COLUMBIA, Mo. • This is Zach Nelson's dream. No,
really, this is his dream.
This move, that move, the official's whistle, the crowd, all of it
is part of the dream. And Nelson has been having the dream for a
year.
"Ever since last year I've played it over and over in my head," he
said about the state tournament.
Nelson’s dream is a state championship. The Fort Zumwalt North
senior moved a step closer to making that come true with a 4-3
decision against Malacai Collins of Warrensburg in the Class 3
semifinals in the 126-pound weight class Friday at Mizzou
Arena.
The win Friday advances 18-year-old Nelson to the state
championship for the second year in a row. And for the second year
in a row, he will wrestle Jaret Singh of Kearney in the final.
Singh scrambled to a 3-1 win against Nelson in the 112-pound title
match last year.
Nelson is one of five
area wrestlers to battle through to the Class 3 finals. Also
earning title shots are Nelson’s Zumwalt North teammate Ryan Thomas
(170 pounds), Casey Bartee (152) and Austin Rugraff (160) of St.
Charles West and Johnathon Cain (220) of McCluer. Bartee and Cain
advanced on pins, while Thomas and Rugraff won their semifinals on
decisions. Rugraff won in overtime.
Losing in the semis and dropping back into wrestlebacks were Luke
Reeves (138) and Jarad Sheppard (195) of Hillsboro, Akintunde
Odunleye (182) of Hazelwood East and Rudy May (195) of
Summit.
Kearney (146 points) and Staley (135.5) were running away with the
team race. Fort Zumwalt North (47.5) was seventh and St. Charles
West (45.5) ninth going into Saturday's medal matches and
championships. Hillsboro (31), Summit (28) and McCluer (24) were
15th, 16th and 18th, respectively.
Nelson will take a 44-0 record into the final. Singh, a junior, is
51-4.
This is a match Nelson has been waiting for for a year. The 2011
final is a match he’s hit the repeat button on over and over
again.
“You’re always thinking about that match and playing it out in your
head,” Nelson said.
Nelson’s path to the final was anything but easy. But not even a
dreamer expects easy on the second day of the state tournament. The
5-foot-5 Zumwalt North wrestler tuned up for the duel with Collins
by scrambling to a tough 10-8 win against Sam Seidel of Oak Park in
the quarterfinals Friday afternoon.
“I
was confident on this one,” he said. “The close match in the
quarters helped me prepare.”
Nelson scored an early takedown to get off to a quick lead against
Collins. The Warrenton wrestler scrambled back to tie the match 2-2
in the opening seconds of the third period, but Nelson scored a
take down with 49 seconds left to put himself in charge. A late
escape for Collins wasn’t enough to catch Nelson.
While the late takedown delivered the winning points, Nelson said
the key was getting on the scoreboard first.
“Ever since the end of the first period, I felt like I was in
control,” he said.
The win wasn’t perfect. Nelson called it “solid.”
He
also could have called it a dream.
