The St. Louis U. High wrestling team brawled its way through a deep pool of opponents in last weekend’s MICDS tournament to secure medals for all three seniors and some important maiden wins for the team’s underclassmen. 

The annual tournament, called the Eric Lewis Invitational, is set up with 16-man brackets for almost every weight class, so there are plenty of chances to wrestle. Featuring a large number of area schools, including Westminster, Kirkwood, Oakville, and Francis Howell North, the Jr. Bills were looking to bring home medals and to gain experience against opponents they will face in Districts later this February. 

In the first round, sophomore Nate Boyer (132) turned heads with one of his biggest performances so far this season. Boyer outclassed his Ritenour opponent with multiple successful double legs and takedowns. He secured the win by decision after judges had health concerns for his opponent. 

The Jr. Bills rolled through the first round in other weight classes as well. Senior Jack Onder (152) breezed through his first match in just 50 seconds. His winning move came off a high C straight into a cradle, establishing a quick win. Just below Onder, sophomore Braden Peel (145) secured his first varsity win against a  Chaminade wrestler.

Things were not all so easy, though. Senior Alex Nance (170), junior Caleb Schellenberg (138) and junior Connor Whalen (also wrestling in the 132 bracket), all lost their first round matches to tough opponents. Meanwhile, senior captain Cayden Owens had a bye. 

After the mixed results from the shorter day one of the tournament, the Jr. Bills were out for blood on the second day. In a surprising comeback move, Whalen rallied from the bottom to secure 7th in his bracket. In the finals, Whalen applied constant offensive intensity to his Cahokia opponent which lasted all 3 rounds and earned him 7th place overall. He was helped along by a forfeit from his teammate Boyer when the two faced on Saturday. Boyer also finished well, securing 9th place standing after the forfeit and his previous Ritenour win. 

In the higher weight classes, the large pool of wrestlers meant that SLUH was forced up against some of the top wrestlers in the state. Peel’s first day two opponents had previously placed at State, but he still managed to make it an interesting match. After nearly 3 rounds, Peel lost by decision. Although his tournament run was short, Peel’s athleticism ensured that he was a worthy opponent.

As the field continued to dwindle, it was SLUH’s seniors who found themselves in some meaningful matches. Capitalizing on these opportunities proved difficult, though.

After a loss, Onder was scraping his way to the top, shooting for the 3rd place spot. He started his match strong, throwing his Kirkwood opponent to the ground. Although his opponent was strong enough to get up multiple times, Onder kept applying the pressure to try and win his medal. The struggle continued until tragedy struck for Onder. He took a shot on his Kirkwood opponent’s right leg at the wrong moment and his right eye was bashed and bruised. He was forced to play defensively in light of his injury, which granted his opponent a win by decision. Onder finished 4th in the tournament.

“I knew it was going to be a good match because I wrestled him the night before as well,” Onder reflected. “It was a rough match and he was a tough guy. I took him down (with some moves) but that’s going to be a guy I have to face again.”

Onder, still bruised from the weekend bout, didn’t hold any grudges, though.

“He was a pretty cool guy and he offered me fries after,” he joked.  

 Riding momentum from a strong win, Nance was also still in the game, fighting an Oakville opponent for fifth. He started strong with violent neutral setups and fakes. Both him and his Oakville opponent were neck and neck throughout the match, constantly switching from defensive and offensive positions. Although Nance was up by a substantial amount in points, his opponent had trapped him in a headlock and ended the match in a pin, pushing Nance down to 6th. 

In the final match of the day, Owens broke the losing streak for SLUH. His match was slow and methodical as each wrestler was good at not only setting up shots but blocking them as well. In the second round, Owens’ opponent chose to start on bottom for an attempt at an escape. At that moment, Owens saw his chance. He pulled off a miraculous arm chop and sent his opponent into an underhook. Owens held on until his opponent was pinned. 

Owen’s statement win was big for SLUH, as it ended their tournament run on a high note. At the end of the day, the Jr. Bills had medaled in three different weight classes and also showcased some of the team’s underclassmen depth at full strength. More than anything, though, Onder was proud of the team’s resilience. 

 “We didn’t start well,” he reflected. “We came out and we didn't have great energy and that came back to bite us. But we had some guys fight back and that allowed us to finish alright.” 

They will need to carry that momentum into tonight's tri-meet against Rockwood Summit, Priory, and MCC rival CBC.