ROREBECK’S REDEMPTION

145-Pounder Bounces Back From Opening Round Loss, Wins Medal

Losing in the first round of the 2016 Class 1 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships was never what Drew Rorebeck had in mind. But it didn’t stop him from reaching a big goal of his – winning a state medal.
Rorebeck completed that achievement on Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, winning the fifth-place medal at 145 pounds. Rorebeck went 4-1 following the opening round to rally back and grab the state medal.
“Drew brought back a fifth-place medal this year,” Trenton Head Coach Charlie Bacon said. “Drew has been to state three years now and hasn’t been able to take home a medal until this year. He accomplished a huge goal this year in the tournament. I knew going in that Drew was one of the top kids in the state, but there are a lot of really good kids that never medal for one reason or another.”
After the first round loss, Rorebeck was in danger of being denied a medal once again. The Trenton junior didn’t let that happen, however.
Rorebeck bounced back on Thursday night, scoring a 6-0 decision win to push himself through to Friday action. On Friday, Rorebeck’s first match pitted him against Kaleb Wooden of South Harrison, who had defeated Rorebeck by a slim decision at districts just one week earlier. Rorebeck got his revenge for the district loss, pinning Wooden at the 3:48 mark. The win kept Rorebeck’s run alive and ensured Wooden would return to Bethany without a medal from the state tournament.
“After a first round loss, I knew the road to a medal at 145 was going to be a longer one than we had originally anticipated,” Bacon said. “Drew had to come out and win three matches in a row against some very tough opponents to get a medal. One of those opponents was Kaleb Wooden from South Harrison, who had beaten us the week before at the district tournament. Drew came out and wrestled to his full potential and the match wasn’t even close. Drew came away with a pin after scoring several takedowns and locking up a cradle. It was a great moment to see Drew get over a hurdle he had not been able to jump earlier in the season.”
Rorebeck followed up that win with a 10-7 decision win over Justin Wright of Lathrop, one that guaranteed Rorebeck a medal at state. In the consolation semifinals, though, Rorebeck was dealt his second loss of the tournament as he lost a close 2-1 decision to Hallsville’s Luke West. The loss moved Rorebeck to the fifth-place match, where he closed out his season with a 7-2 decision victory over Dalton Schlie of Plattsburg.
“Drew went on to win two more matches throughout the tournament,” Bacon said. “His only other loss came from his Hallsville opponent in the match to decide which medal he would get to battle for. I am very proud of the way Drew went out and wrestled and am really looking forward to next year with him.”
After the 4-2 showing at state, Rorebeck wrapped up his junior campaign with a 46-5 mark and the 145-pound fifth-place medal.
Trenton’s other four wrestlers didn’t make it past the first matches of Friday at the tournament.
Senior Wynne DeVorss was the first to fall, going 0-2 on Thursday and eliminating him from the 160-pound bracket. The losses gave DeVorss a final record of 30-21 on the season.
“Wynne had a tough first day,” Bacon said. “He lost both of his matches, which eliminated him from the tournament. Obviously, he would have liked to get a medal his senior year, but the state tournament is relentless in that aspect. Sometimes you have bad days of wrestling and you just hope it is not at the state tournament. I am proud of what Wynne was able to do throughout the season his senior year.”
Trenton’s other three wrestlers were all underclassmen, who gained some valuable experience at the state tournament level. Brenden Johnson (113), Ty Sayre (170) and Jadan Whitney (195) all went 1-2 at the tournament. After losses in the first round, the trio bounced back, closing Thursday with wins before each was eliminated in their first action on Friday.
“The state wrestling tournament was a great experience for all of our boys,” Bacon said. “Even kids that go down for the first year and don’t get a medal still come out feeling very motivated for the next year. The level of wrestling that these kids get exposed to is a great thing.
“I was really happy that Brenden was able to come down and win a match at the state tournament his first year qualifying. I am looking forward to another year with Brenden and I know he has a medal in mind for next year.
“With having very few matches in the regular season I think Ty did a great job. He gave it everything he had in his matches despite not being 100 percent healthy.
“Jadan definitely caught the attention of everybody this season, including at Columbia this weekend. In his final match, he was eliminated from the state tournament in a 3-0 decision against last year’s runner-up. Jadan couldn’t have had a better first year of wrestling. I am very proud of what he was able to do as a first year freshman and am looking forward to three more years with him.”