Six Warrenton wrestlers were named to the All-Gateway Athletic Conference North first team after leading the Warriors to the conference championship this season.

Senior Dan Filipek (160 pounds) led the way with an undefeated regular season.

Filipek missed the postseason after rupturing his spleen on senior night.

One week prior, he defeated eventual state champion Johnny Blankenship in the championship match of the Blue Springs Tournament.

Five other Warrenton wrestlers qualified for the Class 3 state tournament.

“You’ve got to be happy with the number of guys, and you think that when you win a title like we did, you have a good team and you’ll have a lot of guys on the team like we did,” Warrenton Head Coach Kevin Fowler said. “It just shows good effort on their part.”

Along with Filipek, fellow seniors James Biship (145) and Jacob Manion (195) landed on the all-conference team.

Biship and Manion combined to win 83 matches during their final high school seasons.

“It’s a good way for Biship, Filipek and Manion to end their senior campaigns,” Fowler said. “Manion and Biship came a long way from when they were freshmen. Even Dan, really. Dan was a little more accomplished and more experienced coming into high school, but any time you can finish with all-conference honors, it shows how much work you put into it.”

Fowler said he was impressed by freshman Jerrett Villinger (152), who finished with a 38-14 record after picking up a win in the state tournament.

“He is about as solid of a freshman as they come,” Fowler said. “There’s no doubt he can compete with anybody in the state. I’m sure he surprised some people, but I don’t think he surprised himself or anyone on the coaching staff.”

Villinger is expected to return next season, and should be joined by fellow all-conference members Drake Meine (170) and Jacob Null (220).

Null missed part of the season with injuries, but won 23 matches overall.

Meine finished 38-13.

“If you look back to last year, I think Null surprised a lot of people, too,” Fowler said. “He missed a lot of matches this year with injuries, so for him to compete at a high level in the matches he was able to compete in, that says a lot about his dedication.”

Fowler said he was proud of landing six wrestlers on the all-conference team because of how strong the GAC North has been in recent years.

He also hopes his program can build on the success next year and beyond.

“In high school sports, especially individual sports like wrestling, the mental part is so huge,” he said. “And when you know that you deserve to be there when you step on the mat, it gives you a big edge. And I think earning all-conference honors will be great for those guys coming back next season.”