Ryan Thornhill was in trouble.
The Eureka junior trailed St. Clair’s Cameron Simcox 9-0 in the 165-pound championship match at Lafayette’s Fred Ross Tournament Jan. 7. Simcox, a senior, is a three-time state medalist hungering to cap his prep career with a state championship.
Thornhill, who qualified for state at 138 pounds last season and has bulked up this year, earned his first point on a caution call against Simcox. Then he clawed back until, with time running out in the third period, he threw the Bulldog standout for two points to send the bout to overtime, whereupon Thornhill claimed a 13-11 sudden victory.
“Ryan’s confidence is through the roof right now,” Eureka boys head coach Luke Gentry said after the Wildcats lost to host Seckman 57-18 in a Jan. 11 dual meet. Thornhill was one of four Wildcat winners that night, pinning Austin Tilley at 3:38.
“We had a game plan (against Simcox) and I’ll be honest, we didn’t stick to it,” Gentry said. “Ryan got put on his back early and fought off a pin. We got a takedown and another, and at one point, it was 9-6. Ryan’s body is starting to adjust to the weight gain and he did a good job of wrestling smart in the third period. Most of the gym had stopped watching when it was 9-0, but you always have a chance with time on the clock.”
Thornhill and Tilley were at it again for the 165 championship of the St. Charles West Invitational on Saturday. The result was almost the same as Thornhill won by fall in 4:33 to improve to 23-3. The Jaguars won the tournament with 226 points, while the Wildcats placed fifth with 128.5. The two teams will see each other again next month in the Class 4 District 1 tournament at Jackson. Seckman finished second in the state last season.
Junior William Geiler (25-7), Eureka’s other returning state qualifier (at 132 last year) beat Jeremiah McClain at 144 in an 11-6 decision in the dual, then finished second at 144 at St. Charles West, getting pinned by Francis Howell senior Cooper Corley (25-2), a state qualifier at 138 last season.
“I struggled as a wrestler (with) getting frustrated,” Gentry said. “Credit (McClain), he wrestled us tough. I told (Geiler), don’t get frustrated if you’re not winning by big points. Win by any means necessary.”
Geiler and junior Noah Richardson wrestle side by side during Eureka’s matches and hone each other’s skills at practice. Richardson finished second at St. Charles West at 138, a pin victim of Timberland junior Ty Shelton, who is 16-0 and just missed the medal round at state last year at 132.
In the most contentious bout of the dual at Seckman, Richardson beat 2022 state qualifier Wyatt Bamvakais in a 5-3 decision at 138.
“In the first period, I was trying to feel him out to see what’s open,” said Richardson, who seeks his first trip to state. “My style is pushing the pace because I feel I can outlast them. He was hard to turn and it was a gritty match.”
“(Richardson) is tough. He wrestles hard every match,” Seckman head coach Ryan Moyer said.
Gentry said Bamvakais is a very good defensive wrestler and told Richardson to open him up to have success.
“We stress to all of our wrestlers, get a lead and stay in position and Noah did a great job of finishing that match,” Gentry said. “That’s a big turning point for him, beating a state qualifier. We talked about making moments where you realize you can compete with the top kids in the state. We’re hoping more of our kids have these moments.”
Junior Andrew Stubblefield was the other Wildcat to win at St. Charles West, earning a 9-7 sudden victory over Mehlville senior Caleb Gardner in the final at 132. Gardner was 31-1 going into the match. The other Wildcats to finish in the top six at the meet were sophomore Liam McAuliffe (fifth, 120) and junior Caden Gousetis (third, 157).
Wildcat girls win West crown
The Eureka girls wrestlers had the same schedule as the boys last week, with slightly different results. Seckman beat the Wildcats 54-30 in the dual meet, but with senior state medalist Lilly McCollum back in the lineup at St. Charles West, Eureka won the team championship with 173 points, while Seckman was second with 140.
McCollum didn’t wrestle in the dual at 100 when the Jaguars forfeited the weight. With no wrestlers at West in the 100 bracket, McCollum moved up to 105 and improved to 20-1 this season, beating Timberland junior Taylor Reiter 7-2. Both qualified for state at 100 last year with McCollum finishing fourth.
It was McCollum’s second straight tournament championship after she won the 100-pound title with three pins at the Fred Ross meet.
“She dominated her way through the whole (Fred Ross) tournament,” girls head coach Mark Gentry said. “That tournament is getting tougher and tougher and if you come away from it with a belt buckle, it’s good for district (seeding).”
McCollum’s sister, Avery, also a senior, won the St. Charles West title at 135, pinning Ritenour sophomore Julia Nunez in the second period.
Sophomore Addison Neumann improved to 24-6 in claiming a third title at West for the Wildcats at 235. She pulled off three pins in 38, 18 and 38 seconds.
Senior Florida Niyokusenga was a winner at Seckman at 155 and came into the final at West on a three-match win-by-pin streak, but lost in the final by fall to Timberland senior Nevaeh Finn.