Undefeated Tiger wrestler Rogers wins state championship

Mabel Rogers walked into Mizzou Arena unbeaten. She walked out a state champion.
 
Rogers capped a 42-0 freshman  season by winning the Class 2 title at 115 pounds, becoming the first girls wrestling state champion in Republic history. She won all four matches by major decision or technical fall, including a 16-0 technical fall of Branson's Alyssa Salemie in 3:31 in the finals.
 
"I knew I was gonna do good. I told myself that I was gonna win," Rogers said. "But holy crap, a tech fall — I think that's pretty crazy."
 
Rogers' championship highlighted a weekend that included two state finalists, two additional medalists and multiple scorers for Republic across the girls and boys tournaments in Columbia.
 
Senior Millie Waterman reached the Class 2 finals at 120 pounds and finished second. She won three straight decisions to reach the championship match, including a 7-4 semifinal win over Dakota Nix of Waynesville.
 
"My favorite part of this whole experience is probably my win over Waynesville, because she's beat me three times this season and four times in my career," Waterman said. "So it's pretty significant."
 
She fell to Belton's Sydney Stifter by pin in 45 seconds in the title match.
 
"My freshman self would be blown away," Waterman said. "I never thought that I would be down there [in the championship match]."
 
At 125 pounds, freshman Savannah Bratten placed fourth in her first state tournament. She opened with back-to-back pins to reach the semifinals before finishing 2-2 on the weekend.
 
"Being one of the first girls to make it to the semis — that was very fun," Bratten said. "I was very proud of myself for that."
 
On the boys side, Keaton Overcast earned a fifth-place medal at 144 pounds in Class 4, finishing his senior season 35-3 and becoming a two-time state medalist. He rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to returning state champion Roman Stewart with two wins in the consolation bracket before claiming fifth.
 
"There wasn't a match that I quit. There wasn't a match that I had self-doubt," Overcast said. "Even down, I pushed my pace."
 
Coach Eric Nolan said Rogers' title marked a milestone for the program.
 
"Mabel winning our first state title in history for our girls team ... it's just a real special moment for our program," Nolan said.
 
Gabby Shanks added seven team points at 135 pounds with two wins by fall, and Aara Shade scored three points at 170 in the girls tournament. Ethan Montiel also added two wins and scored six team points on the boys side.