Seven Washington High School wrestlers competed at the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships at Mizzou Arena on Friday-Saturday, February 27-28.

Washington crowned two all-state medalists by placing in the top six of their respective weight classes.

“The whole weekend was full of ups and downs. When you're here at state, it's always the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows,” said Washington Head Coach Josh Ohm. “(Friday) there were a lot of hard times, but (Saturday) there were a lot of good things. You have to roll with it and our kids are used to that.”

Leading the way was junior Gable Ohm, who notched a third-place finish in the Class 3 boys 132-pound weight class.

“I feel great. It was a lot of tough wrestling these past two days,” Gable Ohm said. “I went out there and competed for Jesus, competed for myself and for my coaches. I wanted to show that I love wrestling. I'm just thankful that I'm a child of God and have the opportunity to wrestle.”

In the Class 2 girls division, junior Gwen Hillermann earned fifth-place honors at 235 pounds.

“It's exciting. I didn't know what to expect because I've never wrestled against any of these other girls,” Hillermann said. “I didn't think this was possible because I got off to a slow start to the season. (Due to an injury).

Ohm, a three-time state qualifier and two-time state medalist, posted a 5-1 record, finishing the season with an overall record of 49-8. His lone loss was in the quarterfinals to Pacific’s Brock Webb by a 3-2 decision. Webb went on to place second.

Following his quarterfinal loss, Ohm won his next four matches, defeating Helias’ Alex Wieberg in the third-place match, 4-0.

“I wasn't thinking about anything other than winning a state title. That didn't happen, but I knew I just had to keep wrestling and win the next match. I love wrestling. Every match is an opportunity to show how much I love this sport,” Gable Ohm said. “I'm a child of God. I'm not a wrestler. I came here to show everybody that I love Jesus. He brought me here to wrestle and that's all I wanted to do. It really doesn't matter who I'm wrestling against. No matter who it is, I'm the same person. I just want to go out there and have fun. I know I have one more year to go. Of course I want to win a state title, but more importantly, I just want to wrestle.”

“Less than a month ago, Gable beat the Ft. Zumwalt North kid (Carsten Burkemper) who won the 132-pound title in Class 4,” Josh Ohm said. “Everyone is going to be biased, but we think we got a couple of takedowns (against Pacific's Brock Webb) that could have gone the other way for us. If he wins that match, we're probably in the finals against a kid (eventual state champion Zayden Teson of Warrenton) that has beaten him twice, but it's really hard to beat Gable multiple times. He's one of the smartest kids we've ever had. I think a lot of people under estimate Gable because he's a pretty quiet, reserved kid. He outworks everyone. He believes in himself probably a lot more than some others do. This weekend, he stepped up and showed people all the hard work that he's put in.

“It's exciting. It's hard to believe he only has one season left. I'm super proud of him. That's two sports so far this year and he's all-state in both of them (also all-state in cross country). He's got four state medals to his name now. It's exciting and its fun, but listening to him talk, and what he believes in is a lot more important to me. He does this for a chance to show people how much he loves Jesus and that's why he does this. That makes me much more proud than anything he does on the mat.”

Hillermann posted a 4-2 record to finish the season 26-8 overall. She pinned Webb City’s Mackenzie Booth in 3:31 in the fifth-place match. All four of her wins came by pin.

“No one understands how good Gwen can be. She wrestled for the first time in her life last year, got hurt and missed half of the season. She wasn't even cleared to wrestle until the first of the year. She only had a handful of tournaments in. She had less matches than almost anyone else in her bracket,” Ohm said. “She literally gets better every time she steps on the mat. We thought this was a possible if she wrestled well. We think we'll see a lot from her next year just because she'll have more time to wrestle. She's still learning. She's learning every day.”

Ethan James (138 pounds) was one win away from a medal, going 2-2 at the meet to finish the season 42-14 overall.

Noah Dooley (157 pounds) was 1-2 at the meet, finishing the season with a 38-18 overall.

Camden Dewert (190 pounds) was 1-2 at the meet, finishing the season with a 36-19 record.

Trenton Dooley (126 pounds) and Lane Gerling (175 pounds) lost both of their matches. Dooley finished the season with a 32-24 record. Gerling posted a 32-18 overall record.

“With seven wrestlers, we had a lot of kids step up to get here. We should be tough next year. We have to find a way to put in the offseason that we want,” Ohm said. “We have so many kids where one good summer can really put them over the top and make us pretty busy next year at the state meet. I really feel that way, so we're excited.”

Beginning next season, girls wrestling will move from two classes to three classes. Boys have four classes.

“We put eight or nine in the blood round this year at districts, just one win away from state. We would have loved to have gotten them through, but they're all young. We have 18 freshmen and sophomores. We have a very talented middle school program,” Ohm said. “Three classes for girls definitely helps us. I think right away we can be one of the top teams in whatever class they put us in.”

Photos of Washington wrestlers at the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships are below.

 

Gable Ohm, Third Place, Class 3 Boys 132 Pounds (Missourian Photo)

 

Gable Ohm, Third Place, Class 3 Boys 132 Pounds

 

Gwen Hillermann, Fifth Place, Class 2 Girls 235 Pounds (Missourian Photo)

 

Gwen Hillermann, Fifth Place, Class 2 Girls 235 Pounds