Sikeston wrestling trio reach 100 wins

SIKESTON, MO. — Sikeston Wrestling has been a force to be reckoned with in the last several years under the direction of head coach Blake Angle.

Angle has consistently built the program upwards, each season proving to be a bit better than the year before since taking the reins.

Attendance, along with wins, continues to tick up, with no signs of slowing down. The senior class for the 2022-2023 season plans to continue the trend.

Sikeston's Blayne McDermott�competes against West Plains�on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Field House.��Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

This season three of the Bulldogs, Dominic Mullin, Jacob Leavitt, and Blayne Mcdermott, all reached the milestone of 100 Wins.

For wrestlers, 100 wins could be compared to 1,000 points in basketball or 1,500 yards rushing in football. It is not an easy feat, nor something that is seen very often. Sikeston Wrestling has three, in one season.

For all three wrestlers, their journey began before high school.

Sikeston's Dominic Mullin�competes against West Plains�on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Field House.��Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

Leavitt says he started in First grade for the Sikeston Wrestling Club. He says it is the drive and the addiction to the sport that has kept him involved since such a young age.

McDermott began with luck and a friendship with Leavitt in first grade. He spent the night with Leavitt, with the condition that he had to go to wrestling practice. McDermott said he instantly fell in love with the sport and has never looked back and it is the family connection that helps maintain his love for the sport.

Mullins began his career in third grade. Like the others, he says he fell in love with the sport and never really looked back.

Mullin and Leavitt reached their 100 wins at the Tiger Classic this year; McDermott followed at the Don Fuhrmann classic in Hillsboro.

Also, senior wrestler Alayna Ray has shined in the 235-pound weight class, being ranked one of the top girls in the state. She recently finished fourth in the Wonder Woman tournament in Columbia, Missouri, which featured nearly 700 wrestlers from across the country.