Two Republic wrestlers earn state medals

Senior Chase Hicks and junior Keaton Overcast both secured medals at the state wrestling tournament, with Hicks finishing fourth in the 215-pound weight class and Overcast taking sixth at 138 pounds.
In the championship semifinals on Saturday, Hicks fell to Liberty’s Masen Bindel in a tight 4–2 decision, while Overcast lost 4–0 to Liberty’s Ross Davis.
Hicks bounced back in the consolation semifinals, earning a 4–1 sudden victory over Christian Brothers College’s Triston Abram. In the third-place match, Willard’s Porter Talbot pinned Hicks at 1:49, putting him in fourth place.
Overcast dropped his consolation semifinal match to North Point’s Brody Kell in a 4–1 sudden victory. In the fifth-place match, Hickman’s Brady McMurtry, whom Overcast had defeated earlier in the tournament, avenged his loss with a 6–3 decision, leaving Overcast in sixth place.
Both wrestlers had advanced to the second day of competition with strong performances on Friday. Hicks pinned his first two opponents - Oakville’s Kaden Updike in 1:02 and Francis Howell Central’s Garo Sams in 4:33. Overcast also started well, pinning Marquette’s Connor McBride in 2:57, followed by a 5–3 decision over McMurtry in the quarterfinals.
“The jump in competition is up there. It’s not like these tournaments we go to here or there. You’ve got the best 16 guys in the state in one bracket battling for the same position,” Overcast said. “It’s just a different skill level. I came here and I do still believe that I can compete with the guy that got first. Last night, it was who had the better first match and who got better rest and better nutrition. Just one of those little factors can change first place to sixth place.”
For Hicks, the state medal represented a breakthrough in his final high school season. “It feels great. It’s what I’ve been working for since I was a little kid,” Hicks said of his state medal. “There were a few mistakes, but I think I wrestled pretty well overall, so I’m pretty happy with myself.”
Coach Eric Nolan praised both wrestlers for their performances. “I’m proud of our team and the fact that we finished strong. You get to this level and things get to be razor-thin in terms of your margin for error. Both Keaton and Chase had a chance to make the finals. We just came up a little bit short, but they bounced back and continued to battle throughout the tournament,” Nolan said.
Junior qualifiers Millie Waterman and Kameron Sutton were eliminated on the first day of competition.