Monday’s Mexico Brick City Classic could be seen as a signal for the end of one era of Lady Bulldog wrestling.

Mexico Brick City Classic Photo Gallery

Katie Bowen was one of three seniors honored in the middle of Mexico’s home tournament on Martin Luther King Day along with Karisa Hayden and Abbie Seibert. 

The former state medalist Bowen finished 1-2 after a third-period pinfall loss to returning Holden state medalist Haley Brooks, an 8-4 victory over returning North Point state qualifier Alyssa Anderson and a 4-3 loss to former Waynesville state qualifier Josie Moody. Bowen returned not too long ago after an almost two-year absence.

“It’s hard getting back in the swing of things, but I feel like today was really good for me because I needed this tougher competition,” Bowen said. “Having these Class 2 schools come in and hammer on me is giving me a good look so I can prepare and get back in the room and get to work. When state comes around, I want to be on the top of that podium.”

The third annual Brick City Classic is the only home date scheduled for the Mexico girls so that is why the seniors were recognized. It also added additional meaning to the day for Bowen, who was one of the first members of the Mexico girls wrestling program.

The Lady Bulldogs are in their fourth year of existence and have Bowen to thank for achieving a list of program firsts such as being the first Mexico girl district champion, state qualifier, state medalist and first college signee. There were other girls that were around with Bowen at the program’s beginning, including Brett Iman, Kaylynn Pehle, Abby Drew, Choice Foster and Ivy Perez, and they were all there with Bowen at her final home meet.

“It feels weird,” Bowen said when asked about wrestling on home mats for the final time. “It’s not clicking but then I feel like I’m going to go home and cry.”

Iman is currently a wrestling coach at Mexico Middle School, and Pehle coaches in Mexico’s youth wrestling program. Head coach Tony Senor said girls who were there at the start are still contributing to the future, and he looks forward to Bowen’s future.

“Katie Bowen is one of the original members of the very first girls wrestling team, and she is the last member (graduating),” Senor said. “It’s kind of sad, but we’re very excited for what she has in front of her with William Woods wrestling and also seeing what she can do about possibly getting to the state tournament.”

Hayden finished fourth at 190A after going 2-3, starting her day with a 6-3 win over district foe Brooklyenn Rader-Johnson, of Kirksville, and ending her day with a pinfall over North Point’s Dannah Matzenbacher. Two of her three losses were by decision, which were 5-2 and 3-2, in several more matches for Hayden that went the full six minutes.

Hayden’s “first and one goal” was to beat her Kirksville opponent after losing to her earlier this season. She felt redeemed early in the day and then battled as she has done frequently in her second year wrestling that has contained plenty of medals.

“It’s really competitive because I’m wrestling 190, but I’m only 160-something pounds,” Hayden said. “It’s all about moving and not overpowering them because I simply will not. It’s letting the openings come to me and taking advantage of that.”

Senor said Hayden has shown plenty of toughness in her time with him, and he’ll miss that. He said she often competes with the most talented girls in the state and did so again against returning South Callaway state qualifier Lilli Lewis.

“Karisa is the toughest girl I have ever coached,” Senor said. “I know we’re still a young program, but she is mentally strong, she’s physically strong and she’s willing to wrestle anybody in the state of Missouri. Win or lose, she doesn’t care as she has zero fear. She wrestled one of the best girls in the state of Missouri again at this tournament, and she almost beat her.”

Abbie Seibert is a first-year wrestler that had a sour end to her Brick City Classic after having to medically forfeit her final two matches. She went 2-1 at 170B&C, winning via a 4-0 decision and then a 9-8 decision over district foe Hayleigh Rock, of Kirksville, after losing 10-7 to Ft. Zumwalt South’s Hailey Cole. The hamstring that Seibert injured earlier in the season proved too much to handle, though.

“Last Friday, I was forced into the splits, and I pulled my hamstring,” Seibert said. “It was feeling better. It was maybe about 80 percent, and I was like, ‘You know what. I miss wrestling, and I haven’t done it all week. I need it.’ It was like withdrawals from wrestling.”

Seibert said she didn’t have her full arsenal at her disposal since going for pins was tough with her hamstring. She said she let Senor know in a conversation she paraphrased later while laughing.

“I tried shooting maybe one time, and I was like, ‘Yeah no, that’s it for me,’” Seibert said. “I went up to Tony and said, ‘It’s not happening homedog.’ He was like, ‘OK, word.’”

“She is a character,” Senor said. “She has put a lot of work in, and she is honestly surprising a lot of people with how well she is doing, including myself. She got second place at the JV Wonder Woman. At the beginning, that would not have been possible in my brain, but she’s come in and worked.”

Senor has been impressed how Seibert has worked through adversity like injuries and making weight and is happy to take on any girl at any age and at any level of wrestling experience. Seibert certainly has made him happy with how she has conducted herself.

Seibert said she likes how her first-year on the mat has gone even though she has had unavoidable growing pains. She earned votes of confidence from her fellow seniors with more experience.

“You’re aggressive, and don’t give up,” Bowen and Hayden said.

“I want to grow each match because if I don’t learn something from each match, what’s the point of me going out and doing it,” Seibert said. “I build off of that and work on my own and in practice.”