Prep wrestling: Valle places 3rd at Ste. Gen Duals
Valle Catholic’s Jacob Calbreath controls Elijah Holifield from Ste. Genevieve during a 195-pound match at the Ste. Genevieve Duals in Johnson Gymnasium Saturday. Calbreath won four matches on Saturday by pin in 7:45. (PHOTO BY ERIC VICCARO/Herald staff)
By ERIC VICCARO
eviccaro@stegenherald.com
Two Valle Catholic High School wrestlers recorded four pins on Saturday at the Ste. Genevieve Duals.
Josh Bieser, who finished second in the state last March, and improving Jacob Calbreath both pulled off the feat in the 152- and 195-pound weight classes, respectively.
Noah Elbert also had a brilliant day, going undefeated at 5-0.
The Warriors won three of five duals, knocking off Owensville 39-32, Dexter 48-36 and Mehlville, 63-12. Windsor defeated Valle Catholic, 45-36.
“It was a good challenge for us,” Valle Catholic head coach Jacob Gegg said. “Most of the teams were closely competitive with each other, and that resulted in everyone getting in some quality matches with evenly skilled opponents.”
Valle Catholic competed without middleweight Eli Rowles.
Calbreath recorded four pints in just 7:45 while Bieser needed 9:56 to achieve the same.
“Josh, Jacob and Noah all had outstanding days,” Gegg noted. “All three went undefeated, and scored bonus points.”
Coach Gegg also was pleased with the performances of Kaden Gegg (106) and Joseph Flieg (132).
The dual between Valle Catholic and Ste. Genevieve was, of course, the highlight of the day.
The Dragons conquered the Warriors, 60-16; however, the final score was closer than that indicated.
“I thought the dual was closer than the score as well,” Gegg commented. “There were some back-and-forth matches that we weren’t able to come up with victory. There were other close matches that we got pinned in the last few minutes, and gave up an additional three team points.”
Coach Gegg knows full well the Dragons’ history of success, especially under head coach Jared Bonnell. That said, Valle Catholic continues heading in the right direction.
“I’m proud of the way we battled during that dual, and the boys left it all on the mat,” Gegg said.
Calbreath wrestled a smart match to defeat Elijah Holifield from Ste. Genevieve.
Jacob recorced a takedown and two-point near fall in the opening period. He added a second takedown in the second period, and finished off the 8-0 major decision with a third-period reversal.
In a battle between two of the top athletes our city has to offer, Bieser pinned Levi Wiegand in 2:52. The Warriors took six more points as Elbert won by forfeit at 220.
Tim Okenfuss, at 182 pounds, recorded the Warriors quickest pin on the day in just 0:18.
MAT NOTES
• Valle Catholic was originally scheduled to have a home dual with Maplewood-Richmond Heights and Hancock last Thursday; however the event was cancelled due to poor road/weather conditions.
Instead, the Warriors traveled to Windsor, and they picked up a pair of dual-match victories over Festus (54-22) and Herculaneum (56-18). This marked Valle Catholic’s second win of the season over Festus in the dual format.
In the win over Herculaneum, Kaden Gegg (113), Conner Clanton (126) and Elbert (220) all won matches by fall, and Bieser technical fall. Calbreath, Payton Heberlie (145), Tim Okenfuss (182) and Bieser all earned wins by fall versus Festus.
• Valle Catholic will play host to a home dual on Thursday, with Potosi and Maplewood-Richmond Heights serving as the opponents.
“There was a slight change to the schedule, New Madrid County Central was double booked, and Maplewood will be filling in their spot,” Coach Gegg said. “I’m glad to finally be at home this week, and it’s a great chance for the boys to show off all the hard work they have put in over the last year in front of the home crowd.”
• The Warriors downed Central, 51-18, in a dual on Tuesday evening in Park Hills.
(Editor’s Note: For the complete story and statistics, subscribe to either the print or electronic editions of the Ste. Genevieve Herald. Subscribe: 1-573-883-2222.)
