Jackson wrestlers exceed satisfaction level of veteran coach

Jackson senior wrestler Alec Bailey tries to hold down Lindbergh junior James Homfield during the 126-pound championship match Saturday at Northwest High School in the Class 4 District 1 Meet.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

“If we can get seven or eight guys (to Columbia), I’ll be pleased…”

CEDAR HILL, Mo. — Longtime Jackson wrestling coach Steve Wachter set a goal for his satisfaction prior to this week’s Class 4 District 1 wrestling match at Northwest High School with the above quote, but he undersold the performance of his athletes.

If Wachter would’ve been “pleased” with seven or eight athletes advancing out of the District and qualifying for next week’s MSHSAA State Finals in Columbia, then he had to be doing backflips after nine Indians moved on Saturday.

“We wrestled very hard,” Wachter said. “We were very intense, but it is such a tough District. Some breaks went our way and some breaks didn’t.”

A lot did, however, particularly with the Indians’ lone champion, junior Garner Horman.

Horman (36-3) won the 152-pound class with a pin of Marquette’s Aiden Rudman in 1:58.

The victory sends Horman to the state finals for the third time in three high school seasons.

“My transitions were good,” Horman said. “Going from takedowns to turn and then turn to turn. I did those pretty good.”

Horner follows after his coach and doesn’t tend to overstate his performance, because according to Wachter, who has been evaluating kids on the mat at Jackson for 38 years, Horman’s transitions weren’t just “pretty good.”

“His transitions were outstanding,” Wachter said. “When Garner is on, he is as good as anyone around. He was really intense and had really nice shots on his feet.”

Garner qualified as a freshman at 132 pounds, and 145 as a sophomore before moving up a class this season through simple physical maturity.

Horman played football for the Class 5 state runner-up Indian football team at 175 pounds, but following the title game, in “about 10 days,” he “dieted hard and ran” and dropped the 23 pounds necessary to compete on the mat.

Horman’s younger brother, freshman Griffin Horman (28-15), will make the trip to the state meet, as well.

In the 138-pound class, Griffin took fourth after losing a 10-4 decision.

Jackson senior Riley Wiseman (42-5, 113 pounds) placed third and will move on after winning a major decision 13-4 Saturday, while Alec Bailey (40-8, 126 pounds) took second with a 4-2 decision loss in the title match Saturday, but still advances.

Other Jackson wrestlers to qualify for the state included:

• Noah Uhrhan (34-11, fourth place, 160 pounds, 5-4 decision win)

• Cole Parker (37-7, fourth place, 182 pounds, 8-6 decision loss)

• Cole Amelunke (37-2, third place, 195 pounds, 7-1 decision win)

• David Ekstam (36-7, fourth place, 220 pounds, pinned in 1:28)

• Liam Bryant (30-9, third place, Hwt., victory by pin in 2:37)

“Once you’re in and going to the state championship,” Wachter said of advancing to Saturday’s District Finals (all four wrestlers move on to state), “we call it ‘getting the bear off of your back.’ After that, you can open up and wrestle hard.

“As far as their intensity and how hard they wrestled, I was very proud of them.”

The Indians placed third as a team with 158 ½ points behind Christian Brothers College (171 ½) and Lafayette (168 ½).

The MSHSAA Stae Finals will run for both boy’s and girl’s Thursday through Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.