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Sikeston wrestlers lock up key victories at Fort Zumwalt North Tournament
O’FALLON, Mo. — The Sikeston wrestling teams demonstrated a competitive edge at the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament this past weekend, facing off against a challenging array of Class 2, 3, and 4 schools from across Missouri.
The tournament served as a crucial test, both mentally and physically, as the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs continue to hone their skills this season.
“We did extremely well this weekend,” said Sikeston coach Charles David. “This tournament is one of the harder tournaments we go to throughout the year. It was a good litmus test to see where we were at.”
The Bulldogs' standout performer was Wesley Patterson, who secured a commendable third place in the 285-pound weight class.
Patterson began his campaign with a decisive 7-2 victory over Hickman’s Levi Harrell, followed by a pin against Battle’s Wyatt Belcher-Key in the quarterfinals. Despite a setback in the semifinals against Willard’s Brady Griffin, Patterson clinched third place via a medical forfeit over Capital City’s Reyce Turner.
Other notable performances from the boys' team included Tristan Leavitt and Sam McGill, who each finished fifth at 157 and 190, respectively.
Leavitt, after an initial loss to Fort Zumwalt North’s Cole Arguirre, rebounded with four consecutive wins, culminating in a 3-0 victory over Ozark’s Jaxon Kerans.
McGill started strong with a pinfall win over Francis Howell Central’s Enzo Hernandez but faced a tough quarterfinal loss to Republic’s Izaiah Hull. He finished the tournament with two pinfall victories and a narrow 1-0 decision to secure fifth place.
Conner Michael placed seventh at 138 after a series of hard-fought matches.
“I was thrilled with how tough our boys wrestled on Saturday,” Michael said. “We had a lot of tough matches with some real quality wrestlers from around the state of Missouri. Our guys showed tenacity, determination, and grit as they wrestled. We took some really good kids to deep water and won. In the matches we didn’t win we fought and wrested tough. I was pleased with our performance. We will only get better from here.”
The Lady Bulldogs also made their mark, with Shanell Williams and Dayten Owens leading the charge.
Williams, competing at 155 pounds, opened with two pinfall victories against Fort Zumwalt North’s Braedyn Carson and Rock Bridge’s Favour Nwozor. Although she fell to Hannibal’s Sidney Zimmerman in the semifinals, Williams bounced back to claim third place with a pinfall win over Festus’ Grace Dust.
Owens, wrestling at 235, showcased her tenacity by securing a pin against Capital City’s Haley Hedrick in her opening match. Despite a subsequent loss to Seckman’s Madison Clover, Owens concluded the tournament with two rapid pins, including a swift 21-second victory over Hillsboro’s Chloe Gould and a 44-second pin against Hedrick.
“I saw a lot of positives from the girls on Friday night in how they wrestled and how they were implementing our system into how they were wrestling,” Michael said. “The season is still early and we are young but the potential for our girls team is great.”
The Sikeston boys’ team will compete in a triangular meet with Cape Central at Carbondale (Ill.) on Tuesday, Dec. 10, while the girls’ team will compete in a triangular meet with Windsor at Farmington on Thursday, Dec. 12.