bulldogs will make stops in Cape Girardeau on Dec. 5 and Farmington on Dec. 7 before returning to the Field House on December 9 for the Sikeston JV Tournament.