Sikeston sophomore breaking 'the barrier' to find success on the mat

Sikeston's Sam McGill wrestles a Ste. Genevieve opponent on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in Sikeston.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Even though he's only in his second year of wrestling, Sikeston sophomore Sam McGill looks like a seasoned senior on the mat.

Coming off a football season where he has been one of the Bulldogs' leading tacklers on defense, he didn't want the after-school battles to simply be left for the gridiron. The 190-pounder originally joined the wrestling team as a freshman last year to satiate his desire for more avenues to showcase his physical strength.

And he got what he asked for.

"I saw a lot more physical and tougher people than me," McGill said.

McGill's freshman season was a trial by fire, as he struggled with a 17-21 record in a weight class filled with upperclassmen.

"It was a painful season. It was rough," McGill said. "I started because I wanted to get better and I wanted to be more physical. It's a mental game too."

At 19-3 entering Tuesday's home tri-meet with Notre Dame and Kennett, McGill has made such an improvement in his mental approach more so than simply getting strong enough to meet the physicality of his weight class.

"I'm prepared to win more than anything now," McGill said. "Last year, I just went in wanting to get it over with. That was my mental mindset more than anything. Now I'm ready to win, I'm ready to show what I got."

McGill went head first into the inevitable defeats as a freshman to gain the experience needed to prepare himself for his eventual breakout season. He is also challenged constantly in the practice room by some of his tougher teammates.

"I wrestle better people than me at the room and knowing that I know I can beat people out here," said McGill, who mentioned 138-pound senior Connor Michael as the teammate who pushes him the most.

"He's mentally and physically stronger than me at the game of wrestling. He pushes me a lot harder than anybody else in that room."

McGill also improved physically with the help of first-year football coach Jim May, who brought the same strength training system from Scott City into Sikeston and made an impact on his athletes.

"He pushed us more than anything in the weight room," McGill said. "We didn't have that last year, and I think that helped me more than anything."

McGill said he realized this was going to be a special season for him when he defeated Graham Bennett of Ozark by a 1-0 decision in the consolation semifinals on his way to finishing fifth in the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament on Dec. 7, 2024.

"I knew I was gonna win," McGill said. "I went out there, wrestled my best, and I knew that was a turning point."

McGill won his first two matches by pin at the Tiger Pride Battle on Saturday in Willard, Mo., but then medically forfeited the final two matches. His availability for the SEMO Conference Tournament on Friday-Saturday in Dexter, Mo., will be up in the air.

If he is healthy enough for the SEMO Conference, McGill said he needs to live up to the team's motto, "Break the Barrier", and stay strong through all three periods to make it to the top of the podium in both conference and soon district.

"That's going to get me to state this year for sure," McGill said.

Sikeston wrestling coaches Charles David (left) and Jacob May (right) celebrate with Ellie Douglass (middle) after her 100th career win at Willard High School.

Submitted.

Bulldogs at Willard

Three Bulldogs placed in the top four and two others won their fifth-place matches as Sikeston placed seventh as a team in the Tiger Pride Battle.

"As a team, I was so proud of our wrestlers," Sikeston head coach Charles Michael said. "We faced some adversity with things that were out of our control but the Bulldog wrestling team was comfortable being uncomfortable and didn't back down this weekend. We wrestled tough."

Connor Michael led the Bulldogs with a second-place finish after pinning Cameron Hess of Moberly in 37 seconds, defeating Harrisonville's Gabe Hunter by an 18-6 major decision, and beating Kadyn Allerton of Reeds Spring to reach the championship bout.

"Conner Michael wrestled gritty and smart throughout the day," Michael said of his son.

Sikeston heavyweight Wesley Patterson broke through the 20-win mark (21-7) by placing third with a 10-6 decision over Bentonville's Julio Pastor.

"Patterson is starting to find his groove as he fought to pull out some hard-fought victories," Michael said.

Tristan Leavitt (157) placed fourth while Anthony Lindsey (144) and Louis Montjoy (120) finished fifth in their respective weight class.

Ellie Douglass highlighted Sikeston's effort in the Lady Tiger Pride Battle with a second-place finish and earning her 100th career victory.

Bentonville of Arkansas won the tournament championship followed by Farmington and Willard.

"We wrestled really tough against some tough opponents from the west side of the state," Mitchell said.