Eureka’s Ryan Thornhill is back where he belongs – on the mat.
While making a tackle against Rockwood Summit in the Class 5 District 2 football championship game in November, Thornhill, a senior, broke his thumb. He had pins inserted and wore a cast the next week, making 14 tackles in a 32-29 loss to Cape Girardeau Central in the state quarterfinals.
Wrestling practice had already started by then, and Thornhill was uncertain when he’d be able to join his teammates on the mat. If he was going to qualify for the Class 4 state championships for the fourth time, he’d have to be wrestling by the Class 4 District 1 tournament Feb. 16-17 at Lafayette.
He made it, with a month to spare.
In a neck-and-neck dual against Suburban Conference Yellow pool rival Northwest Jan. 17, Thornhill made his season debut at 175 pounds and pinned Jacob Hartle in 3:05. Then at the Fort Zumwalt South Invitational Jan. 20, Thornhill pinned all four of his opponents, including Bulldog senior J.D. Dunn at 3:50 for the title.
“That wasn’t in the plan,” Thornhill said about breaking his thumb. “It was terrible news. The doctor told me I wasn’t going to be able to wrestle at all. I took that news and to the best of my ability tried to get back before districts. Recovery has been a lot faster than I intended it to be and I’m happy about that.”
“It’s been a huge shot in the arm (for the team),” Eureka head coach Luke Gentry said. “Having a senior team leader has brought a new energy to the whole practice room as we get to the later parts of the year. There was some skepticism he could make it back, but he worked his tail off.”
Thornhill also has one eye on the future after high school. He is waiting to hear if he’s been accepted into either the U.S. Military Academy at West Point or the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Beyond either school is his ultimate ambition, to be an officer in the elite Army Rangers.
“It’s a long and grueling application process,” Thornhill said.
Earning a spot at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia for the state tournament Feb. 22-24 is Thornhill’s immediate goal, for an obvious reason: After qualifying in each of his first three years, at 120, 138 and 165 pounds, he has yet to win a medal. The second round of wrestlebacks is the farthest he’s advanced.
“My biggest fear in life is to look back and think I could have been something more,” he said. “I love to push myself and do the things nobody else wants to do, and I love to challenge myself.”
Ranger school is an intense 62-day course requiring each candidate to complete three phases of training – Darby (squad operations, ambush, reconnaissance), Mountain and Swamp. The Army reported the 2018 failure rate for prospective Rangers was 58.1 percent.
Rangers deploy for missions across the globe, and even when the country isn’t actively at war, they serve in combat roles in hot spots around overseas U.S. military bases and assets.
Thornhill’s reason for serving is as old as the Rangers, reinforced by his religious faith.
“Whatever happens to me, I know where I’m going when I die,” he said. “I have Jesus on my side, and I’ll always live by that. The biggest thing is I love my country and I want to be in (the Rangers) because that’s a huge team effort.”
Team effort by Eureka produced a second-place finish at Zumwalt South with 176 points. The Bulldogs won with 225. Thornhill was one of three champions for the Wildcats, who had another three wrestlers finish second.
Senior Noah Richardson’s path to the tournament title at 144 was more difficult than Thornhill’s. Richardson won 12-8 and 3-2 decisions in the first two rounds, followed by two first-period pins. In the final against Zumwalt South’s Austin Hunter, Richardson scored takedowns in the second and third periods to win 8-5. Hunter finished sixth in the state last year in Class 3 at 144.
“(Richardson) had some tough matches,” Gentry said. “He won his first couple matches but was a little sloppy. He turned it on after that.”
At 157, Eureka senior Kevin Majewski pinned four opponents before beating Bulldog senior Koen Erickson 6-3 for the title. Majewski scored a takedown and escape in the third for the winning points.
“They were tied and in the middle of a scramble,” Gentry said. “Kevin’s not a prototype varsity wrestler but is by far our most improved wrestler this year. I’ve loved watching him. He’s looking like he’s having fun wrestling with his friends, too.”
It was a tough week for Wildcat senior state medalist Caden Gousetis at 165. After losing his first match of the season to Seckman’s Drake Jenkins at St. Charles West Jan. 13, Gousetis won by fall in 59 seconds in his first two matches at Zumwalt South. In the final against Troy Buchanan’s Mark Matschiner, Gousetis scored two takedowns and a reversal, but Matschiner escaped late for a 7-6 decision.
