Jackson's Reisenbichler earns all-state wrestling honors for fourth straight year

Jarrett Reisenbichler closed his high school career Saturday with a distinction only one other Indian can boast in the decorated history of Jackson wrestling.

Reisenbichler finished third in the 113-pound division of Class 4 at the Missouri State High School Activites Association Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, becoming just the second Indian in school history to earn all-state honors all four years.

An injury-plagued senior season that limited him to 16 matches came to a victorious conclusion when he defeated Rockhurst sophomore Colin Valdiviez 8-2.

"That's what is really an unbelievable feat," Jackson coach Steve Wachter said. "He had a knee injury early in the year where he had a meniscus operation. And then he came back and broke his hand."

Reisenbichler began his season at the Tiger Classic, where he became a four-time champion. He broke his hand shortly after the meet, missed about four weeks and didn't return until shortly before the district meet.

"Really he took third in state with a broken hand," Wachter said. "I guess it's been six weeks now since he broke that hand. It really was a remarkable feat."

Reisenbichler's other three all-state finishes were in 106, including second as a sophomore and fourth his freshman and junior seasons.

"This was definitely the most satisfying," Reisenbichler said about his all-state finishes. "Nobody goes into a tournament wanting to get third, but I'll take it. I've never won my final match of the season, and I wanted to do that this time. The other times up there I finished second and fourth. I just wanted to win my final match, and I did."

Reisenbichler finished the season with a 15-1 record, with his lone loss coming to eventual state champion Sidney Oliver (45-3) of Holt in the semifinals. Reisenbichler won twice Saturday, first pinning Anthony Pisciotta of Timberland in the third-place semifinal before defeating Valdiviez for the second time in the tournament. He edged the sophomore 6-5 in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket Friday.

Lance Schlick is the only other Jackson wrestler to earn all-state four years, according to Wachter.

"It feels good, it was definitely one of my goals growing up," Reisenbichler said. "I thought it was cool to watch my brother (Cody) and everyone else coming through it. I thought it would be cool if I could win it, but that didn't happen, so I thought the next thing on the list, I guess, was to place four times."

Also receiving all-state status for the Indians was senior Clayton Collier, who overcame a severely broken arm during the summer to gain sixth place at 152.

"He's had a lot of adversity, but he's kind of persevered through things," said Wachter, noting Collier missed the season-opening tournament due to the injury. "We're really proud of him. It was a six-month journey before he could use that arm,"

Collier dropped his second-round match to unbeaten junior Canten Marriott of Park Hill, who won went on to win the 152 title. Collier responded to just his fourth loss of the season with a 3-1 second-round wrestleback win over Francis Howell Central senior Tate Bennett and a 7-3 win over Eureka senior Clayton Wegener in a third-round wrestleback to make the final day.

In a third-place semifinal, Timberland senior John Spires pinned Collier at the 1:24 mark. Collier then lost a 6-1 decision to Francis Howell freshman Jack Flynn to finish his season with a 28-6 record.

Jackson, which went through its regular season undefeated in dual meets and won the Tiger Classic and SEMO Conference titles, qualified seven wrestlers for the state meet. Reisenbichler and Collier were the only Indians to win their opening matches in a tough Class 4 field.

"The 4A might be as tough as I've ever seen it," Wachter said. "I know no one understands it unless you're sitting in the 4A competition, and the talent level at 4A wrestling is really incredible. And we wrestled really hard. It wasn't like we didn't show up to wrestle or we choked or anything like that. We wrestled extremely hard."

Three Indians saw their season end with one-point losses in Friday's wrestlebacks, including 1-0 decisions by senior heavyweight Preston Hobeck in the second round and junior Jake Byrd in the third round. Junior Micah Collier also lost a 3-2 decision in the third round.

All three of the matches for Hobeck (26-4), a two-time first-team all-state lineman in football, were one-point decisions. He dropped his opening-round match Thursday by a 4-3 decision to McCluer North's Quelton Tolliver, claimed a 3-2 decision in the first round of wrestlebacks later than night against Nixa's Austin Heatherly, before losing in 1-0 fashion to William Chrisman's Tomasi Tuione on Friday.

"The kid who took third in our district is in the final today," Wachter said. "So Preston won the district, and the kid who took third in the district is in the finals. That just kind of goes to show you how the 4A, the depth and how good everyone is."

Byrd won his second-round wrestleback with a pin of Rockhurst junior Carson Meek before losing 1-0 to Park Hill freshman Weston DiBlasi. Byrd finished with a 42-6 record.

Jackson junior Micah Collier also won his second-round wrestleback with an 11-2 decision over Francis Howell North senior, then was eliminated with a 3-2 loss to McCluer North junior Efe Osagae. Collier closed his season with a 35-7 record.

Jackson junior Carson McCord dropped his second-round wrestleback match to Rock Bridge senior Graham Ratermann by a 7-2 decision. McCord closed at 35-4.

Westminster Christian Academy sophomore Adam Olsen defeated Jackson sophomore Gus Gulliams (22-5) in the second round of wrestlebacks, winning 9-0 by decision.

"This was a very successful season, and a very tough season as far as facing adversity," Wachter said. "The thing you can take away from this is you're going to face a lot of different things in life, and you have to try to persevere and fight your way though it."

Noteworthy

• Notre Dame senior Noah Huff was eliminated in his third wrestleback match Friday. Huff decisioned Borgia freshman Dylan Hellebusch 4-0 in his second wrestleback match but then dropped a 6-3 decision to Winfield sophomore Kai Rogers. Huff ended his season with a 39-12 record.

Missouri Wrestling Championships

at Columbia, Missouri

Friday

Class 2

Second-round wrestleback

120 -- Noah Huff (ND) dec. Dylan Hellebusch (Borgia), 4-0

Third-round wrestleback

120 -- Kai Rogers (Winfield) dec. Huff, 6-3

Class 4

Second-round wrestleback

106 -- Adam Olsen (Westminster Christian) dec. Gus Gulliams (J), 9-0

126 -- Jake Byrd (J) pin Carson Meek (Rockhurst), :57

138 -- Micah Collier (J) dec. Sam Ritchie (Francis Howell North), 11-2

152 -- Clayton Collier (J) dec. Tate Bennett (Francis Howell Central), 3-1

170 -- Graham Ratermann (Rockbridge) dec. Carson McCord (J), 7-2

HWT -- Tomasi Tuione (William Chrisman) dec. Preston Hobeck (J), 1-0

Third-round wrestleback

126 -- Weston DiBlasi (Park Hill) dec. Byrd (J), 1-0

138 -- Efe Osagae (McCluer North) dec. Collier (J), 3-2

152 -- Collier (J) dec. Clayton Wegener (Eureka), 7-3

Quaterfinals

113 -- Jarrett Reisenbichler (J) dec. Colin Valdiviez (Rockhurst), 6-5

152 -- Canten Marriott (Park Hill) dec. Clayton Collier, 10-2

Semifinals

113 -- Sidney Oliver (Holt) dec. Reisenbichler (J), 5-0

Saturday

Fourth-round wrestleback

113 -- Reisenbichler (J) pin Anthony Pisciotta (Timberland), 5:14

152 -- John Spires (Timerland) pin Collier (J), 1:24

Third place

113 -- Reisenbichler (J) dec. Valdiviez (Rockhurst), 8-2

Fifth place

152 -- Jack Flynn (Francis Howell) dec. Collier (J), 6-1