GRANITE CITY — Alton High School’s boys wrestling team showed promise at the recent Red Schmitt Wrestling Tournament in Granite City, highlighted by Brayden Drew’s championship win at 165 pounds.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Coach Eric Roberson expressed satisfaction with his team’s overall performance in the two-day event, noting that every wrestler secured at least one victory.
“We had three in the placement rounds, a finalist at 165, Brayden Drew,” Roberson said. He also praised freshman Jacob Sutphin, who competed at 138 pounds, and sophomore Austin Jones at 113 pounds, who placed sixth after wrestling in the fifth-place match.
Roberson acknowledged the tournament’s difficulty but emphasized its value in preparing the team.
“That’s why we come to this tournament, to see some of the best competition in the area, and in Missouri,” he said.
Looking ahead, Roberson identified areas for improvement based on the high-level competition faced.
“Tournaments like this, and competitions expose weaknesses, so we have an idea of what our weaknesses are,” he said. “When you see high-level competition, that’s what it’s going to do, and you can use it to move on to the next phase in January.”
Despite the challenges, Roberson remains optimistic about the team’s prospects in the upcoming matches.
“I’m very confident in the matches we have coming up,” he said. “I think they’re very winnable matches for us, but this is wrestling. There are no guarantees, and they have to go out there and wrestle every period, staying aggressive and relentless in their attacks all the time. So, that’s what they’ve got to have a mindset of doing, and we’ll see how they do.”
