Last winter, Dan Filipek was the unsuspecting hunter.This weekend he will be the hunted.After winning his second straight district title on Saturday, the Warrenton junior has his sights set on a return to the state championship match, where he finished second in a close decision 12 months ago. Only this time, he will settle for nothing less than first place.“I may not be the underdog anymore, but I like to go in with the mentality that I’m still not the best and that I’m not unbeatable,” said Filipek. “I have to go out and wrestle like I still haven’t achieved my ultimate goal, because I’m still not there yet.”Filipek was one of six Warriors having advanced to the MSHSAA Championships at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.“If you looked on paper, we had six people in the Top 4 seeding wise,” explained Warrenton Coach Kevin Fowler. “We had hoped to get a few more kids through, but we ran into some hiccups on the backside.”Last season Filipek was still forming his own identity, emerging from the shadows of older brother J.J., who won the 182-pound state championship in 2013. But the youngest and most obsessed of three wrestling siblings is no longer a secret to competitors. With an unblemished 50-0 record heading into state, Filipek is just one win away from eclipsing J.J.’s single-season wins record. He has been ranked first in Missouri the entire season at 152 pounds.“If he’s sharp, I don’t think anybody can stand in his way of winning the title,” said Fowler.Filipek will open Thursday evening against senior Austin Marler of Windsor Imperial. He will see mostly a different field of competitors this time around, having moved up from the 145-pound weight class. A rematch with last year’s champion, Johnny Blankenship of Platte County, is out of the question, as he will competing in the 160-pound bracket.“I feel like I have some pretty good matches on my side,” said Filipek. “It’ll test how hard I’ve been practicing this year.”Filipek does face the possibility of meeting district finals opponent Buddy Conley of Chaminade again in the title match. Conley’s biggest adversary should be Republic’s Cody Sandridge, who has lost just one match — to Filipek — this season.Dominic Kennedy (35-12) — Junior was the only other Warrenton grappler to win a district title, making quick work of all his 106-pound opponents with first-round pins.“He’s wrestling well right now,” said Fowler. “He’s had some close matches with state-level kids this year, and he’s going to have to come with the attitude that he wants to do more.”The bitter taste of an early exit at least year’s state meet has Kennedy setting loftier goals and taking a different approach this time around. He chose not to know who his first-round opponent is, instead going in with a clear mind.“I felt like looking at my bracket puts that intimidation factor into it, and I don’t assume how good a kid is just by looking at his record,” said Kennedy. “This way it’ll be a more even playing field, and I won’t be afraid to take a shot.”Kennedy will open against senior Sean Parr (22-12) of Warrensburg.“I feel like if I put my mind to it I could beat anyone of these kids going for first,” said Kennedy.Christian Yates — After seeing his trip to state flash before his eyes, the senior was able to wrestle his way back through the 120-pound bracket at districts. This isn’t Yates’ first appearance at the championships, but last season he was representing Zumwalt South. He was able to win just one match at 113 pounds, leaving without any hardware.“My goal is to win state and go all the way,” said Yates, who says his throws kept him out of the medal round last year.Yates debuts against senior Jericho Harris of Harrisonville, who has experienced success in limited action with a 12-2 mark this season.Seth Brierly — Senior has gradually worked his way up to this milestone of qualifying for state, after falling painfully short in the bubble match the past two winters.“This means I’ve finally accomplished something I’ve been working toward for a long time, and it feels like a relief,” said Brierly.According to Fowler, he is the program’s most improved competitor this season, reaping the rewards of offseason commitment.“Seth can be pretty dangerous, because a lot of guys don’t know about him,” said Fowler. “He has the ability to sneak up on some competitors and take them by storm.”Brierly received a challenging draw in the 126-pound opening round, facing off against Willard’s Nikolas Chavez, who emerged as the runner-up from the state’s most competitive district.“I feel like going into matches against some of these top guys where they don’t know much about me is an advantage,” added Brierly. “Sometimes I even pull off moves that surprise myself.”James Biship — Junior has competed at a higher level, especially the last several weeks of the season, when he repeatedly found himself atop the medal stand. A second-place finish in the 138-pound district field sets Biship up against sophomore Markkel Moore of Carthage.“They’re bringing similar records into that match, so whoever shows up with their focus on point is going to come out there a winner,” said Fowler.Biship failed to advance to the trophy rounds of the state tournament last season and is relying on that experience to drive him further this time around.“I feel like I have improved my takedowns a lot since then, and that’s helped me have a lot more confidence going into my matches,” said Biship.With one more year to continue his climb, he is maintaing modest goals.“I’m just wanting to bring home some hardware,” said Biship.Jacob Manion — During a season where the heavier weights took a backseat to their lighter teammates in terms of wins, one man will represent the mass at state. Manion, a junior, elevated his performance at the right moments of the season and pushed through with a third-place finish at districts.Last week was his best week of practice,” recalled Fowler. “If he can continue to translate that over to live competition, he’ll keep experiencing success.”He refrained from any type of noticeable emotion, but it didn’t mean the accomplishment went without acknowledgement.“It means a lot to finally make it, because I’ve worked so hard for this, and nothing really compares to finally getting here,” said Manion, who has his sights set on a medal after a solid showing at the regular season tournaments.In his first-ever state match, Manion will face Platte County junior Adam Muehlebach.SIX WARRIORS HEADED TO STATEDerrick Forsythe photo.