After a disappointing loss on Senior Night, the St. Louis U. High Wrestling team packed their bags last Friday and traveled to Mexico, Mo. to participate in the Colonel's Classic Varsity Tournament. With numerous strong results at the tournament, the Jr. Bills then focused their energy on facing off in a Timberland Tri-meet with Westminster Academy. 

Very rarely does SLUH wrestling travel for meets outside of the metro area—in part to the immense talent and depth located within St. Louis—so this meet acted as both a bonding experience and a way to test the waters outside of the St. Louis area. Facing off against 11 other teams, seven of SLUH’s nine wrestlers made their way to the podium. 

“We got to bond a lot as a team which was very fun,” said senior captain Pau Thang. “It was a moment of joy for us, almost like a reward because we know how hard we have worked and so to just get to bond together was really good.”

“It was our first time in almost ten years,” said assistant coach Espen Conley. “So that was really good for our guys to experience and for our program cause we need to do that on the next level to be successful.” 

The tournament started out rocky as freshman Logan Rammacher (120) struggled to gain momentum early in his matches. After being injured from the meet before, it was clear to see that Rammacher’s struggles were a result of past meets.

Freshman Tommy Onder (126) brought home the first victory for the Jr. Bills with a 12-6 decision victory after going the distance with a challenging opponent. Onder lost his next match but in a shallow field his victory was enough to give him the second place position.

Senior Connor Whalen (138) saw a variety of results through his tournament run, starting with a quick pin under 30 seconds. Whalen then faltered twice, both within the first round, before picking up a victory in his fourth match. With a chance for the medal, fatigue got the best of Whalen as he fell early.

Freshman Mike Williams (150) followed up with impressive showings in all three of his first matches. The first saw him win in a nail-biting 3-2 decision before battling it out in a five minute slugfest in the second bout. In the semifinals, Williams showed his prowess, pinning his opponent before the end of the first round. With a chance at the first place title, Williams lost to a talented Hallsville wrestler.

After a loss in his opening match to a technical fall, junior Braden Peel (157) battled his way to the third place match. His first two victories both occurred under two minutes but after a close loss after nearly four minutes in his fourth match, a chance at a medal was on the line. Peel put on an astounding performance in the third place match and forced a submission after three minutes for a victory.

Similar to the 126 weight class, senior John Madalon (165) faced little competition, with only one other competitor in his weight class. Madalon went on to beat him twice, first in an 11-2 major decision and then in a pin.

Junior Michael Sise (175) faced a similar journey as Peel as he fell early in his first match. Afterwards though, he battled back, winning both matches in under a minute and showing off his firepower. In his fourth match, the tides were turned as he found himself pinned quickly. So, just like Peel, Sise had a chance for a medal in his fifth and final match. He too stepped up, going the distance and winning in a shutout major decision 10-0.

Senior Pau Thang (190) faced tough challenges from the beginning as his opening match went six minutes and saw him win 14-6. He went on to lose his next two matches pushing him down to a must win situation where he delivered. Thang won twice earning him the fifth place medal.

Lastly, freshman Albert Reinberg (215) had one of his best performances of the season, earning him the third place position in a competitive field. He dominated his first match with a 39-second pin before losing two matches closely. Reinberg’s last match earned him his final victory in 17 seconds.

In the Timberland Tri-meet the Jr. Bills struggled. Timberland came out with a very large, experienced team and SLUH found difficulties filling in the gaps. Even with these challenges, the Jr. Bills still saw a few impressive victories.

The first came from senior Whalen, who finished off his opponent in 3:20 with a pin. Whalen’s main struggle this season has come from just finishing off his pins so this victory showed great promise of what is left to come from the senior captain.

Next up was freshman phenom Williams, who put his opponent away in 3:36 after a tough battle. Williams has shown consistent growth throughout the year and has become a mainstay as one of SLUH’s best wrestlers. 

Finally, senior John Madalon put his matchup away early with a 38 second pin after an impressive takedown. Madalon’s second half success has propelled him to a solid spot in the starting lineup ahead of districts.

The Jr. Bills would go on to lose 62-18 to Timberland. 

“It was a really tough challenge but we have guys that will be coming back and had success against them,” said Conley. “I see Timberland as a team where in a few years we’ll be able to really challenge them.”

“We’re all still learning,” said Thang. “That never changes in wrestling but as we prepare for St. Mary’s and Districts I hope that we can keep getting better.”

Tonight, the Jr. Bills will welcome St. Marys to Danis Field House at 5:30. SLUH will be looking for revenge after a close loss earlier in the season as they look ahead to the district tournament.