Earning its very first point in program history against Troy Buchanan on April 10 was the spark the Warrenton stunt team needed — and they ran with it. 

Fueled by adrenaline, a supportive home crowd and a few opening-competition nerves, the Warriors stepped onto the mat with determination. They quickly found their rhythm and secured the program’s first-ever win with a strong 17-7 finish.

“I was so so proud of them. It’s hard to start a new sport in general,” Coach Natalie Filipek said. “Once they got out there and got on the mat, and especially getting that first point, they got more and more comfortable as the game went on. It really built their confidence that they could win.” 

Later that night, the Warriors returned to the mat to take on Ursuline, an undefeated four-year program, but came up short, falling 18-6. They continued competition over the weekend, earning a 15-11 win over Hickman and dropping a match to Fort Zumwalt South 18-9.

“I feel like they had cleaned up a lot of the little mistakes that we had made compared to Thursday night,” she said. “Between those two games and watching film on Friday, and pointing out those little things – they did such a good job fixing those things. I feel like we were able to put in our best performance that we could against Fort Zumwalt South.” 

Filipek also reflected on the team’s overall progression, ranging from its first day on the mat to now. 

“These kids have come such a long way. It’s kind of crazy to think about, but they’ve all put in the work, trust in the process of learning all the different routines and knowing at what count they need to do what skill, and the mental component of it, has really come together in the past two weeks,” Filipek said. 

She noted the week prior to the competition consisted of mostly scrimmaging to get a good understanding of what it would be like to compete in a real game. 

“I think that really helped us prepare for the games,” she said. “I’m super proud of them, not only physically but mentally, with remembering all the counts and doing everything at the right time – they stepped up their game a lot.” 

While she didn’t necessarily expect this level of success from her team right out of the gate, Filipek knew how important that first win would be in setting the tone for the season. 

“I felt like we really needed to get a win within that first day to build their confidence and make them understand they can win and they are good,” Filipek said. 

Performing in front of a home crowd added even more excitement to the program’s milestone. 

“We had a lot of people there, not just the parents, but other people from the community came out to see what the sport was all about, as well as other students,” Filipek said. “I think that really encouraged them.” 

Overall, Carleigh Stienhoff was the highest-rated player during the Troy game. Mikayla Reynolds received the highest rating against Ursuline. Sofi Murphy, Alyssa Casico and Grace

Logan were the highest-rated competitors against Fort Zumwalt South and Michayla Simmons and Paige Loeffler earned the highest rating in the Hickman contest.