Dan Filipek was two weeks away from wrestling for a state championship when his high school career was first derailed, then finished.

While preparing for his first dual on senior night Feb. 3, Filipek and his teammates were warming up in a hallway off the gym.

“They were doing some sprints and he collided with somebody, and it just happened to catch him right in the right spot,” Warrenton Head Coach Kevin Fowler said.

Filipek started to feel dizzy and passed out.

Thinking it was just a few injured ribs, he went through senior night activities before passing out again and being rushed to the hospital.

He spent three nights in the hospital recovering from a ruptured spleen, ending his quest for a state title.

“It was a pretty tough couple of days,” Filipek said. “But I’ve accepted it and I’m just trying to get better.”

Filipek finished second in the state his sophomore year in the 145-pound weight class and was stopped short in the championship match again last season at 152 pounds.

This season he was 39-0 and the favorite to win the state title at 160 pounds.

Platte County’s Johnny Blankenship, who beat Filipek in the state championship two years ago, entered this season as the main roadblock to Filipek’s elusive state championship.

Filipek got his first taste of victory over Blankenship when the pair collided Jan. 30 in the championship match at the Blue Springs South Tournament.

“Luckily, Dan got to face him this year, and that will be something he can look back on,” Fowler said. “Honestly, I don’t think he cares about standing on top of the podium because he’ll know he beat that kid.”

The win catapulted Filipek to a No. 1 ranking in the state and No. 20 in the country in his weight class in the InterMat high school rankings.

“I came into the season knowing that I’d be the best in the state, but beating the kid that beat me my sophomore year was icing on the cake,” Filipek said. “That made the news a little easier to take.”

The win also attracted the attention of college coaches.

Filipek had been looking to wrestle at McKendree University or Maryville University, but he has gotten more phone calls from coaches lately.

Northern Illinois University, a Division I program, recently reached out, as well.

Filipek hopes to make a decision in the next few months.

“I think the only saving grace in all of this is he has bigger goals,” Fowler said. “He’s going on to the next level to wrestle, and he’s dreaming about being an all-american and winning a national title, which are both doable for him.”

Less than a week after the accident, Filipek was back at practice.

He traded in his wrestling shoes for a coach’s whistle, and will remain in that role until the summer, when he plans on wrestling on the summer circuit and preparing for his college career.

“Knowing that I didn’t get to get the job done here will definitely push me,” he said. “It will push me past points that I never thought I could reach,”