After the final whistle of his state championship victory at 152 pounds on Saturday, Warrenton junior Zayden Teson did two things.

First, he gave those in attendance a celebratory flex, and second, and perhaps more meaningful, he ran over. He was put into a full-on embrace by Warrenton assistant coach JJ Filipek.  

The hug shared was between the only two state champions in school history.

“He’s always been here for the team and me,” said Teson of Filipek. “He’s (given) up so much of his time and dedicated his life to wrestling and the team, it really makes me happy that I was able to give back to him by winning a title, I feel like this makes all those little sacrifices he’s made for me all worth it, also he’s pushed us through some horrible conditioning practices and what kept me through it and pushed me was the thought of winning a title." 

For Filipek, who won the 2013 state title at 182 pounds, the full-circle moment meant the world to him.

“It feels better on the other side, seeing a kid’s hard work pay off in the end,” Filipek said. “Winning one was great but when you get to give them (your knowledge), and seeing that pay off, it’s worth it. He’s a great kid who works hard every single day. He even gets extra practices in when no one’s looking. This is well-deserved.”

The junior had to use everything Filipek and others had taught him to work his way out of a hole in the title match, as just 27 seconds in, Teson (46-1) was taken down and found himself trailing.

As it turns out, he had his opponent right where he wanted him.

A fired-up Teson led 4-3 by the end of the period after an escape and a takedown of his own, and 11-3 after two periods, thanks to a second takedown and a near fall on his opponent.

“Most of my good matches, I get taken down first, just not ready,” Teson said. “I’ve always got the mindset that I can do it, but once that reality check hits, I’m like ‘Let’s go.’ That (deficit) fires me more to start going.”

Warrenton head coach Clayton Olsson agreed that the rebound for victory isn’t new for Teson.

Olsson said that some opponents have forced something of an awakening in Zayden Teson, the wrestler.

“He’s had some really tough matches this year and, in a lot of them, he gets taken down first,” Olsson said. “It just stirs something up in him. It fires him up and he comes through in the clutch. He just becomes something different.”

Teson shared that his moment in the making on Saturday really wasn’t an individual effort, or one backed only by coaches, family, friends, and teammates.

Not only did Fillipek and head coach Clayton Olsson play important roles, but he also had plenty of contemporaries who had his back.

The junior shouted out Fort Zumwalt North Carsten Burkemper, Lutheran St. Charles’ Caleb Dyer, Hannibal’s Parker Lutz, and St. Michael the Archangel’s Austin Brown as having also played important parts in his development, both physically and mentally.

“My whole offseason wrestling has been state champ after state champ,” Teson said. “Freshman and sophomore year, that was supposed to be me, but I got overwhelmed by the area. I knew I wasn’t going to let that happen. I got some tips from great guys, helping me calm down. We were all out there, joking around and not letting (the stage) get in our heads.”

With the ultimate prize now in hand, Teson said his goal is to start fresh in the quest for back-to-back titles to close out his prep career.

“I’m going to go out and train in the offseason like I haven’t won anything,” Teson said. “Everything starts fresh next year. I have to make sure that I don’t get complacent. One state title isn’t enough.”