Southeast Missourian's player of the week: Jackson's Jarrett Reisenbichler

Jackson High School sophomore Jarrett Reisenbichler contended with a serious knee injury on his way to a second-place finish in the Class 4 106-pound division at the Missouri Wrestling Championships last weekend in Columbia, Mo.

Reisenbichler went into the championships with a 41-1 record and a torn meniscus in his left knee that would require surgery two days after the meet ended. Reisenbichler, who suffered his only loss by injury default in the district championship match, proceeded to win three matches to reach Saturday's championship match.

Reisenbichler opened with a first-period pin of Lee's Summit North freshman Austin Hanson in the first round. He then moved on with a pair of decisions, first defeating Holt freshman Sidney Oliver 6-2 in the quarterfinals and then beating Marquette junior Brett Stoffel 4-2 in the semifinals.

The knee injury and Park Hill freshman Sean Hosford (51-5) proved too much in the final. Reisenbichler lost by pin in the first period, ending his season with a 44-2 record.

"It didn't last too long," Reisenbichler said about the championship match. "I really couldn't do too much. I could hardly walk."

It was the second all-state performance for Reisenbichler, who finished fourth as a freshman.

"Really, it was an incredible feat to get to the finals," Jackson coach Steve Wachter said. "I'm disappointed for him. He started out the year strong, really on top of it. He just found a way to fight through [the injury] and get to the finals."