Sikeston’s Owens, Douglass and Williams punch tickets to state meet

ST. CLAIR, Mo. — Sikeston girls wrestling will have three representatives at the state tournament following the Class 1, District 1 Meet at St. Clair High School on February 14 and 15.

Dayten Owens earned second place at 235 pounds, Ellie Douglass took fourth at 100 pounds, and Shanell Williams also secured a fourth-place finish at 155 pounds after a hard-fought blood round win.

These wrestlers are not only representing the Lady Bulldogs at the state meet but are also helping to establish a strong foundation for the future of girls wrestling in the area.

“Overall, I am extremely proud of our girls’ wrestling team,” said Sikeston coach Charles David. “It was an and is an honor to coach such a great group of girls. They are setting a new foundation for girls wrestling at Sikeston.”

Owens was the highest finisher and made a significant impact on the district tournament. After securing a fall victory over Chloe Gould of Hillsboro in two minutes and 18 seconds during the quarterfinals, Owens continued to dominate in the semifinals. She pinned Jazlynn Covington from Kennett in five minutes, advancing to the finals.

“My team and my coaches really helped me mentally prepare for such a tough tournament,” Owens said. “I didn’t know until after the [semifinal] match that I qualified for state, so I just went out and wrestled my hardest.”

Despite a strong performance in the championship match, Owens fell to Abigail Erfurth of Sullivan by fall in 2:36, securing second place. Owens’ journey to the district finals highlighted her technical skill and determination, as she showcased an ability to wrestle aggressively and efficiently throughout the tournament.

“She competed like I always believed she could,” David said. “She made the district finals and earned her spot at state.”

This season marked Owens’ first full season of wrestling after an injury cut her previous campaign short. She has seen major growth in her performance, building on the lessons learned.

“My training has evolved a lot this season, especially since it’s my first full season,” Owens said. “It’s been mentally challenging for me, as I’m new to wrestling. Going into the state tournament, I feel I have an advantage because of my height, which gives me better stamina and makes it easier for me to execute takedowns.”

Douglass, a seasoned wrestler with previous state experience, will be making her fourth appearance at the state meet. Last season, she finished as the state runner-up at 100 pounds, and she entered this year's district tournament determined to improve on that.

In the quarterfinals, Douglass quickly took control of her match against Ashlyn Wildgrube of Brentwood, winning by technical fall, 22-3, in just 4:51.

However, she encountered a tough challenge in the semifinals, where Hairston, the wrestler who defeated Douglass in last year’s state finals, pinned her again, this time in 3:01. Despite the setback, Douglass showed resilience, fighting back in the consolation semifinals to pin Jaydon Sharp of Steelville in 2:10. Douglass ultimately finished fourth after dropping a 6-0 decision to Nico Brooks of Hillsboro in the third-place match.

“It’s super cool,” Douglass said. “I’m very excited to have one last opportunity at state.”

Williams, the most active wrestler on the team, had an intense tournament, fighting through several tough matches to secure her spot at state. Williams opened her tournament with a quick victory, pinning Mylah Dolde of Festus in 19 seconds. In the quarterfinals, Williams fell to Chloe Carson of Sullivan by fall in 1:58 but showed resilience as she progressed through the consolation rounds.

Williams went on to pin Sarah Paul of Brentwood in 28 seconds, Fatima Gonzalez of Dexter in 4:43, and Rylee Dare of Owensville in a 21-6 technical fall, earning her blood round win.

Unfortunately, she dropped her third-place match to Anna Fischer of Ste. Genevieve by fall in 2:31, but her grit and perseverance throughout the tournament were evident.

“Qualifying means a lot to me; it shows that all the hard work and dedication from these past five years of wrestling has paid off,” Williams said. “To stay focused and give it my all with a positive mindset, reminding myself that I put in so much hard work to get here.”

While Owens, Douglass, and Williams all earned state berths, several other Sikeston wrestlers came up just short. Charlie Torres (130 pounds) and Michaiahes Mays (190 pounds) reached the blood round, but both were eliminated from contention before earning their state qualifications. Torres finished with a 2-2 record, including a fall victory in the consolation round over Violet Lavalle of Owensville in 1:46. Mays (190) bounced back from a quarterfinal loss with a decision win over Autumn Bunton of Dexter, 8-6, before falling in the consolation semifinals to Katie Summers of Sullivan by decision, 8-2. Emma Franco (170) and Demi Wren (120) also saw their tournaments end in the consolation rounds, unable to secure wins to continue their runs.

Sikeston’s girls’ wrestling team will be well-represented at the 7th annual Girls MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, with Owens, Douglass, and Williams set to compete at Mizzou Arena in Columbia from February 26 to March 1. The Class 1 girls tournament runs February 26-27, where they’ll test themselves against the best in the state. After battling through a tough district, they’ve earned their shot on the biggest stage, and now it’s about taking the next step.

__NMCC’s Strong Effort Ends at Districts__

New Madrid County Central also had wrestlers in action at the Class 1, District 1 Meet, though no Lady Eagles secured a state berth.

At 125 pounds, Kaylee Bills put together a strong run in the consolation bracket after an early loss. She rebounded with three consecutive wins, including a fall over Sikeston’s Mackenzie Mason (1:47), a 6-0 decision over Natalie Dillon (Festus), and a 7-2 decision over CJ Sullivan (Union). Her tournament ended in the consolation semifinals with a loss by fall to Hailey Davis (Ste. Genevieve) in 3:37.

At 170 pounds, Kaliyah Gaines-Smith also battled through the consolation rounds. After dropping her opening match, she responded with a second-period pin over Savannah Hardy (Gateway Science Charter) in 2:37. Her run came to an end in the next round, falling to Ariel Thomas (Central Park Hills) by fall in 1:57.

Though NMCC did not advance any wrestlers to the state tournament, Bills and Gaines-Smith’s performances showed the program’s competitiveness in a tough district field.