After losing four state qualifiers off last year’s team, Warrenton wrestling Head Coach Kevin Fowler has plenty of opportunities to offer wrestlers this season.

The Warriors lost qualifiers Hayden Love (152 pounds), Drake Meine (170), Michael Riggs (182) and Jacob Null (220), as well as Brendon Cotner (285) off last year’s team.

Meine and Null capped their careers with second-place finishes last spring.

“We’re trying to replace two finalists, so that’s tough,” Fowler said. “And you could count on every single one of those guys to win during a dual and place well at tournaments, so that’s tough too. But they had a lot of success, and that’s what you want. So we just have to reload and get better.”

Junior Jerrett Villinger, who has qualified for the state championships the last two years, is the top returner for Warrenton.

“He did the right things in the offseason,” Fowler said. “He did a lot of wrestling and he played soccer, so he got his conditioning and he still got on the mat. He’ll continue to get better throughout the season, and he’s looking sharp right now.”

Villinger, who finished 39-6 last season at 160 pounds, is expected to remain at that weight this year.

“Our team is looking solid this year,” Villinger said. “We have some strong wrestlers this season, and that’s good to see.”

The Warriors have a deep but inexperienced roster, Fowler pointed out.

“Some of the juniors who have only been wrestling for a few years will have to fill in for what we’ve lost,” he said.

Ben Chernaskey is expected to compete for a spot at 170 or 182 pounds.

“We expect good things from him,” Fowler said. “People aren’t really going to expect much from him, but we think he’s going to surprise some people.”

Zach Alexander will likely find a home in the middle weights, and Will Gerhardt could replace Cotner at 285 pounds.

“He’s done really well at the lower levels,” Fowler said of Gerhardt. “He’s really being pushed, though, which is good. We have a really good crop of heavyweights this year. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be in there, so whoever mans that spot will have a good season.”

Other potential varsity wrestlers include Ray Samson and Drake Volkman.

“I think by the end of the year, we might develop and surprise some people,” Fowler said. “Most people are going to look at our lineup and say, ‘Wow, they lost a ton,’ which we did. So now we just have to coach these guys up. The good thing is, they’re really coachable kids and we don’t have anything to say about their work ethic right now. We’re looking for good things; we might have some growing pains but we’re just going to go out and wrestle and see what happens.”

And while Fowler believes his team’s depth could help during regular season duals, Villinger appears to stand alone when it comes to postseason expectations.

“He should be challenging for a state title,” Fowler said. “It really depends on his commitment, and he’s been strong. A lot of things can happen, but he should be vying for the top two or three the next two years. I know that’s his thought process too, so we just have to give him the opportunity to do that.”