Six Nixa boys wrestlers will represent the Eagles at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 27–28 at the 2026 96th Boys Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 4 State Wrestling Championships.

Individually, after placing in the top four at the Class 4 District 3 tournament, Jax Adams, Peyton Chainey, Kaden Young, Owen Diemoz, Tyler Gibson, and Weston Weldon all qualified and will compete in the state tournament.

Chainey (150) won the district title, Diemoz (165) finished as the runner-up, Adams (132), Young (165), and Weldon (215) placed third, and Gibson (190) fourth. Recap the district tournament here.

Two of Nixa's six qualifiers have tournament experience.

Jax Adams returns to the state tournament for a third consecutive year, seeking to capture his first state medal. The junior enters with a record of 29-18 as the 17th-ranked wrestler in the 132-lbs division, where a new-division state champ will be crowned. Adams faces the District 2 runner-up and fifth-ranked CBC's junior Michael Poulette (29-8). The two are familiar with one another, having grappled twice in their high school career. During the regular season, Adams fell to Poulette by tech fall. They met in the 2024 state tournament, and Poulette won a tightly-contested matchup 3-2. 

Adams competes on the bottom side of the bracket with familiar foes whom he faced this season. Adams defeated Hazelwood's Keyan Koenig (Fall 2:41). They could be a potential second-round matchup, depending on the result. The Nixian fell to Ft. Osage's Luke Stffens, Ozark's Andrew York, and Jackson's Mitchel Baker. On the top half of the bracket, Adams took down Neosho's Brody Mitchell (Dec. 3-2) and fell to Seckman's Carson Owens.

Click here to view the 132-lbs bracket.

175-lbs District 4 runner-up Owen Diemoz comes in with a record of 42-7 as the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the class. Diemoz faces the District 3 bronze winner and seventh-ranked Francis Howell Central's junior Samuel Golden (27-10). He coasted by Golden in the regular-season matchup by tech fall (20-2 2:53).

Diemoz has a strong chance to capture his first state medal in his final go-around. The senior has defeated over half of the opponents in the tournament – Lafayette's Carter Walsh (MD 14-3), Liberty's Donovan Hodges (Dec. 9-2),  CBC's Tanner Faulkner (Dec. 9-5), Glendale's Nazsier Johnson (TF 15-0 5:32), Hickman's Luke Hayden (Dec. 8-3), Staley's Alejandro Contreras (TF 18-0 4:51), Neosho's Kaymon Rhone (Dec. 3-2), and Liberty North's Wyatt True (Fall :58) – while also dropping to Rhone in the district title match. Rhone (No. 2) and Hayden (No. 1) are wrestlers ranked ahead of Diemoz. A rematch with Welsh could play out in the second round, and with Hodges, Faulkner, or Johnson in a potential semifinal if one were to win out with Diemoz. Hayden, Contreras, Rhone, and True are in the bottom eight of the bracket.

Click here to view the 175-lbs bracket.

Four Eagles are debuting in their first state tournament.

District champ Peyton Chainey appears in his first state tournament with a record of 34-14 as the 20th-ranked wrestler in the tournament. The sophomore is in the bottom half of the bracket and faces No. 14-ranked Platte County's senior Grant Fadler (30-10), who placed fourth in District 4, in the opening round for the first time this season.

Chainey faced only two opponents during the regular season, both of which he defeated, and are stationed on the top half of the bracket. He defeated Lee's Summit's Tristan Morgan (MD 16-5) and Lee's Summit North's Kale Lepert (Fall 3:31). A new 150-lbs champion will await the division. No. 1-ranked Seckman's Chance Ruble, a 2025 bronze medalist, and No. 2-ranked and 2025 138 silver medalist Liberty's Ross Davis, are the veterans in the division. Chainey and Davis could potentially meet in the semifinals, while Ruble is in the top portion of the bracket. 

Click here for the 150-lbs bracket.

Junior Kaden Young debuts in the state tournament with a record of 35-7 and is ranked sixth. Young is in the top eight of the bracket and faces a familiar opponent in Grain Valley's District 4 runner-up junior Sjoeren Aumua (28-3) and ranked No. 7. Young and Aumua will grapple for the second time this season, with Nixian vying to avenge a 6-5 defeat.

Young defeated Troy's Josh Whitebread (Fall 3:29), CBC's Mason Todd (Fall 1:55), and Lee's Summit North's Ben Wirth (Dec. 8-5) during the regular season, but fell to Hickman's Jordan Fincher, Lee's Summit's Austin Cornett, and Park Hill's Noah Johnson. Whitebread, Fincher, and Cornett are all in the top eight with Young. The 165-lbs division will have a new champ, and top-ranked Fincher is undefeated. Young could see Whitebread and Fincher in potential rounds, with Whitebread in round two and Fincher in the semifinals.

Click here for the 165-lbs bracket.

Tyler Gibson is entering his first state tournament with a record of 33-14 as the No. 7-ranked wrestler in the division. Gibson competes in the bottom eight of the bracket and faces the District 2 champion and No. 2-ranked Hickman's Beau Waldron (37-3) in the opening round for the first time this season.

The junior faced only two state opponents in the regular season, where a new 190 champ awaits – Neosho's Chase Kivett and Kickapoo's Owen Benson – and fell in both matches.

Click here for the 190-lbs bracket. 

Weston Weldon, the No. 7-ranked 215 grappler, appears in his first state outing with a record of 32-8. Weldon faces No. 9-ranked and District 4 runner-up, Platte County's senior Cole Johnson (6-2), marking the first contest between the two. 

Weldon is in the top eight of the bracket and awaits a tough journey ahead. The top-ranked wrestler, Lafayette's junior Carter Brown, is the defending champion who also won bronze at 175 in 2024, and if Brown and Weldon win, they will meet in the quarterfinals. The two faced off in the regular season, and Weldon was defeated.

The junior also faced five other opponents in the regular, winning against Glendale's Deric Washington (Fall 4:04), Waynesville's Joseph Camelin (Fall 2:14), Lee's Summit North's Barrett Lawless (Dec. 4-3), and falling to Francis Howell Central's Garo Sams and North Kansas City's Kobe Rhymes. All but Washington are in the bottom half of the bracket. 

Click here for the 215-lbs bracket.

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

The tournament will be held Feb. 27 - 28, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

Friday, Feb. 27 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, February 28 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 $17.
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 post live meet updates on their social media channels, including pictures and videos. Follow the accounts below to stay updated. 
Twitter (X): @nixaathletics
Facebook: @nixaathletics
Instagram: @nixaathletics

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