Dowdy, Schreckenberg earn first state medals in ND wrestling history

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Owen Dowdy felt he just needed a few more seconds and his season could’ve ended on a higher note.

The senior took fourth place on the final day of the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.

Dowdy finished the season with a 45-4 record and avenged his first loss of the tournament early Saturday morning when he pinned Brookfield’s Devan Parn in 4:02. The two met in the opening round of the tournament and the freshman upset Dowdy by a 9-0 major decision.

That moved Dowdy into the third-place match, which would be the first medal earned by any Bulldog wrestler.

Marceline’s Conner Quinn held a 5-2 lead late in the third until Dowdy got a reversal with 16 seconds. Down by a point, Dowdy couldn’t get the match tied.

“I swear, if I had 30 more seconds,” Dowdy said, shaking his head at the close call. “Really, I’m so happy. I can’t really comprehend what is going on (earning a medal) and it is a blessing to have it in my life. It really is. I never expected anything like this. It is a cool deal.”

About 30 minutes later, teammate Trey Schreckenberg capped off his run with a win over Lane Scott of West Platte in the 195 fifth-place match.

Notre Dame's Trey Schreckenberg wrestles on Day 3 of the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.Cody Thorn ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

Schreckenberg bounced back from a loss to Trenton’s Sam Gibson earlier in the day and finished 35-4 overall on the season.

“I really wanted to win my last match ever, it was important to me to end on a good note,” Schreckenberg said.

He led early but was tied 2-2 going into the third. He got an escape early but was hit with a penalty for stalling with 32 seconds left to tie the match at 3-3. With 15 seconds left, Schreckenberg to a takedown that eventually provided the winning points. Another penalty point with 12 seconds left helped Scott pull within one and provided an outside chance for a comeback but the Bulldogs’ senior held on for the win.

“It is pretty hard trying to keep a 200-pound guy from standing up … it is pretty hard,” Schreckenberg said. “This win means a lot, I wanted to make a lot of people proud, my coaches, my parents, my family. It means a lot to be up there (on the medal stand).”

__Two Indians medal__

Saturday was a day of rematches for Landon Vassalli, who ended up seeing two foes he already faced in the tournament.

The sophomore 106-pound wrestler opened up with Fort Zumwalt North’s Nathaniel Provost and beat him for the second time, though this one by injury default in 3:06. The two met in the opening round on Thursday and Vassalli (44-6) won by a 3-2 decision.

That moved Vassalli into the third-place match where he beat Ozark’s Damien Moseley for the second time in two days. Vassalli won 7-5 in a rematch of Friday’s quarterfinal match that he won 2-0 in overtime.

Vassalli led 3-0 after two periods but fell behind 5-3. He got a reversal that turned into a near fall that got two points to win 7-5.

“He wrestled by far the best tournament of his life,” Jackson coach Steve Wachter said.

Liam Bryant took fourth place for the Indians, going 1-1 on his final day at state. He secured a 1-0 win over Lee’s Summit North’s Trent Taylor thanks to an escape to open the second period.

In the third-place match, he lost to Nixa’s John Gholson, a third-place finisher at 220 last year, 5-1. Bryant finished this senior season with a 35-5 mark.

“It is really hard,” Wachter said. “He lost 1-0 last night and wrestled a kid from Nixa for 3rd-4th and he is a really good athlete. He was 220 and came up to heavy(weight) and he is a good athlete but you got a lot of those in Class 4.

“This weekend was tough. You are disappointed for kids that don’t get medals but I’m always proud of the kids. Overall, a little disappointed for our expectations and what we wanted but that happens sometimes. In my 40 years, we've had a lot of years where you don’t get what you want in the state championship.”

MSHSAA State Wrestling

Boys

__Class 4__

106 — Landon Vassali, Jackson, def. Nathaniel Provots, Fort Zumwalt North, by inj. default, 3:06; Vassalli, Jackson, def., Damien Moseley, by dec., 7-5

285 — Liam Bryant, Jackson, def. Trent Taylor, Lee’s Summit North, by dec., 1-0; John Gholson, Nixa, def. Bryant, Jackson, by dec, 5-1.

__Class 1__

138 — Owen Dowdy, Notre Dame, def. Devan Parn, Brookfield, by pin, 4:02; Conner Quinn, Marceline, def. Dowdy, Notre Dame, by dec., 5-4

195 — Sam Gibson, Trenton, def. Trey Schreckenberg, Notre Dame, by fall, 2:42; Schreckenberg, Notre Dame, def. Lane Scott, West Platte, by dec. 5-4