QND Invitational: Palmyra’s Arch hits century mark during quest for championship

QUINCY — Collin Arch knew a milestone was imminent, but the Palmyra junior wrestler didn’t allow it to alter his mindset or approach.

His demeanor didn’t change either.

After recording his 100th career victory in the 138-pound semifinals of Saturday’s Quincy Notre Dame Invitational at the Pit with a 15-0 technical fall of Chatham Glenwood’s Jacob Antonacci, Arch allowed the referee to raise his hand, shook the opposing coach’s hands and walked off the mat.

No smile. No celebration. No reaction when the public address announcer let the crowd know about the historic moment.

“One-hundred wins really means a lot, but in the end, it’s really not the end goal,” Arch said. “I’m still shooting to improve in my wrestling.”

And stay perfect all the while. A couple of hours after the milestone victory, Arch ran his career record to 101-0 by pinning West Hancock’s Evan Carel in 41 seconds in the championship match. He opened the day with a 20-second pin of QND’s William Gibleon in the quarterfinals.

“All of my abilities are peaked and you get to put them to work,” Arch said. “I put a lot more conditioning in to my body. Being in good condition, you can use all of your abilities to the max.”

It could have been a Quincy sweep for Arch, but an overnight snowfall in mid-January forced Palmyra to not return for the second day of the Quincy Invitational. This weekend allowed more local fans to see one of Missouri’s most accomplished grapplers compete.

“It was nice competing pretty close to home,” Arch said. “We had a pretty good fanbase.”

This is the start of the ramp up for the postseason as the Class 1 District 3 tournament is scheduled to take place in two weeks and the state tournament begins the following Thursday.

“I’m definitely ready for the postseason,” Arch said. “That’s what we’ve been shooting for all year.”