When Ryan Sherry broke through to the final round of last weekend’s MSHSAA Championships, he had secured more than just a medal. The Warrenton sophomore remembers watching his late brother Devin compete at the state wrestling tournament, coming up empty-handed each time. As a junior in 2009, Devin faced elimination after losing his first two matches. He filtered his disappointment into motivation, vowing to put in the work necessary to return and earn a medal during his senior season. Devin did not get that chance, losing his life in a car accident about six weeks after the state meet. On Saturday, his younger brother was able to achieve what Devin had dreamed of during two trips to Mizzou Arena. Ryan finished fourth among Missouri’s 103-pound competitors in Class 3, bringing home hardware during his first state appearance. He was the only one of Warrenton’s five state qualifiers to earn a medal. “I wish (Devin) was with me, because I would like to go hug him and say thank you,” said Sherry. “I know he was on the sidelines watching, cheering me on. I felt him there. So, that was pretty cool when I won my medal.” Ryan entered as a second seed, winning his opening round match on Thursday by fall over Webster Groves senior Joshua Jones. “After I won the first match, I felt like I could take on anybody,” said Sherry. “That built my confidence and helped me wrestle good the rest of the tournament.” Sherry lost the first of his matches on Friday, getting pinned in the second period by eventual state champion Noah Teaney of Oak Park. “I went and talked to my dad, and he was like, ‘That was a tough match and that kid is good, but you’ve got to get that out of your head and just go and wrestle your way back into the medal rounds,’” said Sherry. “So I just went back and wrestled my heart out through the whole tournament to get back in it.” He was able to work his way through wrestlebacks, defeating a pair of opponents he had previously beaten during the regular season. Sherry pinned Reid Hanmore of St. Charles before taking down Washington’s Jack Hanify in a 12-7 decision. The win over Hanify guaranteed Sherry the rights to compete on Saturday for a medal. He conquered his final wrestleback challenge on Saturday morning, placing himself in the third-place match. During that bout, Sherry let Pacific’s Tanner Danielson get the upper hand long enough to engineer a pin early in the second period. “I got in a cradle and got thrown on my back,” said Sherry. “It happens to everyone. I didn’t want it to happen there, but it did. I know I could have beat him if I would have just wrestled on my feet.” By the end of the day, Sherry had buried the discontent of losing his final match, exciting to finally hit the buffet line again now that the season had concluded. He had just one regret when he stepped to the medal podium near the conclusion of Saturday’s finals. Ryan can’t help but credit his older brother for some of his own success. Despite the age and weight difference, Devin would often tangle with his brother on the mats, and Ryan spent much of his younger years admiring his sibling. “I remember (Devin) took me down in the tunnel, and it was huge. I was just like, ‘I can’t wait until I get down here,’ Ryan recalled. “Once I made it down there, it was just all business from there on. I came here to do something, and I’m going to get it done.” Wrestling actually runs even deeper in the family. Devin and Ryan sought to follow after a relative who won a state title while grappling for Zumwalt North. “Our cousin Rob was a state champ, and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool.’ We went and found little league wrestling and fell in love with it,” recalled Sherry. Ryan will now turn his focus toward gaining weight and is fairly certain he will be prepared to compete at 119 pounds next season. “I’ve still got to get bigger and faster and get better positioning,” said Sherry. “My technique is there. I just need to get a little bit stronger so I can muscle through some of those weird positions I get myself into.”