TWO JACKSON WRESTLERS STILL IN HUNT FOR MEDALS

COLUMBIA -- Jackson's Lance Schlick and Kyle Watson are the only area wrestlers still alive as the 1998 Missouri State High School Championships enters its final rounds of competition today.

Schlick, a junior competing at 125 pounds, lost in Friday night's Class 4A semifinals as Oakville's Brett Lieberoff claimed a 9-6 victory.

Schlick will wrestle twice more today with a chance to finish as high as third and no worse than sixth.

Earlier Friday, Schlick -- who had been the only one among six Jackson state qualifiers to win in Thursday's opening round -- blanked Klint Calton of Blue Springs 8-0 in the quarterfinals.

Schlick, third in the state last season and sixth the year before, now has a 33-7 record this season.

Watson, competing at 130 pounds, won both of his wrestleback matches Friday after losing in Thursday's opening round. The junior, who has a 26-9 record, will have two more matches today as he also can finish no worse than sixth and as high as third.

In Friday's action, Watson beat CBC's Jeff Ryan 11-4 and Ft. Zumwalt South's Mike Kelly 5-3.

Two of the other four Jackson grapplers who lost Thursday qualified for wrestlebacks (since their first-round opponents went on to win in the quarterfinals) while the other two did not.

Brett Stroud (103) won his first match Friday, pinning Hazelwood Central's Matt Johnston in 2:52, but he then dropped a 5-3 overtime decision to Ft. Zumwalt South's John Williams. Stroud, a freshman, finished the season with a 32-5 record.

Dustin Baker (171) lost to McCluer's Travis Hodge 9-3 Friday. The junior ended up with a 16-16 record.

Failing to make wrestlebacks were Jackson's Eric Rhodes (119) and Kent Langston (189), along with Cape Girardeau Central's Matt Strickland (189).