Four Nixa boys wrestlers will represent the Eagles at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 23-24 at the 2024 2024 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 4 State Wrestling Championships.

As a team, Nixa enters the tournament as the No. 10-ranked team in Class 4. 

Individually, after placing in the top four at the Class 4 District 3 tournament, Jax Adams, Aidan Ward, Reed Wilson, and Malachi Rider all qualified and will compete in the state tournament.

Rider (157) won the district title, Ward (138) finished as the runner-up, and Adams and Wilson placed third. Recap the district tournament here.

In his first season in a Nixa uniform, senior Malachi Rider debuts in the state tournament as the No. 3-state-ranked wrestler with a record of 29-2. Rider is a previous state champion in Kentucky, as he won the 2023 and 2022 titles in the 150 division. His only two defeats this season came to non-Missouri opponents in the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament.

Rider faces Oak Park's sophomore Elijah Redmond (30-18), who is making his first state appearance after placing fourth in District 4. The two did not meet in the regular season. Rider defeated five state qualifiers: Eureka's Kevin Majeski (MD 11-2), Ray-Pec's Bryce Gatlin (Fall 0:42), Lee's Summit's Michael Foley (Fall 0:59), Christian Brothers College's Tanner Faulker (MD 9-1), and Ozark's Dayton Moison (MD 11-2, MD 8-0). Majeski and Gatlin are in the bottom eight of the bracket, and a potential quarterfinal matchup could see a Rider-Majeski rematch.

Rider's 157-lbs bracket can be here.

Senior Aidan Ward, a 3x state qualifier and 2023 6th place medalist, enters the state tournament with a record of 30-13. Ward is slated to face Liberty North's senior and 3x state qualifier James Lovelady (45-2), who placed third in District 4. Lovelady defeated Ward 8-2 and 9-0 in their regular-season contests.

Ward will have his hands full to repeat with a state medal, as he went 3-6 against the five other qualifiers he faced in the regular season, two of which are on the top side of the bracket. He defeated Ray-Rec's Evan Gatlin twice (Dec. 8-2, Dec. 5-2) while falling to Francis Howell Central's Noah Keen (Dec. 4-0, M. Forfeit).
 
Ward's 138-lbs bracket can be found here.

Two freshmen debut in their first state tournament Jax Adams and Reed Wilson.

Adams enters the tournament with a record of 31-16 and faces Battle's freshman Jacob Bliven (17-13) for the first time this year, who was the District 2 runner-up. In the regular season, Adams faced four qualifiers and defeated one Springfield Central's Rylan Lashley (MD 11-3).

Adams' 126-lbs bracket can be found here.

Wilson enters his first state tournament with a record of 32-12 and is the No. 6-ranked wrestler in the state for the 144-lbs division. Wilson is set to face the District 1 runner-up and first-time qualifier Eureka's senior Noah Richardson (44-8), marking the first outing between the two. 

He faced half of the qualifiers in the regular season, and posted a 7-3 record, defeating Grain Valley's Sjoeren Aumua (Fall 3:19), Ray-Pec's Connor Gatlin (Fall 2:56, Fall 2:15, Fall 4:57),  Park Hill's Noah Johnson (Fall 2:51), Francis Howell Central's Owen McCracken (Dec. 4-2), and 
Liberty North's Dru Thomas (MD 11-3). Gatlin, Johnson, McCracken, and Thomas are on the opposite side of the bracket, while a potential rematch vs. Aumua could happen in the quarterfinals if both were to win first-round bouts. Wilson has the No. 1-ranked, Staley's David Gleason (28-4), and No. 2-ranked, Hickman's Jordan Fincher (41-2), wrestlers on his side of the bracket. 

Wilson's 144-lbs bracket can be found here.

Additional information regarding the Class 4 state tournament can be found below.

The tournament will be held Feb. 23-24, 2024, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

Friday, Feb. 23 Schedule:
5:45 p.m.: Grand March
6 p.m.: 1st Round Matches
7:30 p.m.: Quarterfinals and 1st Round Wrestlebacks
9:15 p.m.: 2nd Round Wrestlebacks

Saturday, Feb. 24 Schedule:
12:15 p.m.: Semifinals and 3rd Wrestlebacks
1:15 p.m.: 4th Wrestlebacks
3:30 p.m.: 3rd and 5th Place Matches
5:15 p.m.: Finalist March
5:45 p.m.: Championship Bouts

Ticketing Information:
Admission is required for all persons 6 years of age and older.
Tickets for each session/day are $15.
Tickets must be purchased digitally on MSHSAA's website here.

How To Stay Updated:
MSHSAA will be live broadcasting the entire tournament for a pay-per-view of $15 on MSHSAA.tv here. 

Nixa will also be providing live meet updates on their social media channels with pictures and videos. Follow the below accounts to stay updated. 
Twitter: @nixaathletics
Facebook: @nixaathletics
Instagram: @nixaathletics

Any additional information can be found on MSHSAA's website by clicking here.