Sikeston’s Douglass and Wilkins qualify for state

UNION, MO. — Sikeston had two athletes qualify for the state meet following a strong performance at the MSHSAA Class 1, District 1 Meet held at Union High School.

Ellie Douglass, a seasoned veteran, clinched her third consecutive state meet appearance with a dominant second-place finish in the 100-pound weight class. Douglass showcased her prowess with back-to-back pins, defeating Genevieve’s Camille Melahn (9-23) in 2:36 and Brentwood’s Ashlyn Wildgrube (18-8) in just 1:16.

Her impressive run came to an end in the championship match against Festus’ Mya Hairston (29-2), who secured the win by pinfall.

“The state meet is always a different experience,” Douglass said. “I’m definitely looking forward to it this year. I just want to have fun and wrestle as best I can, looking forward to my next match and not worrying about the past or anything else.”

In another exciting development, Kimarhri Wilkins earned her first state meet qualification with a determined fourth-place finish in the 140-pound weight class.

Wilkins opened her run with a convincing pin over St. Clair’s Peyton Dunn (33-13) in 6:28.

Despite encountering setbacks against Sullivan’s Dorie Richardson (34-3) and Festus’ Dani Gullet (33-8), Wilkins' performance underscores her potential on the state stage.

“I’ve been trying my best to work hard and to mentally keep going,” Wilkins said. “During my match to qualify, I was a little worried and then I looked at my coach and took a deep breath and I knew I was going win my match.

“The biggest challenge of wrestling not giving up and to keep on fighting,” she continued. “I’m proud that I’ve made it to state so I’m going make as many memories as I can and just have fun.”

The 6th annual Girls’ MSHSAA State Meet will take place at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri on Feb. 21 and 22 (Class 1).