“He knows he’s in a slump, but I told him in the losses he’s had, they were mistakes that are very correctable,” Gentry said.
Sophomore Conner Stephans (120) and junior Blake Forke (150) were the other runners-up for the Wildcats at Zumwalt South. A year ago, Stephans moved up to the varsity right before this meet.
“It was cool to see his year in review and the different wrestler he is,” Gentry said. “He’s a great example (that) if you put in work in the offseason, this is what’s possible.”
Wildcats prepare for postseason
With two rugged tournament runs and other hard-fought contests baked into their record, the Eureka girls basketball team is gearing up for the postseason.
“The Troy and Visitation tournaments both have a lot of quality opponents,” Eureka head coach C.J. Herbert said. “Based on our success the last couple of years, it’s kind of hard to schedule nonconference opponents except for those teams that are really good.”
Since 2024 began, the Wildcats (12-8 overall and 2-0 in the Suburban Conference Yellow pool) are 6-2, including dispatching Yellow pool opponent Parkway West 56-44 at home Jan. 16.
The Longhorns (7-10, 0-2) took the lead early, but Eureka ended the first half with a 27-26 lead. From there, the Wildcats outscored the visitors 29-18. Senior standout Bailey Boulay led Eureka with 19 points and grabbed four of her team’s 19 rebounds. Also contributing at both ends were sophomore Mia Cuneio (nine points) and seniors Kylee Pickens (seven points, five rebounds) and Blaine Schutte (six points, three rebounds).
Fort Zumwalt South (8-9) visited Eureka Jan. 19 and Boulay once again racked up the most points (14) to go with three boards in a 61-21 rout. The Wildcats led 43-7 at halftime and had a running clock under the mercy rule in the fourth quarter. Schutte chipped in 12 points and Cuneio had nine while Pickens tallied seven points and grabbed two rebounds.
“Our whole team executed so well against Zumwalt South, we had nearly a perfect first half and everyone contributed,” Herbert said.
The latest tough customer on Eureka’s schedule was Class 4 powerhouse Park Hills Central (13-2), which finished third in the state last year and hosted Eureka Jan. 24. The Rebels are notoriously hard to beat in their cavernous fieldhouse they call “the Pit,” but Eureka gave them all they could handle before succumbing 59-56, the hosts’ ninth straight win.
The Wildcats led 13-12 after one quarter and trailed by a point (30-29) at halftime. With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rebels tied the game at 46-46. For the next 4:30, the teams traded baskets until Central rang up six unanswered points in 60 seconds. With 14 seconds left, Eureka pulled within two, but had to foul to stop the clock. The Rebels sank their free throws, but the Wildcats scored with four seconds left to keep it a one-possession game.
Once again, Eureka had to foul. Central converted one of two free throw attempts, and the Wildcats used their last timeout with two seconds left. Boulay inbounded the ball to Schutte at midcourt and Schutte whipped it to sophomore Marleigh Allen, who on the dead run launched a 3-point prayer that hit the backboard and bounced away.
“We only had two seconds to go full court at the end,” Herbert said. “The girls executed perfectly and got off a running 40-footer that just didn’t go in.”
Schutte stood out on the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.
“That’s a monster game,” Herbert said.
Boulay was next with 14 points, followed by Pickens (11) and Cuneio (10).
In their second Yellow pool matchup of the season, the Wildcats stayed unbeaten with a 54-42 victory over host Parkway South Jan. 26.
Eureka jumped out to a 21-9 lead in the first quarter and swelled the advantage to 39-21 at halftime. The second half of the game was light on offense, allowing some bench players to gain playing time. For the second game in a row, someone other than Boulay led the team in scoring. Allen put up 17 points, 15 on five 3-point baskets, and Schutte logged eight points. Cuneio and senior Kori Robinson added seven points apiece. This was only the fourth game of the season for Robinson, coming back from an injury.
The Wildcats will visit three of their six conference opponents over the next nine days with trips to Marquette (12-7, 1-1) today (Feb. 1) and Pattonville (10-8, 3-0) Feb. 6, and a home game Feb. 9 against Webster Groves (10-7, 1-1).
Heavyweight showdown in offing for junior
It’s a heavy challenge for a heavyweight.
Eureka junior Addison Neumann has her sights set on winning the state championship at 235 pounds later this month at the Class 2 state wrestling tournament in Columbia. Neumann, who went to state a year ago at 190 pounds, has compiled an impressive 28-7 record.
