The athletic programs in the Warren County R-III School District have experienced significant upgrades both physically and by the numbers over the past five years.

A stroll through the athletic complexes, both inside and outdoors, at Warrenton High School reveals a plethora of new amenities. Displayed above the basketball nets in the gym is a wealth of recent accomplishments by student-athletes.

The final touches are being put on the latest upgrades, a new multipurpose gym that will have the capacity to serve nearly any sports team. Outside of a full-length basketball court, the building has a wrestling practice facility and batting cages on the balcony level.

“The wrestling program has been shuffled around for years,” said Activities Director Bobby Spoonster. “This gives them a home place to go for facilities, where they do not have to constantly shuffle mats.”

The major benefit of the new gym is convenience, allowing all teams to practice at the same time and to avoid having to cancel practices during inclement weather.

“We’ve struggled for an indoor place for softball and baseball to get inside and hit,” said Spoonster. “This should really give those kids an advantage. It makes it a central hub where we can have all practices on our own campuses.”

Beyond the gym, new lights brighten the original and primary basketball court. Outside, the baseball and softball diamond was able to host late games for the first time ever this season under the glow of newly installed lights.

While the full benefits of its technology are still being explored and implemented into the classroom, the new video board at the outdoor turf complex was one of the first of its kind in the area.

“The video board is something that sets us apart in our side of the conference,” said Spoonster. “Our turf and football stadium is one of the better ones in the conference, and I think we have a lot to be proud of with that.”

Spoonster believes visiting fans are taking notice, along with state decision-making officials. The upgrades have opened doors for Warrenton to host statewide playoff events, such as quarterfinal basketball. 

But new amenities are not the only reason people are taking notice of Warrenton sports. The winning percentages and postseason success have improved tremendously for the Warriors.

In the past five years, Warrenton has won two state softball titles and had individual state champions in track and wrestling. 

“You look back over the last five years, and we’ve had a tremendous amount of success going forward,” said Spoonster.

The girls basketball team has won three consecutive district titles and claimed its first-ever conference crown in 2016-17. The wrestling program captured back-to-back GAC North titles — its first-ever — in 2016 and 2017. And this fall the cross country and football teams had breakthrough seasons to claim their first-ever GAC North titles as well.

Not so long ago, the baseball program was winning its first league title in 2015. Meanwhile, track and field has its own share of recent accomplishments. The girls               track team has won four straight conference titles and the boys team won districts in 2014.

“Coaches have bought into the belief that hard work pays off and are working diligently to help student-athletes achieve at their highest level,” said Spoonster. “Likewise, students are being supportive of our coaching staff. They’ve really committed to offseason workouts.”

And where titles are quite yet being won, participation numbers are on the rise. 

“Girls golf had our biggest numbers this season, and we’ve seen a lot of growth at the middle school levels,” said Spoonster.  

Also in the past five years, Warrenton has added two sports, implementing girls golf and trap shooting. Spoonster says MSHSAA sanctioned bass fishing might not be far behind.

“We know not every kid will play a sport, but giving kids a connection to something they are passionate about is important so they want to come to school every day,” said Spoonster.