It culminated in perfect fashion for Drake Wagner.A year after being burdened by letdown at the 2013 MSHSAA Championships, he was celebrating the fruits of his labor.Searching for regrets or even an inkling of disappointment, the Warrenton senior came up empty-handed.Short of actually winning his race, he had accomplished it all.“I worked really hard for this all year,” asserted Wagner.He was leaving the final event of his high school career with a pair of medals and a record he had been chasing for two seasons.Wagner closed out the weekend for Warrenton, capping off Saturday’s state events with a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash.“Fourth place may not seem all that great to some, but this means a lot to me,” said Wagner.He set a new personal best by breaking the school record at 22.28 seconds.“He ran a great race for the final one of his high school career,” said Coach Steve McDowell. “In Drake fashion, he kicked it in during the final 50 meters.”He had run a 22.44 during preliminaries on Friday to advance to the finals.“I got out of the blocks a lot better during the finals,” noted Wagner, who was unable to make it out of the preliminary round at state last May.Wagner was also a critical member of the Warriors’ 800-meter relay team, which placed fourth as well on Saturday. His ability to make up ground in the final 200 meters as the anchor established him as one of most elite sprinters in school history.“He’s the reason we’ve been able to compete in the relays,” said McDowell. “He’s a tremendous member for our 400 and 800-meter relay teams.”Moving from Hannibal during his freshman year, Wagner didn’t join the track team until his junior season. It was a move McDowell is extremely thankful for.Along with teammate Jordon Washington, he became the first Warrenton sprinter to medal at state since the 2002 season.

Warrenton senior Drake Wagner finished fourth in the 200-meter race at state.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.