Johnson Earns Academic All-State

Trenton 220-Pounder Was Fifth At State

For almost six minutes, Caleb Johnson battled Central New Madrid’s Quazavion Jackson in the opening round of the Class 1 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships. The 220-pound match was tied at 9-9 as the seconds waned in the third and final period. Johnson is a fast learner and battling Jackson for the better part of three rounds had taught him enough. With 12 seconds left, Johnson saw an opening he had seen earlier in the match and grabbed a takedown to seal an 11-9 victory.
Johnson used that match to launch a run to a fifth-place state medal in Columbia this past February. The mat isn’t the only place where Johnson’s knowledge goes on display, however.
On Wednesday, Johnson was named an academic all-state wrestler by the Missouri Wrestling Association. The honor is bestowed on wrestlers who medal at the state tournament, by placing in the top six of their weight division and who carry a grade point average of 3.75 or higher.
“I’m really proud of Caleb,” Trenton coach Charlie Bacon said. “This award is a great accomplishment and speaks volumes about his work ethic in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. The high standards of this award makes it very tough for any wrestler to obtain and Caleb got it done in only his sophomore season. He joins a very elite group of wrestlers throughout the rich history of the THS wrestling program.”
Johnson earned his fifth-place medal at state with a 4-2 showing at Mizzou Arena. In his two losses he was outscored by a combined three points. Johnson avenged one of those losses, defeating Lathrop’s Quinton Wolfe in the fifth-place match – a wrestler he lost to by a 4-3 decision earlier in the tournament.
Johnson excelled in the classroom as well and the combination of the two led to his academic all-state distinction.
Johnson will be a wrestler Trenton builds its lineup around next season as a junior along with Hunter McAtee, who was a third-place state medalist this year as a freshman, and returning state qualifiers Gavin Chambers and Coleman Griffin.