Republic wrestlers Chase Hicks and Keaton Overcast both earned medals on the second day of the state wrestling tournament, with Hicks placing fourth and Overcast finishing sixth.
In the championship semifinals, both wrestlers faced tough opponents. Senior Hicks (215 pounds) fell to Liberty’s Masen Bindel in a close 4-2 decision, while junior Overcast (138 pounds) lost to Liberty’s Ross Davis 4-0.
Hicks rebounded in the consolation semifinals with a 4-1 sudden victory over Triston Abram of Christian Brothers College. In the third-place match, Willard’s Porter Talbot pinned Hicks at 1:49 to drop him to fourth place.
Overcast dropped his consolation semifinal match to Brody Kell of North Point in a 4-1 sudden victory. In the fifth-place match, Hickman’s Brady McMurtry, whom Overcast had defeated earlier in the tournament, avenged his loss with a 6-3 decision, leaving Overcast in sixth place.
Overcast and Hicks reached the second day of the tournament with two wins on Friday. Hicks pinned his first two opponents, defeating Kaden Updike of Oakville in 1:02 and Garo Sams of Francis Howell Central in 4:33. Overcast also started strong, with a pin of Connor McBride of Marquette in 2:57, followed by a 5-3 decision over McMurtry in the quarterfinals.
“The jump in competition is up there. It’s not like these tournaments we go to here or there. You’ve got the best 16 guys in the state in one bracket battling for the same position,” Overcast said. “It’s just a different skill level. I came here and I do still believe that I can compete with the guy that got first. Last night, it was who had the better first match and who got better rest and better nutrition. Just one of those little factors can change first place to sixth place.”
Despite falling short of his goal, Overcast recognized his improvement from previous appearances at state.
“(My) freshman and sophomore year, going 1-2, this morning it was just an honor to be even wrestling on day two,” he said. “The fact that I had the opportunity to go and make the finals was one of the biggest things I captured today.”
Coach Eric Nolan praised both wrestlers for their performances.
“I’m proud of our team and the fact that we finished strong. You get to this level and things get to be razor-thin in terms of your margin for error. Both Keaton and Chase had a chance to make the finals. We just came up a little bit short, but they bounced back and continued to battle throughout the tournament,” Nolan said.
For Hicks, the state medal represented a breakthrough in his final high school season.
“It feels great. It’s what I’ve been working for since I was a little kid,” Hicks said of his state medal. “There were a few mistakes, but I think I wrestled pretty well overall, so I’m pretty happy with myself.”
“He’s a kid that’s bought into what we’re trying to do through the hard times and the good times,” Nolan said of Hicks. “It’s awesome to see him finish this way with a medal. I feel like he was talented enough to do this before now, but why not now? This is a great time to show out and finish his career on a high note.”
Junior qualifiers Millie Waterman and Kameron Sutton were eliminated on the first day of competition.
