Sikeston's Gavilan Bland put his finger to the air, knowing the results of his 8-6 victory over Brandon Crandall Saturday at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. (Kit Doyle/Southeast Missourian) [Click to enlarge]

COLUMBIA -- Sikeston's Gavilan Bland finished a stellar high school wrestling career with a fourth-place finish at the State Wrestling Championships at Columbia.

Bland, wrestling in the 171 pound weight division, went into Saturday knowing that he could finish no lower than sixth but could finish as high as third.

In his first match Saturday, against Brandon Crandle of Neosho, Bland used good technique and strength to post a hard-fought 8-6 win.

The win put Bland in the third-place match against Brian Tucker of Holt, who had beaten Dan Schreimann of Warrensburg earlier in the day. On Friday, Schriemann narrowly defeated Bland, 6-5, knocking the Sikeston senior from state championship contention.

Bland and Tucker locked up in an intense battle, with Bland taking a 5-4 lead in the third period after an escape. However Bland was then taken down and turned over for a near fall late in the match and the Sikeston senior could never recover.

Bland finishes the season with a record of 39-5.