Republic senior Keaton Overcast earned a fifth-place medal at 144 pounds at the Class 4 state wrestling tournament, finishing his high school career as a four-time state qualifier and two-time medalist.
Overcast went 3-2 at state to finish the season 35-3. He opened with a tech fall over Seckman’s Elijah Woods, pinning the score at 23-3 in 4:56. That set up a quarterfinal against Liberty’s Roman Stewart, the returning state champion at 144.
Stewart tech-falled Overcast 17-2, but the match was closer than the final score suggested. Overcast said he had Stewart on his back multiple times but couldn’t finish.
“There were a couple times where even though the score doesn’t show it, I had him on his back two or three times and I just didn’t sit my hips just the right way, or I didn’t reach just deep enough where I couldn’t capitalize on the mistakes he made,” Overcast said. “When you go up against those competitions, you only get that split second.”
Stewart went on to reach the finals.
Overcast responded in the consolation bracket with back-to-back wins, tech-falling St. Pius X’s Boyer Ward 17-1 and major-decisioning Ozark’s Teagon Patterson 16-3. A consolation semifinal loss to Hickman’s Quincey Crawford, 23-4, dropped him to the fifth-place match, where he won by medical forfeit over Waynesville’s Lincoln Stearns.
Coach Eric Nolan said Overcast faced arguably the toughest weight class in the state — his first loss to a previous state champion, his second to a returning finalist.
“He’s been a program guy. He’s a kid that has bought into what we’re trying to do, has been present at offseason, has filled a leadership role for us the last couple years in terms of leading by example and doing a lot of things the right way,” Nolan said. “I feel like he’s one of the best wrestlers to come through Republic historically.”
Overcast finished sixth at state last year. He improved one spot but said that wasn’t where he wanted to end up.
“Last year, I should have medaled higher than I did, and this year I focused on everything I could do to make sure I did,” he said. “Fifth is better than sixth, but it’s not where we wanted to end up.”
Still, Overcast leaves Republic with perspective on what his bracket demanded. He said he’s proud to have competed at a highly competitive weight.
“I’d rather place in the hardest bracket in Class 4 in the state than go win the easiest bracket,” Overcast said. “But [I] would have known I took the easy road out… I wanted to put my head down and grind, and that’s what I tried to do.”
He said the weekend left him with no regrets about his effort.
“There wasn’t a match that I quit. There wasn’t a match that I had self-doubt,” Overcast said. “Even down, I pushed my pace. I came off the mat with my head high, my chest up.”
144 Class 4 — Keaton Overcast (35-3), 5th place, 15.0 team points
Champ. Round 1: Overcast tech fall Elijah Woods (Seckman), 23-3 (4:56)
Quarterfinal: Roman Stewart (Liberty) tech fall Overcast, 17-2 (5:49)
Cons. Round 2: Overcast tech fall Boyer Ward (St. Pius X), 17-1 (4:21)
Cons. Round 3: Overcast major dec. Teagon Patterson (Ozark), 16-3
Cons. Semi: Quincey Crawford (Hickman) tech fall Overcast, 23-4 (4:39)
5th Place: Overcast won by medical forfeit over Lincoln Stearns (Waynesville)
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