Both Republic wrestling teams competed at the Riley Baker Invitational in Eureka on Saturday. The girls finished second and the boys took fourth in the dual tournament.
Girls: Lady Tigers finish second in championship round
Republic’s girls wrestling team finished second at the Riley Baker Invitational in Eureka on Saturday, going 4-1 in dual competition before falling to host Eureka 45-36 in the first-place match.
The Lady Tigers opened the day with three lopsided wins. Republic beat Poplar Bluff 77-6, Ritenour 72-6 and Francis Howell 42-42 — winning the tiebreaker on fewer forfeits. A 51-30 win over Capital City in the championship bracket semifinals set up the finals matchup with Eureka.
Several Republic wrestlers went unbeaten on the day. Bre-Elle Gutierrez (110 pounds) won all five of her matches, picking up four forfeits and a pin of Francis Howell’s Emma Pope in 2:48. Mabel Rogers (115) also went 5-0, recording falls against Poplar Bluff’s Greenly Fowler by tech fall (17-2), Francis Howell’s Kennedy O’Rourke (1:22) and Eureka’s Kirra Dunscombe (1:14), along with two forfeits.
Millie Waterman (120) went 5-0 as well, with pins of Poplar Bluff’s Hayleigh Taylor in 44 seconds, Capital City’s Annabella Owens in 26 seconds and Eureka’s Ainslee Hutchinson in 38 seconds. Her longest match was a fall of Francis Howell’s Kenadee McDowell in 5:59.
Rachel Clark (100) went 4-1, winning her first four matches before dropping a 5-0 decision to Eureka’s Mia Fijan in the championship round. Chloe Simpson (145) also went 4-1, winning by fall in three of her four victories before a 20-second pin loss to Eureka’s Mira Richardson in the finals.
Savannah Bratten (125-130) went 4-1, recording three pins — including a fall of Eureka’s Amara Vanderhoof in 2:27 — along with a forfeit win. Her lone loss came against Francis Howell’s Anna Bowles by fall in 1:28. Aara Shade (170) went 4-0-1 with three forfeits, a 5-3 decision over Capital City’s Amiyah Gordon and an injury stoppage win over Eureka’s Emma Gaeta.
Gabby Shanks (135) went 4-1, and Annyshna Lealaiauloto (235) went 3-2.
In the championship match against Eureka, Republic picked up wins from Gutierrez, Rogers, Waterman, Bratten, Shade and Lealaiauloto, but Eureka’s depth in the middle and upper weights proved to be the difference. Eureka claimed falls at 135, 140 and 145 pounds, and added forfeits at 130, 155 and 190 to pull away.
Boys: Tigers fall three points short in third-place match
Republic’s boys wrestling team finished fourth at the Riley Baker Invitational in Eureka on Saturday, going 2-2 after a first-round bye before falling to Francis Howell 41-38 in the third-place match.
The Tigers opened with convincing wins over Windsor (65-12) and Poplar Bluff (63-15) before dropping a 42-26 decision to Liberty (Wentzville) in the semifinals. The third-place match against Francis Howell came down to the final bouts, with Republic falling three points short.
Several Tigers stood out across the five-match day. Kameron Sutton (165) went 4-0, never losing a match. He recorded falls against Windsor’s Brian Schenck (1:26) and Poplar Bluff’s Cohen Morrison (3:06), a major decision over Liberty’s Parker Hughes (9-1) and a tech fall over Francis Howell’s Grey Jackson (21-5).
Izaiah Hull (175) also went 4-0, picking up four pins. His fastest came against Poplar Bluff’s Travis Cozort in 38 seconds. He also pinned Windsor’s Dakota Georger-Lynch (5:34), Liberty’s Gerhardt Hardebeck (1:34) and Francis Howell’s Joshua Rumfelt (2:22).
Coy Crihfield (113) went 4-0 with three pins and a forfeit win. His quickest fall came against Poplar Bluff’s Kamryn Bryant in 13 seconds.
Keaton Overcast (144) went 4-0 as well, with a decision over Windsor (7-4), a fall against Poplar Bluff (2:00), a 5:21 pin of Liberty’s Alberto Malave and a 44-second fall against Francis Howell’s Finn Brown.
Aydan Walker (106) went 3-1, winning his first three matches — two by forfeit and a 15-5 major decision over Liberty’s Caleb Gwaltney — before a fall loss to Francis Howell’s Conner Lilledahl.
Ethan Montiel went 3-1 across 190 and 215 pounds, recording wins by fall over Windsor and Francis Howell and a tech fall against Poplar Bluff. His lone loss was a pin by Liberty’s Maddoxx Jones.
Shelby Horton (132) went 3-1, recording a tech fall (17-0) against Windsor, a fall against Poplar Bluff and a 9-7 decision over Francis Howell after a tech fall loss to Liberty’s Tyce Gleckler.
Kaiden Patterson (157) went 2-2, with a pin of Windsor’s Ryker Stewart (1:40) and a 53-second fall against Francis Howell’s Wright Jackson, but losses to Poplar Bluff and Liberty.
In the third-place match against Francis Howell, Republic got wins from Overcast, Patterson, Sutton, Hull, Montiel, Crihfield and Horton but gave up forfeits at 215 and 120 and falls at 150, 285 and 106 that tipped the match to Francis Howell.
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