Nine Boys' Wrestlers Clinch Their Ride To Columbia

Nine boys' wrestlers will represent Sullivan on the Class 2 stage after reaching the District 1 podium. 

Ian Henderson, Conner Roach, Eli Peregoy, Austin Ray and Brennan Birrer were the champions of their classes.

Carter Blankenship and Oliver Borton also clinched state berths, taking second. Ethan Turner placed third, and Camden Henderson ranked fourth, with both punching their tickets to Columbia.

Sullivan finished as the district runner-up for the second consecutive year. They racked up 200.5 points against sixteen other teams at Central (Park Hills) High School. 

Head coach Carl Lawrence is proud of his boys for working together to pin down second place. He said, “The thing that stood out to me the most was the flow of our whole team; everyone knew they had a job to do out there on the mat. They were not only thinking of themselves to punch that ticket to state but also as a team. They went out and tried to score team points to chase the team title.”

The Eagles only finished behind Ste. Genevieve, who won the tournament with 271.5 points. St. Clair (144.5) placed third, followed by Affton (115) in fourth, Potosi (101.5) in fifth, St. Francis Borgia (98) in sixth, Herculaneum (60) in seventh, Gateway Science Charter (55.5) in eighth, and the hosting Rebels (49) at ninth.

Sullivan High School will bring 14 wrestlers, including the Lady Eagles, to the Mizzou Arena. They will battle and compete for hardware in the state tournaments from Feb. 26-27. 

Sullivan aims to ride on the momentum from their recent success and bring it to Columbia. Lawrence explained, “After two great district championships for boys and girls, now it’s time to focus on the tournament they all do this for. We will approach practice and the tournament the same way we do with all of them, one match at a time for some. The state competition can make it hard to focus, so we will reinforce our athletes to stay calm and focus on the match ahead of them, one match at a time.”

Wrestler Recaps

I. Henderson (23-1) is hitting rookie strides and won a district championship in the 106 class. The freshman locked up Kyle Andres (Affton) in 0:51 and then shut down Drew Roth (Ste. Genevieve) in a 19-4 technical fall for 23.5 points.

Roach (32-0) kept his undefeated record alive in Park Hills. The senior swept the 132 class for 25.5 points and seized his first district title. He brought down Peyton Lucas (St. Clair) in a 15-0 technical fall, Luke Asinger (Herculaneum) in 0:39 and Tyson Fowler (Potosi) in 3:14.

Peregoy (34-2) came out on top at districts with his first-ever championship win. The senior also clinched his fourth consecutive state berth. He dismantled his competition, finishing first in the 138 class with 24 points. Peregoy took down Braxton Boyer (Potosi) in 3:13 and Liam Callahan (St. Francis Borgia) in 1:02, then overcame Owen Drury (Ste. Genevieve) in a 1-0 decision. 

Ray (33-13) was crowned the district champion while punching his first-ever ticket to Columbia. The junior was unpinnable on the mat, winning the 150 class with 26.5 points. He first wrapped up Trevon Bledsoe (Gateway Science Charter) at 2:49 and Isaiah Mabry (Cardinal Ritter) at 0:43. Ray finished with a 16-5 major decision over Colton Calhoun (St. Clair) and a 16-0 technical fall over Nathaniel Clarkson (St. Francis Borgia).

Birrer (30-13) is finishing his high school career with his first district title and a state berth. The senior swept the 190 class for 28 points. He trapped Dominick Velis (Gateway Science Charter) at 1:01, Simon Bruyette (Dexter) at 0:28, Nick Brown (Potosi) at 5:15 and Ty Bradshaw (St. Clair) at 1:14.

Blankenship (28-10) will mark his third trip to Columbia. The senior was the district runner-up of the 126 class with 19.5 points. He first shut down Fred Patterson (Kennett) in a 16-0 technical fall and Darick Niebling (Herculaneum) in a 1:23 pin. Blankenship lost first place to the 33-10 Karter Worley (Ste. Genevieve).

Borton (25-16) will wrestle in the Mizzou Arena again after placing second. The junior tallied 20 points in the 144 class, pinning Zane Richards (Potosi) in 3:59 and Jon Stolarski (Affton) in 1:11. He lost the championship to Drake Meyer (St. Genevieve), who holds a 39-2 record.

Turner (30-14) took third on the district podium and will make his debut on the state stage. The junior went 4-1 in the 175 class, racking up 19.5 points. He shut down Lucas Crum (Kennett) in 0:31, Dane Evelsizer (Ste. Genevieve) in an 18-3 technical fall, Daniel Stolarski (Affton) in 3:52 and Matrim Politte (Central Park Hills) in 2:32.

C. Henderson (33-6) qualified for state for his fourth consecutive year. The junior finished fourth in the 120 class and collected 14 points. His three victories came from pins over Jaeger Adams (Central Park Hills) in 0:33 and Jayden Essner (Notre Dame Cape Girardeau) in 0:31, then a 12-3 major decision over Gavin Stone (Potosi).

Brodyn Huebner (11-15) left everything on the mat at Park Hills. He went unranked in the 215 class, falling in 1:51 to Justin Reynolds (Potosi) and 4:11 to Vincenzo Butera (St. Clair).

Tucker Fruewirth (10-17) capped off his high school career at districts. He did not place in the 285 class, losing to Kevin Thompson (Kennett) in 1:04 and Patrick Hopfinger (Affton) in 4:18.

Parker Montee (14-14) could not finish the tournament due to a medical forfeit.