Republic will send four wrestlers to the Class 4 state tournament in Columbia next weekend. Phillip George, Corbin Massey, Keaton Overcast, and Maddox Wilkins earned spots at State with top-four finishes in the district tournament at Ray-Pec High School Saturday. It’s the most state qualifiers for Republic since 2016 and the most ever since Republic moved into Class 4.
George was the first Republic wrestler to earn a bid when he won his semifinal over Zach Pruitt of Lee’s Summit West to make the finals. He finished second in the 113-pound weight class, falling to Anthony Stotts of Neosho in the championship match.
Corbin Massey finished third at 106 pounds. He won his first two matches to make the semifinal before losing to Kaleb Branch of Lebanon. Massey recovered to beat Tucker Feagens of Neosho in the bubble match, earning his trip to State. He finished up by beating Lucas Allen of Joplin for third place.
Keaton Overcast also finished third, competing in the 132-pound bracket. Overcast dropped his semifinal to Cooper Nally of Lee’s Summit after winning his first two matches. He rebounded with a win over Grady Huntley of Carthage to earn a state tournament berth. Overcast defeated Lucas Gideon for third place.
Maddox Wilkins swept into the championship match with two pins followed by a 12-0 major decision in the semifinals. He met Central Ozark Conference (COC) rival Johnny Williams of Ozark in the finals, losing by fall in the third round.
Republic had two other near-misses. Manning Wilkins and Chase Hicks both lost one-point decisions in the bubble round, falling just short of state qualification.
The state tournament will be held next Friday and Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.