Jackson boys wrestling places 11th in Class 4 with four all-state medalists; Kayleigh Milam earns silver for girls

31 Southeast Missouri wrestlers grappled in the 2025 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships from Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 26-March 1.

Jackson junior Kayleigh Milam rose as the cream of the local crop by becoming only state finalist among the group.

Milam made Jackson history by being the school’s first state finalist after defeating Annabelle Dunlop of Winnetonka by a 18-2 tech-fall in the 110-pound semifinal round.

”It means a lot for our program,” Milam said.

Milam celebrated her semifinal win by jumping into the arms of girls wrestling coach Cody Rouse.

“Coach Rouse has done an outstanding job with her all year,” Jackson head coach Steve Wachter said. “He upped the schedule and has taken her to some really tough tournaments and I think that’s what helped her make it to the finals here.”

Jackson sent seven boys to the Class 4 tournament and four of them earned a spot at the podium. As a team, the Indians finished the Class 4 tournament 11th among a field of over 50 schools.

“That’s where we figured as a coaching staff and a team that we could push for the top 10,” Wachter said. “It’s a rugged state championships, Class 4, and I thought we wrestled really tough throughout the whole tournament.”

Kade King (43-7) led the pack by placing third in the 132-pound bracket. He received the bronze after a medical forfeit but earned the medal by defeating Caleb Frankenberger of Lafayette by a 3-2 decision in the consolation semifinals. Brysen Wessell (41-8) and Joah Moore (37-9) each finished fourth place. Grady Rice started the day in the semifinals looking to become the Indians’ first state finalist since Tyler Beyatte in 2023. The junior finished sixth place and with a 42-10 record.

“That happens quite a bit, and it’s an emotional roller coaster ride, no doubt about that,” Wachter said. “We got a little hot streak where we won like six matches in a row in the wrestlebacks. That really put us back in it.”

Unlike previous state runs, Jackson brought only four juniors and three underclassmen. While Wachter takes this state run as an encouraging sign for the program, he understands that the rest of the state is also going through a youth movement. There were more juniors (72) in the tournament than any other age group, with seniors coming second with 67.

“The entire state is really good right now,” Wachter said, “and they’re young. We’re young but so is everybody else. We’re going to have to work really hard to improve and to up our game.”

Freeman wins fourth medal

Senior Zoe Freeman placed fifth in the Class 2 195-pound bracket with a 6-2 win over Harmony Moore of Willard.

Freeman (29-3) won three straight wrestleback matches to set up a first round rematch against Yisel Perez of Waynesville (41-5). She pinned Freeman in the first round but only won the rematch by a 3-1 decision to reach the third-place match.

Freeman finishes her career with four all-state medals.

Cape Central’s Poole finishes top 8

Cape Central junior Connor Poole became the first Tiger wrestler to advance to the second day of the state tournament since Josh Pullen and Dawson Bevens in 2020.

Poole fell in the first round but battled back in the wrestleback rounds to make it a win away from all-state status. Poole fell in the third wrestleback round on a 6-3 decision to Steven Benhumea of McDonald County (32-9) and had to settle for being among the eight best 215-pound wrestlers in Class 3.

Poole finishes his season with a 25-16 record.