One of her losses, however, came against Northwest senior Abby Chandler, who took third at state at 190 last year. Chandler, ranked No. 1 in the state, boasts a season mark of 33-3 and is closing in on a program-record 150 career wins. Chandler beat Neumann 4-2 in the Eureka-Northwest dual meet Jan. 17 at Northwest.
The Lions are hosting the Class 2 District 1 meet Feb. 9-10, where the top four wrestlers in each of 14 weight classes will advance to state. There Neumann will face the classic challenge.
To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Chandler described how she prevailed over Neumann in their duel at the dual.
“I stayed in good position,” she said. “I kept moving. When we were hand-fighting, I saw my throw and I went for it.”
Their close, low-scoring battle would indicate Neumann is entirely capable of winning a rematch. But first she has to believe she can.
“It’s a big mental game, it’s not physical,” Neumann said. “I’ve got to get past this mental block of I can’t do it. She’s a bit stronger, so I’m working on the strength aspect.”
In tournaments that haven’t included Chandler, Neumann has been at or near the top every time. She earned the 235-pound title at the Lindbergh Flyers Invitational Jan. 27 after pinning her two opponents. Northwest sent out a wrestler to face Neumann in the final, but it wasn’t Chandler. Junior Katelyn Kiefer took the mat and scored a takedown in the first period before Neumann pinned her at 2:33.
Training outside of the prep season has helped Neumann develop her strength and skills.
“You can’t just do this in-season and expect to be as good as you want to be,” she said. “I don’t get home until 8 at night because I’m stacking practices. When you get the outcome you’ve been trying to achieve, it’s a really good feeling.”
At the Lindbergh meet, Eureka filled 11 of the 14 weight classes and finished fourth with 132 points. Their chief rival in the Suburban Conference Yellow pool, Lafayette, won the championship with 230 points. Seven Wildcats won medals, including three champions.
Sophomore Ardynn Trower (22-5) was the winner at 190, but earned it the hard way, going to triple overtime in the final against Lafayette sophomore Ella Kimbrough. Both wrestlers scored an escape in regulation and went to overtime 1-1. In the second extra period, Kimbrough was awarded an escape and led 2-1 going into the third OT. Trower tied it 2-2 on a penalty point and then scored an escape and takedown for a 5-2 victory. She had pinned each of her first three opponents in the first period.
“(Trower) is as smart as they come,” Eureka head coach Mark Gentry said. “She always has a very specific game plan.”
Wildcat junior Mya Willis (25-10) pinned her opponents in the quarterfinals and championship at 155, but won a hard-fought 7-2 decision in the semifinals over Lafayette sophomore Paiten Gastreich-Hurst. They were tied 2-2 going into the third, and Willis scored an escape, takedown and two near-fall points to pull away.
“I was kind of tired but I knew I had to push through it and that was hard for me,” Willis said. “I knew if I pushed away the nerves, I could do it.”
The other Wildcats earning medals at Lindbergh were freshman Ellie Smith (sixth, 105); sophomore Mira Richardson (second, 125); freshman Keanna George (sixth, 140) and junior Amina Philip (fifth, 145). Richardson, who has the best record on the team at 30-7, pinned her first two opponents in 39 and 31 seconds and got past sophomore Lindsay Rampani of St. Clair 5-3 in the semifinals. She was pinned in the final at 1:08 by Lafayette senior Toby Goertz (33-8), who took fourth at state at 125 last season.
In the dual meet at Northwest, Willis and the Lions’ Lily Mouser put on a show for the Senior Night crowd, scoring 28 points in a 15-13 upset win by Mouser.
“I bumped (Mouser) up to 155 because she’s a natural at that weight class,” Northwest head coach Ron Wilhelm said. “She’s a little quicker and moves better than the other girls at that weight. That was an absolute thriller with 28 points scored.”
The Eureka boys and girls host the Riley Baker Tournament Saturday.
Eureka boys sporadically struggle offensively
Instead of peaking at the right time, the Eureka boys basketball team is slipping at the wrong time, losing three of four to drop to .500 (9-9) with only seven games left before the Class 6 District 2 tournament at Parkway South.
One bright spot, if you can call it that, is that the three recent losses were by a combined 12 points. The Wildcats are in every game, but “in it” is not the same as “win it.”
