Class 2 Boys: Dyer overcomes pressure to capture back-to-back state titles; Turner, Casteblanco excel at 285

COLUMBIA, MO – It appeared to be business as usual for Caleb Dyer.

The Lutheran St. Charles sophomore stood atop the Mizzou Arena podium accepting a first-place medal. During his championship match, he wore the same black singlet, wrestled the same opponent and won by the same one-point margin.

But the journey to back-to-back state titles was anything but smooth.

“There wasn’t a lack of motivation to do it again, but I felt a constant mental pressure. It was super stressful, and it built up,” Dyer said. “My mind wasn’t right for part of the season, but I got back on track.”

Dyer (25-1), who wrestled less than half the number of matches he did last season, defeated Mexico junior Carlos Juarez-Ramirez by a 1-0 decision at 113 pounds to win his second consecutive state title at the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships Thursday inside Mizzou Arena.

Dyer battled Juarez-Ramirez to a scoreless stalemate while upright, earned an escape from the bottom position in the second period and then rode out the three-time state finalist in the third.

“I could have opened up more on my feet, I was disappointed with that, but sometimes you just have to get the job done,” Dyer said.  

Dyer excelled on the mat this season, but off the mat he struggled with the pressure of a defending champion, which manifested itself in weight fluctuation. He seemed destined to wrestle at 120, but he wanted to give teammate Colin McLean a chance to qualify for state at that weight, so he opted for 113.

“That’s the kind of kid he is,” Lutheran St. Charles coach Tracey Lawrence said.

In late January, he won the 113-championship at the Kyle Thrasher Tournament with a 2-1 victory over Landon Lane of St. Michael the Archangel. He left the gymnasium at Francis Howell and went directly to the weight room at Lutheran High, where he stayed late into the night.

“He couldn’t wait until the next day,” Lawrence said. “There was a lot of pressure that he put on himself. We battled that all year long.”

One week before the district tournament began, Dyer’s weight had increased to 126.8 pounds.

He worked his way back to 113 pounds for the postseason and won the Class 2 District 2 title by defeating Juarez-Ramirez 5-0 in the title match. At the state tournament, he cruised through the first three matches with two first-minute pins and a technical fall before meeting Juarez-Ramirez once again in the championship round.

“We were expecting that (matchup). For (Juarez-Ramirez) to get into the finals three years in a row, that kid is no joke. He’s as tough as nails,” Lawrence said. “We were nervous about it, but we tried to gameplan. We knew if we could win on our feet, we would do ok on top and bottom.”

In last season’s championship match, Dyer earned a second period reversal and then rode out Juarez-Ramirez in the third for a 2-1 victory. This year, it was an escape in the second and another flawless third.

“This season has been tremendously successful, but also a struggle,” Dyer said. “Winning this means the world to me. I’m so thankful.”

Turner earns runner-up at 285, Casteblanco places 3rd

Normandy senior Nicholas Turner (27-8) advanced to the 285-title match after finishing fourth at the Class 2 District 1 meet. He earned a hard-fought 4-2 semifinal victory over Mexico junior Thomas Shramek before facing Ste. Genevieve senior Jacob Warren in the final.

The 285-championship match went to overtime where Warren managed an escape to claim the title.

One of the favorites in the 285-bracket, Cardinal Ritter junior Gabriel Casteblanco lost a heartbreaker in the first round to St. James sophomore Lucas Jackson. With little time to grieve, Casteblanco returned to the mat and reeled off five consecutive victories to place third.

“I was sunken down in my emotions when I lost the first one, but I prayed to God about it, wrestled my best in every match, and I got third place,” Casteblanco said.

Other Class 2 state placers

For a photo gallery of the Class 2 state tournament, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2026/Class-2-State-Championships