As a first-time participant at the Gateway Athletic Conference (GAC) meet, Warrenton sophomore Vivia Grooms said that her result was something she didn’t expect.

While she’s happy with finishing second at 120 pounds after falling to Fort Zumwalt South’s Jena Gumahin, she’s ecstatic for just having been in the final, wrestling as the No. 3 seed.

“I felt solid in all my matches,” Grooms said. “I didn’t think I would get this far, especially since it’s my first year. It’s awesome and that last girl is very good.”

Where Grooms was most solid was in a commanding win by fall in 2 minutes, 22 seconds over No. 2 seed Muryn Wallace of St. Charles in the semifinals.

Grooms, who owns a 15-8 record this season, said she hopes her conference success puts her in a position for further success.

“My goal from here is to just go far, to make it to state,” Grooms said. “I want to do well in all my tournaments.”

In addition to Grooms, Warrenton had another pair of girls' wrestlers take second in their respective weight classes.

At 125, Alexis Ruff lost a 7-1 decision to Francis Howell’s Anna Bowles while Alli Vacek fell to Troy’s Molly Marischen by default.

Warrenton coach Clayton Olsson said he was proud of both teams for finishing with lofty results. The girls amassed 101.5 points to finish seventh in the 18-team event, and the coach said the result should provide a mental boost.

“Alexis wrestled a girl who was a state finalist last year,” Olsson said. “She grew some confidence, like ‘I can hang with her, I can wrestle with her, and I can beat her if a couple of different things change here and there.’ We didn’t expect Vivia to be in the finals and she just comes in and wrestles her butt off. Now, she’s got confidence. All these victories and little things help build confidence.”

A trio of other Warrenton wrestlers medaled at the event as senior Dakota Lohrmann placed fourth at 135, falling to Zumwalt South’s Paige Tihen in 2:23. Senior Kylie Vance placed fifth at 2:35 by beating Howell Central’s Cooper Rowse by fall at 3:42. Sophomore Melanie Guerrero finished sixth at 130.

On the boys' side, the Warriors took home two championships, as well as a third- and a sixth-place finish.

Senior and top-seeded Zayden Teson won the title at 132 pounds while No. 2-seeded sophomore Colton Tinker won the title at 120 pounds by beating the event’s top seed, North Point’s Colton Russell, by a 16-11 score.

Tinker said that while being a conference champion is nice, it’s just part of the process.

“This is a good step toward improving,” Tinker said. “The next goal is districts and, after that, state. The final was a hard match against an old teammate. It was cool to get to wrestle him and it put some heat into the match. It feels great to win this.”

In addition to the champions, senior Korben Johnson finished third at 190 by defeating Howell Central’s Gavin Groves by fall in 44 seconds, while senior Jamarion Fulton took fifth at 165 by defeating Liberty’s Parker Hughes by a 6-3 decision.

Overall, the boys finished in the top half of the event with the four medalists. The 94 team points amassed allowed the Warriors to take ninth in the 18-team tournament.

The coach said he’s excited to see how every member of both Warrenton teams goes from here. With the conference tournament behind them, it’s time to put in work for the final days of the season.

“We have a phrase we tell the kids – ‘Champions adjust,’” Olsson said. “When obstacles come up, you can shrink or you can find a way through them.”