No regrets. Coming into the District Tournament, the St. Louis U. High Wrestling team had one goal, to leave it all on the mat. Even with many undesired outcomes, the Jr. Bills showed grit as they battled through some of the toughest competition in Missouri. 

Last year, SLUH failed to qualify a single wrestler for the State Tournament in Columbia. This year’s team features a large freshman class; the Jr. Bills went into Districts with five freshman wrestlers in the lineup. In a double elimination bracket, each wrestler would need to make it to the third round for a chance to advance and wrestle on the second day, Saturday.

Freshman Tommy Onder (126) was the first Jr. Bill to see success. In prior meets, Onder has been a shining example of determination which continued into the district meet. After a loss in the opening match to the eventual runner-up in the bracket, Onder won an impressive brawl in a 9-5 decision to advance to the second day. 

On Saturday, Onder started slow, only gaining one takedown in the opening four minutes. Down seven points, Onder turned it on in the final two minutes as he racked up three takedowns but, ultimately fell just short of the comeback, losing 11-8. 

“I had a coach who came up to me afterwards and told me congratulations on Tommy winning his match and I had to tell him that Tommy didn’t win and he said, ‘what do you mean. Every time I looked over he was dominating the kid,’” said assistant coach Espen Conley. “It just shows you the growth and spirit of Tommy, that even when he was down seven points, he was still giving it his all and dominating his opponent in the final period.”

“I think my performance was good, but wasn’t great,” said Onder. “Not going to state is just a hard wake-up call to start working harder.”

Senior Connor Whalen’s (132) first match was a rematch of his Senior Night loss against Fox. In that match, Whalen struggled to gain momentum throughout until he fell to a pin, but this match would be different. Whalen sprung out to a lead early, gaining multiple takedowns and wrestling with poise. Sadly, his opponent beat him to a comeback win after six minutes, 11-7. 

Whalen’s effort did set him up, however, for his following match where he took down his opponent with ease in less than 90 seconds. Whalen’s final match saw him lose in a close bout to the eventual third place victor, 9-4 in a close decision.

“Connor’s first match was against a kid who had pinned him previously and instead of letting that happen he went out strong and went up 5-0 early,” said Conley. “Things didn’t go our way the rest of the match but Connor’s confidence and ability were really impressive.”

After a loss in the opening round, freshman Mike Williams (150) squared up in what would become one of the marquee matchups of the day. The match did not start out in Williams’ favor as he fell behind early but after a few key takedowns, he began to show his dominance. In a match reminiscent of Onder's final match, Williams fell just short at the end, losing 12-11 in a questionable decision after problems with the scoring clock.

“He dominated in his second match against that kid from Northwest,” said Conley. “And when I say dominated I mean he dominated, the only thing that he didn’t get was a W in the score column. It would have been huge for him as a freshman to get a victory at Districts but unfortunately some things happen out of our control.”

In junior Braden Peel’s (157) opening match he saw himself face off against a CBC opponent, a rematch from earlier in the season. Peel took down his opponent in a little less than four minutes, setting him up for a quarterfinal matchup. After faltering early in his quarterfinal  matchup, Peel wrestled in a defensive showdown that eventually saw him lose 2-0. 

Senior Pau Thang (190) faced a daunting challenge from the start. With his first match against an experienced Lafayette wrestler who would go on to win the bracket, Thang managed to wrestle hard, not giving up a large lead in the first two minutes. Unfortunately, in the second bout he was pinned, setting him up for a tough road ahead. With only four wrestlers advancing, Thang would need to win one match to advance to the second day and three matches to make it to Columbia. 

In his first match, Thang matched his opponent’s attacks in the first two minutes. He responded later in the second minute with a masterful pin sending him to the second day of competition. Thang continued his run into the second day as after a bad start, he made a multiple-point comeback and pinned his opponent for a chance to wrestle for a spot in state. 

“Wrestling is the closest sport that you can get to an all out fight, in high school, and so all it takes is one punch,” said Conley. “That’s how Pau got through. He took advantage of his opportunities and his spirit really shined through his wrestling.” 

Thang’s final match was a nearly five minute slugfest that saw him and his Kirkwood opponent exchange shots and takedowns. In the end, Thang fell victim to a pin but his energy afterwards was nothing but positive.

“I couldn’t reach my goal of making it to state but at the end of the day I’m happy with how I performed,” said Thang. “When I was out there on the mat, I was wrestling for more than myself, I was wrestling to be an example for the younger guys.”

In a sport as mentally grueling and physically taxing as wrestling, it is easy to lose track of the whole purpose of the sport. The team this year focused on keeping a positive attitude that’s spread through the program. 

“After a tough loss my coach came up to me and asked me ‘if I was even having fun?’ That’s when it clicked in my head that the fun of the sport isn’t derived from winning, but from the memories you make as a team,” said Onder. “When I started having fun, I started winning.” 

Moving forward, this young group of wrestlers will continue to make their print on Missouri high school wrestling. With a growing program, Conely hopes the current members continue to work on their skills over the offseason.

“Wrestling isn’t a sport you can work on on your own,” he said. “ You need to get in the gym and on the mat and work. The future is bright. We’re going to be on the road to Columbia next year, I’m almost sure of it.”

“I see myself as being the first state champ in SLUH history,” said Onder. “I think it’s not a question of whether we will have a state champ in the coming years, but rather who it will be.”