By Kory CarpenterRecord Sports EditorNine months after a disappointing finish in the Class 3 state championships, Warrenton Head Coach Kevin Fowler watched a late-November practice with optimism.The Warriors return five wrestlers who qualified for the state tournament last season, and hope to compete in the Gateway Athletic Conference North this season.“I’m really pleased with all the guys so far in practice,” Fowler said. “It’s been a long four weeks of coming in and practicing every day. It’s a grind, but I think they got to state last year and got a taste of it.”Senior Dan Filipek (160 pounds) leads the team after reaching the state finals the previous two seasons.He is joined by fellow qualifiers James Biship (145), Drake Meine (170), Jacob Manion (195) and Jacob Null (220).Warrenton began its season Wednesday at Helias and travels to Fort Zumwalt North Saturday at 9 a.m.The team is light in the lower weight classes, but expects to have one of the better groups in the conference between the 145-pound weight class and heavyweight division.Fowler hopes the experience gained at the state championships translates to wins this season.“It can help some kids, it just depends on what they have inside of them,” Fowler said. “Some kids melt under pressure, some kids step up. If we wrestle to our potential, we should be wrestling for state titles and medals.”Filipek has emerged as a state title favorite and leader on the team.The senior is looking for his third consecutive state final appearance and first state championship.“We have some good returners and some freshmen who can make some noise this year,” Filipek said. “I’m excited to see how they develop and how our team develops and grows throughout the year.”Along with the state-qualifying wrestlers, Fowler expects junior heavyweight Brendan Cotner to have a big season, as well.Fowler said he doesn’t always set goals for each individual, but wants each wrestler to wrestle to his or her potential. That, he believes, could help the Warriors win their first Gateway Athletic Conference North championship in school history.“We’ll be in the hunt,” he said. “We were in the hunt last year and I don’t think we wrestled to our potential in the dual against St. Charles West. They beat us pretty handily and it should have been a tight dual.”The Warriors could see St. Charles West as early as Jan. 8-9 in the GAC Tournament.With three matches and two tournaments before Christmas, Fowler said he will know more about his team in the coming weeks.He expects his upperclassmen to continue to impress, and hopes a few wrestlers surprise him along the way.The district tournament is Feb. 12-13, and Fowler’s group hopes to redeem itself at the state tournament Feb. 18.“Now it’s time for those guys to step up and at least get on the medal stand,” he said. “They’re senior leaders, so I don’t have any complaints on how they’ve acted.”
The Warrenton wrestling program kicked off its season last week and travels to Hazelwood West for a meet Wednesday. Submitted photo.