Besides two defeats by Lindbergh (15-3) and a loss to Vianney (16-4), their two most recent games saw the Wildcats fall at home to MICDS 57-55 Jan. 19 and come up short against visiting Westminster Christian Academy 38-35 five days later. Eureka had beaten Westminster 46-41 two weeks earlier, but Wildcat head coach Austin Kirby said the private-school team from Town & Country prepared well for the rematch. Statistically speaking, neither team had an advantage.
“They took what felt like all five players and clogged the lanes for (Eureka senior Mason Dunlap) and the opportunities for other guys were very congested,” Kirby said. “That made for a hard-fought game.”
Westminster (11-8) – another bunch of Wildcats – led 12-0 after the first quarter because Eureka shot poorly.
“We were trying to force our way inside instead of taking what we had,” Kirby said.
Eureka fought back to trail 16-13 at halftime and 28-19 after three quarters, and eventually cut the deficit to one point, with a couple of possessions to take the lead.
“We got Mason the shot, and it didn’t go in,” Kirby said.
Dunlap led Eureka with 12 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. He’s failed to register 10 or more points in a game only once this season and is the only Wildcat averaging in double figures with 17 points per game.
Against MICDS, Eureka continued a season-long pattern of inconsistency, winning one quarter and losing the next. The Wildcats outscored the Rams 16-6 in the first, were eclipsed 17-10 in the second, won the third 17-7 and got blitzed 27-10 in the fourth.
With about 1:30 to play, the Wildcats held the lead but Jayden Banks made back-to-back 3-point baskets to put MICDS in front again.
“We had the ball with seven seconds left and Will Sergel, who had made two 3s, got a wide-open look and it was a little short,” Kirby said. “It’s a small detail, but I was proud of our late-game execution to get that shot. I hope we learn how to play with the lead and hopefully in districts, we (will) know how to bleed the clock and lean on the team playing from behind.”
Dunlap and 6-6 sophomore forward Jaxson Joggerst each posted 20 points for the Wildcats. Joggerst also had 10 rebounds and three steals.
“I really thought we played well against MICDS,” Kirby said. “We played some of our best offensive basketball for three quarters. If you look at the advanced numbers, we had good efficiency. Those were the positives.
“We’re not particularly young because we play so many seniors, but we do have younger players in key positions. In the fourth quarter, we let them back in the game and they put us under pressure, and in my opinion, we gave one away at home.”
Against Westminster, Joggerst made only one of eight shots from the field for two points, but Kirby said he’s developing into one of the best ‘bigs’ in the area.
“He was our best player on the floor and frankly looking like an (NCAA Division I) player,” Kirby said. “He’s recognizing how good he is and his ceiling is so high.”
In its most recent victory, Eureka held Parkway West (5-12) to nine or fewer points in all four quarters for a 62-26 blowout at home Jan. 16. The Longhorns made just eight of 33 field-goal attempts, while the Wildcats shot 48 percent from the field, led by Dunlap (17 points), Joggerst (12) and senior guard Timmy Nisbet (10).
Eureka is 1-1 in the Suburban Conference Yellow pool and visits Marquette (9-9, 2-0) in a conference game tonight (Feb. 1). Because of Eureka’s success last season, advancing to the state quarterfinals, Kirby’s team was invited to play in the Sixth-Man Shootout against Cape Girardeau Central (12-5) on Saturday in Charleston.
“Cape is a contender to win the Class 5 state title,” Kirby said. “We got selected because we won our district and played Jackson. That gave our program some notoriety. I’m excited because it’s like the rest of our schedule, (facing) a quality opponent we don’t know much about.”
There’s no doubting Kirby’s continued positive outlook.
“We have such good kids, they listen to what we say and are extremely coachable,” he said. “I expect a good practice (Jan. 29) and to be ready for another tough week. We’ve lost three of four games and haven’t won as many games as we’d like, but I hope the kids understand each day is new and the process shouldn’t change.”
Athlete of the Week (Feb. 1, 2024) -- Ardynn Trower, wrestling
The sophomore improved to 22-5 in winning the 190-pound weight class at the Lindbergh Flyers Invitational Jan. 27. Trower pinned her first three opponents in 32 seconds, 1:47 and 48 seconds before beating Lafayette sophomore Ella Kimbrough in a 5-2 triple-overtime decision in the final. They each scored an escape in regulation and the match was tied 1-1 headed to OT. Kimbrough led 2-1 going into the third OT, but Trower tied the match with a penalty point and won it with an escape and takedown.