COLUMBIA, Mo – Lutheran St. Charles freshman Caleb Dyer is living on the edge, and he has a state championship to prove it.
During the semifinals of the Class 2 District 2 tournament last Saturday, Dyer was placed in a headlock near the out-of-bounds line and stopped wrestling. Seconds later, he was on his back and pinned on the outer edge of the mat.
“I should have just kept wrestling. I wasn’t thinking and I got caught. It was definitely a humbling experience,” he said.
Dyer had to win his next match simply to qualify for the state tournament. During the days that followed, he heard a recurring theme in practice from his coaches.
“You’ve got to wrestle on the edge, you’ve got to wrestle on the edge,” Dyer recalled.
Clinging to a one-point lead in his 106-pound state championship match Thursday, Dyer used every section, corner and edge of the mat to ride out Mexico sophomore Carlos Juarez-Ramirez in a 2-1 victory at Mizzou Arena that secured the first wrestling state title in Lutheran St. Charles program history.
“Our program is getting better and better, and Caleb is our first champ, so we are pleased, that’s for sure,” Lutheran St. Charles coach Tracey Lawrence said. “Hopefully, it’s the start of many, many more.”
With a third-place finish at districts, Dyer knew his path through the 106-pound bracket would be extremely challenging from the outset.
“I was thinking I could get a bad draw, but at the end of day, I didn’t really care. I knew I was the best, I just had to go out there and show it,” he said.
Dyer (48-5) defeated Ste. Genevieve freshman Drew Roth and Clinton senior Lucas McMenemy to reach the semifinal, where he faced Oak Grove sophomore Kale Martin. With the score tied at 1 late in the third period, Dyer earned a takedown on the far edge of the mat, practically touching the chairs of the Oak Grove coaches.
“I was close to getting taken down a few times, but then I got that shot on the edge when he was trying to back up,” Dyer said. “I just knew I had to get it. Always keep wrestling.”
Dyer held on for a 5-4 victory to reach the state final and faced Juarez-Ramirez, who entered the match with a record of 52-1 and had dismantled Sullivan freshman Ian Henderson by tech fall in his semifinal.
“I knew he’s a great wrestler and quick on his feet. I knew I just had to play the game a little bit, try to get to my offense but keep it close,” Dyer said.
Dyer did not allow a takedown in the first period nor an escape in the second, and his confidence grew as he started the third period of a scoreless match from the bottom position.
“We knew we could ride pretty good, we knew we could get off bottom pretty easily, we just had to be good on our feet, and he did that,” Lawrence said.
With 48 seconds remaining, Dyer earned a reversal, then tried to hold down his aggressively squirming opponent in all crevices of the mat, at one point riding Juarez-Ramirez underneath the chairs where Lawrence and assistant coach Bob Breuer were seated.
“We preach that in practice, don’t stop until the referee taps you,” Lawrence said. “We had a couple instances this year when we were close to out-of-bounds and gave up a takedown and we had to get better at that. At practice this week, we drilled on the edge and how to wrestle through that.”
A stalling point was awarded to Juarez-Ramirez with 14 seconds remaining to close the gap to 2-1.
It made for a long 14 seconds.
“I knew I couldn’t afford a stalling call because that would send the match to overtime. I just had to gut it out,” Dyer said.
For Dyer, the journey from a district third-place finish to state champion required a rebuilding of confidence in a short amount of time.
“I was down on myself, but my coaches tell me I’m the best every day, so I believe them,” Dyer said. “Now I’m the first state champ.”
Thomas, Chatman earn medals for STEAM Academy
Senior Reggie Thomas (285) became the first state finalist for STEAM Academy and joined Tre’vyon Chatman (6th at 165) on the medal stand Thursday. It was the first time the program claimed multiple medalists.
Thomas was pinned three times in his first five matches this season before winning 18 of his next 19 contests.
“My mentality changed. I realized nothing was given, I had to go out and get it myself,” Thomas said.
After an 8th place finish at the Kyle Thrasher Tournament, Thomas roared to a District 2 championship and powered into the state championship match with two pins and a major decision. In the state title match, Thomas tried to throw undefeated Jacob Schweigert of Ste. Genevieve but got caught on his back and was pinned.
“I was hoping to be his first loss, but he got the best of me,” said Thomas, who finished the season with a 40-10 record.
His coaches raved about his leadership in the wrestling room.
“Reggie had a slow start this season and wasn’t wrestling his best but really turned it on in practice and became a leader. He gets everyone going in warmups and he works his butt off,” said head girls wrestling coach Matthew Wilke.
According to head boys coach Jon Mortimer, about 10 percent of the approximately 400 students at STEAM Academy are in the wrestling program, including sophomore Nyia Ross, who placed 5th at 110 in the girls Class 1 state tournament.
“We’re a big family. We make friends everywhere we go,” Thomas said. “The program is really solid, with hardworking, dedicated wrestlers and great coaches.”
Hornburg, Collins earn first state medals for Westminster since 2020
Seniors Luke Hornburg (215) placed third and Theodis Collins (285) placed fifth to put Westminster on the podium for the first time in five years.
Hornburg won four consecutive matches on the consolation side of the bracket, including a sudden-victory triumph, and yielded only six points in total in his six matches.
“Ever since I was a sophomore and I realized I could close the gap between high-skill levels, this has been a goal for me,” Hornburg said. “To finally achieve this after putting in so much hard work, it means a lot. It goes beyond wrestling. I know I can achieve my goals through whatever avenue I go in life.”
Collins, who will play college football at Morehouse College in Atlanta, earned a hard-fought 4-2 decision in his bubble match against Normandy junior Nicolas Turner to earn his spot on the medal stand.
“It just solidifies that hard work means something,” Collins said.
Hornburg (59-4) and Collins (37-13) battled it out in the wrestling room as the two biggest members of the team by far, often starting their sparring sessions before the practice time began.
“Those battles are tough – and long,” Collins said.
At one point, both Hornburg and Collins were involved in the final two matches of a session. After Hornburg won in overtime, he walked past the mat where Collins was also in overtime and shouted words of encouragement.
“I’m just glad I was able to achieve this with my friend T.C.,” Hornburg said. “It is really cool to bring this back (to Westminster) together.”
For a photo gallery from the Class 1-2 MSHSAA state wrestling championships, go to https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2024-25/Class-4-District-1-championships