The annual Battle of the Belt tri-duel against rival CPS schools Hickman High School (HHS) Kewpies and Battle High School (BHS) Spartans took place at Rock Bridge High School (RBHS) on Feb. 3. The three teams competed against each other for the physical championship belt, which the Hickman boys’ team and the Battle girls’ team won in 2025.
The Battle of the Belt was originally set to run on Jan. 31, but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts with the three teams. In preparation for the upcoming Missouri Military Academy and district tournament, which carries high stakes, Coach Robin Watkins of RBHS decided to send out some non-varsity wrestlers to give them an opportunity to gain experience against opponents with more experience.
“A lot of our [varsity wrestlers] are cutting a lot of weight [which] doesn’t make a lot of sense [since] we compete on Saturday,” Watkins said. “This is a make-up duel, otherwise we would’ve had our full line-up [if it wasn’t rescheduled].”
The event opened with Spartans vs. Kewpies, with one boys exhibition match and varsity girls matches following it after. The Spartans and Kewpies went back and forth with wins on the girls’ side. The varsity boys for the respective teams finished 54-24 in favor of the Kewpies.
Following the rival’s bout, RBHS Bruins made their opening in the Battle of the Belt against the Spartans. With no exhibition matches, the Bruins opened their girls’ side with a 125 pounds match with Alexandra Veaseman of RBHS against Reagyn Childs of BHS. The match ended in a pin in favor of the Spartans.
RBHS Sophomore Roagan Moeller followed with a close match, exchanging takedowns and escapes. The match ended the third period 8-8, forcing the wrestlers to enter the sudden victory round, where the first opponent to score wins the match. The ending score was 8-11 in favor of BHS Kaydence McKay after she successfully took down Moeller, advancing the Spartans by 3 points.
Concluding the girls’ duel, Camille Gordon of RBHS accumulated open points due to a forfeit from BHS, ending the girls’ varsity contest 6-39 in favor of the Spartans.
Next up in line, the varsity Bruin boys opened with a match at 120 pounds, a recurring rivalry against RBHS freshman Henry Baker and BHS sophomore Finn Wilson. Wilson qualified for the state championship tournament the previous season, and Baker has accumulated multiple youth state tournament medals.
Baker has encountered Wilson multiple times throughout the wrestling season, but first met him the summer of 2025. Moving from Tennessee before his freshman year, he attended open off-season workouts with Wilson, attending camps and freestyle tournaments as teammates.
The first period ended scoreless, but the second period, following an intense scramble, ended 3-1 in favor of Baker. Baker finished the match by decision 4-1.
RBHS freshman Landry Grotweil and RBHS junior Wyatt Fisher picked up forfeit victories for the Bruins before senior C.J. Henry opened his match with a quick takedown before hitting a cradle on BHS senior Simon Bruyette, ending the match in a pin in the first period.
The final match against Spartans at 285 pounds started intensely, with RBHS junior Ian Becker narrowly escaping a pin, ending the first period down 7 points. Becker came back in the second period with a strategic takedown to quickly turn the match 3-7, holding his opponent down for a pin. Becker accumulated 6 team points for the Bruins, ending their boys varsity opener with a victory of 45-24. The two teams shook hands and cleared the mats to prepare for the final matchup of the night, the Bruins v.s. the Kewpies.
The Kewpies have been crowned the champions of the Battle of the Belt for the last 4 years. With notable wrestlers in the state and national rankings, including Kent State commit senior Jordan Fincher and two-time state champion and Purdue University commit junior Luke Hayden, the Bruins were up for a challenge.
Opening their bout against the Kewpies, Veaseman opened, once again, against junior Ava Acton that ended in defeat. Veaseman started wrestling this school year, and, like any first year wrestler, she has won and lost matches. However, keeping a positive attitude, she finds every match as an opportunity to learn and improve in practice.
“[Battle of the Belt] was a really cool experience being able to wrestle at home and have people I know come and support me,” Veaseman said. “What I’m able to take away the most from [Battle of the Belt] is that I need to trust what I can do. At practice I do everything I need to know, and relying on that [would help in my matches].”
RBHS freshman Taylor Walton and HHS Savara Hanft matched up in a fiery scramble but a scoreless first period. The third period caused an uproar in the audience with a lack of action, ending the match as a defeat for Walton 1-3.
Moeller’s second match of the night against HHS sophomore Molly Servey ended in a first period pin, being the only scoring match for the Bruins, advancing 6 points. The girls’ teams for the rest of the bout exchanged forfeit wins, ending the team score 24-54, a victory for the Kewpie girls. Once again, the girls’ teams dispersed and sat down for the awaited varsity boys matches, which proved itself as an underwhelming performance from the Bruins.
This matchup started with forfeits for both teams, leaving them 6-6 before the action started. RBHS Grotweil began the action with a quick loss by pin in the first period to HHS Fischer Barr in the 138 pounds match. Following the rest of the night, the Kewpies established their dominance with quick wins over the Bruins.
RBHS sophomore La`Mont Toles-Bey Jr. and HHS senior Lance Foss, both being backups for their teams, had the most action in the 157 pounds match, but ultimately came up as another loss for the Bruins in a second period pin. After the match, it continued to go downhill as the Kewpies accumulated 17 more team points in the form of a forfeit, technical fall, and pin.
The night ended with Becker and RBHS freshman Brayden Griffith, with the only points scored versus Kewpie boys varsity coming from forfeit. This concluded the final bout of Battle of the Belt with an ending score of 18-58.
Despite the loss to the Kewpies by team points, Watkins still sees it as a win for the Bruins. Since the Battle of the Belt was the last opportunity for JV wrestlers to compete in the season, having the line-up showcased that night proved to be worth it to give those wrestlers experience.
“A lot of our JV guys got to actually wrestle some [experienced] varsity wrestlers and even [some] national champs,” Watkins said. “[Sophomore] Robert Valesco got to wrestle [the] number 10 ranked guy in the country, he went out there and competed. I enjoyed seeing everyone compete [at Battle of the Belt].”
Did you watch the Bruins compete at the Battle of the Belt? Let us know in the comments!
