The medal stand proved to be too evasive for five Warrenton wrestlers during the MSHSAA Championships last weekend.It was a bitter disappointment for the Warriors’ lone senior Dakota Werner, who had set a distinct goal of bringing home hardware from his final state tournament.“I really wanted to get a medal, but it just didn’t work out,” said Werner. “I went into my first match with the right mindset, but after that I struggled to score.”For Werner, it was his second appearence.For a quartet of underclassmen, it was their first time on the sport’s biggest stage.While Werner managed to win one match, freshman Drake Meine, sophomores James Biship and Dominic Kennedy and junior Dylan Wade each bowed out after a pair of losses on Thursday.“I wasn’t disappointed in anyone’s efforts,” said Coach Kevin Fowler. “I’m just not sure we gave ourselves a chance to win before we stepped out there. I know we’re better wrestlers than what we showed.”Werner opened against an opponent that had beaten him by one earlier in the season.“I watched the film of our first match over and over and picked up on his tendencies,” explained Werner.This time Warrenton got the upper hand, defeating Rockwood Summit’s Matt Sauder in a 5-0 decision.“I thought he did an awesome job his first match,” said Fowler. “We had lost to that kid earlier in the year, but we came out and shut him down 5-0, and it wasn’t even close.”Werner lost his next match in a 12-2 decision to Oak Park’s Hunter Shelton, who finished as the 120-pound runner-up. The elimination bout for Werner was a 7-6 defeat against Devin Colbert of Glendale.“I went out expecting to win, but none of my setups were working,” said Werner. “He kept hitting the sweeps to the outside and scoring on me.”Werner’s progress as part of the wrestling program cannot be measured in medals and victories, though. He is the only one out of 12 freshmen who joined the team four years ago.“It’s a big character builder,” said Werner. “I’ve stuck with it, and I’ve learned a lot about my priorities.”“This is a kid who made it a long way in a short amount of time,” said Fowler. “He was a great fit for our program, and I’m not disappointed in him.”Kennedy, a fourth seed, fell into a quick pin at the hands of eventual state runner-up Wolfgang Clapper of Grain Valley. He exited the 113-pound bracket after losing an 11-1 decision to Garrett Middleton of Sikeston.“I feel like I could have done more,” acknowledged Kennedy. “I’m going to remember how bad this feels and come back and defeat people next season.”Kennedy says he recognized the progress he made since joining the team.“I just feel like I’ve really grown into the program,” said Kennedy. “It’s given me lots of friends and mental toughness.”At 132 pounds, Drake Meine became the first Warrenton freshman to reach the state tournament since 2007. He recalls getting stuck at the front of the line during the qualifiers’ march, having to lead the entire 132-pound field onto the mats.“You’ve got thousands of eyes watching, so you’re trying not to mess up,” said Meine.Entering as a third seed, he was unable to win either of his matches. Meine lost his first-round meeting to Aaron Vincent of Poplar Bluff, getting pinned in 3:11.“He was going at a lot faster pace than I was,” said Meine. “I couldn’t get my heart rate up and stay with him.”His second defeat came by fall in 1:34 against Ian Benoit of Winnetonka.Biship gave credit to his 138-pound opponents, saying he is still working to reach their level.“I’ve just got to keep working toward my goal,” said Biship. “I’m hoping to be in the finals next year.”His first loss came against De Soto’s Aaron Minx, as he was pinned in just 30 seconds. Josh Kinser of McDonald County then beat Biship by fall in 2:07.“I feel like I was wrestling my tempo during the second match,” said Biship. “He just got me in a bad position and stuck me in the second period.”For Dylan Wade, just being on the team has been a privilege. He was unable to complete his freshman and sophomore seasons due to injuries and inattentiveness academically. Despite an early exit from the state tournament, Wade is reaping the benefits of his changed priorities.“I’m really glad that I got this far,” said the 152-pounder. “It makes me feel like I’ve really accomplished something.”Wade was pinned in both of his matches, first by Farmington’s Kaleb Erwin in 3:52 and then by Neosho’s Chance Branstetter in 1:22.“The people I faced were better in general, so that means I have to get better in the offseason to get farther in this tournament,” said Wade.

Warrenton sophomore Dan Filipek finished second at 145 pounds in Class 3 during the MSHSAA Championships.

Derrick Forsythe photo.