Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Hannibal LaGrange

 

I've written about 478 discontinued wrestling programs in "Gone, Lost & Forgotten."  They all hurt. They all piss me off. Some more on a personal level than others.  My girlfriend and I like to do little weekend getaways sometimes.  A big Mark Twain fan & the fact that my cousin Casey Comer lives in Hannibal, I figure one of these days we'll make the 2 1/2 hour trip south for a visit.  If I can work in a wrestling dual, I always do.  Figured it'd be fun to check out a duel at Hannibal-LaGrange.  Now I can't do that, because they decided to discontinue their team.  I did get to watch them compete once though.  I attended a Central Invitational years ago that they were at. 

From what I'm able to gather, the Trojans were around from the '07-'08 season until the '21-'22 season.  15 seasons in total. 

Kasey Cates

Kasey Cates earned NAIA qualification for the Trojans in 2010 when he captured 3rd place at the Central Regional qualifier.  

Tommy Pickens

Pickens was an NAIA qualifier for the Trojans in 2010. 

Nathan Downs

Yet another NAIA national qualifier in 2010, Nathan Downs. 

Jobi Hambrick

Jobi Hambrick earned NAIA qualification in 2010, with a 3rd place showing at the Central Regional qualifier. 

Bryce Alexander

A fact that some wrestling fans may be unaware of, is that at one time, you could qualify for the NAIA national championships at various points throughout the season.  Placing so high at certain tournaments would earn you a bid to the national tournament, the same way that earning a certain place at an end of the year post-season tournament would.  Bryce Alexander earned NAIA qualifier his freshman year, by making the finals of the Knox Invitational.  The next year at a sophomore, Alexander broke the single season win record with 32 victories & he became the first wrestler in Hannibal-LaGrange history to earn a seed at the NAIA national tournament.  Ultimately Alexander would earn 108 wins during his career as a Trojan & earn NAIA All American honors of 6th place his senior season of 2014.  He was also a two time Academic All American. 

Dan Capp

Dan Capp was a three time NAIA qualifier for the Trojans, earning an 8th place All American finish in 2014 as a senior.  He would later go on to become the Head Coach for Hannibal-LaGrange. 

Matt Mattingley

Matt Mattingley was an NAIA qualifier for the Trojans in 2017.

Jeremiah Reed

Winning over 100 matches during his collegiate career, Jeremiah Reed as a two time NAIA qualifier for the Trojans.  Today, he is a coach at Purler academy. 

Nigel Burnett

Nigel Burnett wasn't even aware his high school had a wrestling team.  Yet his junior year, he was cut from the basketball team & looking for something else to do, he wandered into the wrestling room.  That season wasn't so hot, but his senior year he won 34 matches.  He went on to compete at Hannibal-LaGrange where he won one match his freshman season.  Academic struggles would keep him off the team for a while, but he soon found his way back on.  By the time he was a senior, he was losing in the match to go to nationals at the American Midwest Conference.   Down 6-1, he found it within him to make a miraculous comeback & earn a trip to the NAIA championships with an 11-9 sudden victory.  He also earned a degree & went on to work for Beat the Streets Chicago. 

Gavin Morawitz

If Hannibal-LaGrange still had wrestling, Gavin Morawitz could very well be on his way to becoming the most successful wrestler in Trojan history.  Instead after winning an AMC title as a freshman, the wrestling program came to an end.  Morawitz competed for Quincy this season, and I believe he has another year of eligibility as well.