Back on top: Jackson wrestling earns SEMO Conference tournament title

DEXTER — The Jackson Indians left a distinct mark — and a golden one — on the 2025 SEMO Conference wrestling tournament.

Behind three individual champions and 13 total medalists, the Indians fought their way to their first conference team title since 2020 with 365 points to runner-up Hillsboro’s 362. Jackson was a runner-up from 2021-2023 before placing third at the tournament a year ago.

“It’s just fantastic,” veteran head coach Steve Wachter said. “We won a conference championship four years in a row at one time. Then the last four years we haven't gotten it done. I mean, second is great, and a lot of teams would be happy, but we're not satisfied with that. We want to do the best we can, and we feel like we should have gotten it done a couple more times than we did. So, this is a big win for our wrestlers, coaching staff, and team.”

In Saturday’s semifinals the Indians went 6-for-12 and followed that up by winning three of six finals in the evening, with Graidy Rice (120 pounds), Kade King (132), and Joah Moore (175) all ascending to the top of the podium. The other three finalists were Caleb Schlick (150), Sawyer Goodwin (157) and Brysen Wessell (285).

Three more local wrestlers reached the finals. New Madrid County Central senior Connor Henderson captured the 190-pound crown, while Sikeston sophomore Sam McGill (190) and Notre Dame senior Cole Williams (215) both earned silver.

Three Indians strike gold

The day practically belonged to Jackson even if the Indians did not win all six finals at Dexter High School.

Rice’s final at 120 pounds was fireworks from whistle to whistle. The junior wasted no time against Hillsboro’s James Penick, hitting a seven-point move in the opening period en route to prevailing for a 10-9 decision.

“I tried the firemans, but he's so long that he just took his hips away,” said Rice, who earned his second straight conference championship. “I can't get to his legs, so I just grabbed his waist and kind of rolled him through like a firemans from the top and bottom. He just went straight to his back, I held him there, got my seven-point near fall, and the rest is history.”

The toolsy Rice’s path to the finals was utterly dominant, as he won two bouts by fall and one by technical fall when he dusted Sikeston’s Louis Montijoy 16-1 in the semifinals.

“I'm just improving every day,” Rice said. “I’m not looking forward to just big wins like that. I'm looking forward to practice where I can just get more and more time in and just get better and better each day.”

King, the top seed at 132, defeated Hillsboro’s Jordan Penick 7-5 behind a pair of clutch reversals in the final two periods. The junior has come close to major tournament success in the past and Saturday may mark a new high for him. His emotional reaction after claiming the 132-pound title said it all.

“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to compete,” King said. “I’m thankful for my coaches and all my teammates. We’re getting so good together and so much closer. This really meant a lot to me because that guy I had in the finals beat me my freshman year multiple times. It’s great to just see growth throughout the years.”

Perhaps the individual title that cemented Jackson’s team championship belonged to the sophomore Moore, who pinned his way through the tournament.

The 175-pounder made a tremendous statement with his second-period pin against Hillsboro’s Jack Hoven. After hitting a slick double-leg takedown 10 seconds into the match, Moore was deadly on top and cranked a tight arm bar at the edge of the circle to put Hoven away and earn his first conference chip.

An individual title? Great. A individual title by bonus? Even better.

That’s a sign of a wrestler peaking at the right time in his high school career.

“Joah was on a mission, man,” Wachter said. “He knew he had to do that. I mean, we had talked, he knew he had to get a pin, and he just got after him. He's strong, he's physical, and he's a great kid. He went out after it.”

Henderson’s huge comeback

The New Madrid County Central senior wrestled a dazzling final at 190.

Facing the top-seeded McGill of Sikeston, Henderson, the No. 3 seed, put the same kind of high-flying performance on display that he had in his earlier matches in the tournament to reassert himself as one of the area’s top upperweights.

In the final, McGill struck first when he hit a huge seven-point move 30 seconds in before Henderson responded with an escape and a beautiful hip toss at the edge of the circle for a loud first-period pin.

Local finalists denied

Wessell, the No. 2 seed at 285, fell 2-1 to Ste. Genevieve’s top-seeded Jacob Schweigert in the final.

The difference was a stalling penalty point awarded in the second period; otherwise, both wrestlers traded escapes and were evenly matched on their feet. Wessell, who captured a conference title at 215 last season, posted a gritty win earlier Saturday when he blanked Kevin Thompson of Kennett 3-0 in the semifinals.

Schlick had one of those finals that didn’t show his tournament off well; the top seed at 150, he earned a tech fall, a pin and a 16-6 major decision to reach the final, where No. 2 seed Wyatt Hendrix of Hillsboro handled Schlick before the Indian injury defaulted. Hendrix was stronger and faster and got to Schlick’s legs multiple times behind a pair of takedowns. But that’s a good lesson to learn for the promising sophomore.

In the 157-pound final, Goodwin seemed unprepared for Famington senior Kyeler Aders’ power and couldn’t respond to the Knight upping the tempo. Goodwin, who earned an electrifying first-period pin over Ste. Genevieve’s Owen Roth in the semifinals, got pinned at the 2:49 mark.

Williams, the top seed at 215, established the early lead against Hillsboro’s Brandon Bequette behind a second-period reversal, but the Notre Dame Bulldog was dinged with a second stall call with six seconds left in overtime to lose 3-2 in the final.

Other place winners:

106 lbs. - Paxton White (3rd/Dexter), Dane Armstrong (6th/Cape Central)

113 lbs. - Kamden Gerhardt (3rd/Jackson), Oscar Kester (6th/Notre Dame)

120 lbs. - Louis Montjoy (4th/Sikeston)

126 lbs. - Mitchel Baker (3rd/Jackson), Adrian Paulson-Riveros (6th/Poplar Bluff)

132 lbs. - Branson Crum (5th/Poplar Bluff)

138 lbs. - Gannon Rice (3rd/Jackson), Conner Michael (5th/Sikeston)

144 lbs. - Jacob Milam (3rd/Jackson), Anthony Lindsey (4th/Sikeston), Gavin Stroup (5th/Poplar Bluff)

150 lbs. - Parker Lemmons (3rd/Notre Dame), Colin Scott (6th/Sikeston)

157 lbs. - Noah Perkins (4th/Poplar Bluff)

165 lbs. - Matthew May (4th/Jackson), Karson Rolland (5th/Poplar Bluff), Lavon Downey (6th/Kennett)

190 lbs. - Jordon Sostillio (3rd/Jackson), Guy Conner (5th/Poplar Bluff), Connor Jackson (6th/Notre Dame)

215 lbs. - Charlie Eifert (3rd/Jackson)

285 lbs. - Thompson (3rd/Kennett), Wesley Patterson (6th/Sikeston)