After watching his friend and teammate, senior Jacob Warren, lose in the Class 3 152-pound semifinals Friday night, Windsor senior Ryan Yarnell said he wrestled a sloppy semifinal at 182 later that evening.
“When Jacob lost, my heart shrank in my stomach,” said Yarnell who was Warren’s friend and teammate the last four years. “I was shocked and didn’t know how to react.”
Despite Yarnell’s assessment of his semifinals match, he had enough to beat Neosho senior Joey Williams 12-7 to advance to the finals Saturday at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Wrestling Championships at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Warren was the first Windsor wrestler to capture a state title (at 145 pounds) last season and Yarnell became the second when he beat Harrisonville junior Sam East 5-3 and finished his season 53-0.
“I didn’t want to be complacent,” said Yarnell of his strategy in the final. “In big matches lately, I’ve been kind of standing in place or circling. Throughout the whole match, I had to remind myself to move my feet and get my shot going.”
Yarnell said as his perfect record kept growing, he tried to keep each match in focus.
“The past three years when I was undefeated, I thought too much about it,” he said. “This year, I said every match is a new record.”
Windsor head coach Kevin Stoffey said the feeling he got when Yarnell had his hand raised after winning state was indescribable. Yarnell finished third at the same weight last year.
“It’s the culmination of four years of hard work,” Stoffey said. “If anybody ever deserved it, Ryan did. Once he took the lead, he got a little defensive toward the end. He wasn’t going to put himself in harm’s way when he’s in control of the match.”
Yarnell said he wasn’t sure where would attend college next year, as he is still weighing his options.
“He’s being very modest,” Stoffey said. “He’s had quite a few offers. In wrestling sometimes, the scholarships aren’t the greatest. He’s got to make up his mind what’s best for him, both athletically and educationally.”
Yarnell was the only Jefferson County Activities Association wrestler to return from Columbia with a state championship. The league sent 20 grapplers to state and six returned with medals.
De Soto sophomore Landon Porter reached the Class 3 championship at heavyweight against Neosho senior Adrian Hitchcock. Porter (43-3) qualified for state as a freshman and is a two-time district champion. But he spent most of the first two periods on his stomach as Hitchcock (51-2) controlled the match. Porter gave up an escape point to start the third period so he could try to shoot at Hitchcock, but never found his mark in a 5-0 loss.
“It’s a lot better than I expected. I came here looking for a medal, so anything else was pretty much a bonus,” Porter said.
Porter said he didn’t think he was overmatched by seniors this season.
“Not really, because I won more than half of those matches,” he said. “I wanted to catch (Hitchcock) and get him on his back. I wasn’t going to turn him. I’m not very good on top.”
Three Owls claim medals
After being pinned in the semifinals by eventual state champion Joe Biondo of Belton, Warren laid on the mat for several moments. His left shoulder was throbbing. He said he’s torn his labrum twice and has wrestled with the injury all season.
Warren (44-2) was undefeated going into the state tournament, but lost 9-2 to Smithville senior Nick Bollinger in the third-place match at 152. He leaves the program as a four-time state qualifier, three time medal winner and state champion.
“You can’t take any of that away from him,” Stoffey said. “He’s a hard worker, an extra coach in the room with the younger kids. He had a great career and he will leave a huge hole.”
Expected to fill the leadership vacuum with Warren and Yarnell graduating this spring will be sophomore Grant Pauli, already a two-time state qualifier. Kearney sophomore Cody Aebersold beat Pauli (48-8) in a 5-4 sudden victory in the first round at 145. Aebersold rode that victory all the way to a second-place medal.
“He (Pauli) had a good tournament but he made a mistake in the first round, and if not for that, I don’t know how far he would have gone,” Stoffey said. “Toward the end of the match, he got the wind knocked out of him and we had to take an injury timeout and that let his opponent have choice of position in overtime, which is critical.”
Pauli won four matches to reach medal contention, but was pinned by Willard senior Alex Garrett in the first period of their third-place match.
“I had the mindset of a comeback champion after losing that first match,” Pauli said. “You can’t let any doubt seep into your mind. I’ve faced some strong people before but (Garrett) was another level of strong. He was a miniature Hulk.”
Two Hawks climb on medal stand
Hillsboro senior Nick Short captured his first state medal in four tries after finishing fourth at 126. Short (45-11) lost a 4-1 decision to Rolla sophomore Zach Fennell in the third-place match.
Short won in the first round, lost in the quarterfinals, then won his next two matches.
“I’m so proud of Nick for getting on the podium after all of the work he put in,” Hillsboro head coach Matt Mitchell said. “Nick had a great end of the year with the district title and fourth place here.”
Dylan Owens accomplished about as much as you could hope to in an abbreviated season. Owens (33-6) didn’t take to the mat until the end of December, but made his way back to the state tournament at 132 pounds after winning a district title. Owens won his first match in Columbia, but was pinned in the quarterfinals. He won two decisions in wrestlebacks before losing a 2-0 decision Jefferson City Helias senior Zack Carr in the fifth-place match.
Owens finished second at 126 last year. Dropping down on the podium doesn’t obscure his marvelous career.
“The goal is a state title for Dylan, but he got caught in the quarterfinals and that happens here a lot,” Mitchell said. “I’m proud of everything he’s done for the program. Both he and Nick will go to the next level and have success.”
Porter only De Soto medal winner
The six-time defending JCAA champion Dragons sent five wrestlers to Columbia, with Porter being the only medal winner.
Junior Devin Francis (126) lost both of his matches. Brothers Connor (132) and Logan Zimmermann (160) were in the top three during districts, but couldn’t reach the medal round. Connor (30-20) lost both state matches and Logan (40-6) was pinned in the “bubble round” to wrestle for a medal.
Junior Lucas Watson lost his first match at 170, then won his first wrestleback by fall before falling out of medal contention with a 5-2 loss to Windsor’s Connor Richey.
Four more join legendary ranks
Before this year’s state wrestling tournament began, there were 26 four-time champions. After the tournament concluded Saturday night, four more wrestlers joined the ranks.
It took Whitfield’s Michael McAteer just 52 seconds to pin Lathrop junior Tristan Blair in the Class 1 126-pound championship and claim his fourth state title for the powerhouse Warriors, who blew away Class 1 with 240 points.
Father Tolton Catholic’s Brock Mauller completed a perfect 52-0 season after winning a 12-4 major decision over Seneca junior Dayton Fields in the Class 1 152-pound final. Mauller’s other titles were at 126, 132 and 145 pounds.
Kearney’s Clayton Singh won by fall in 58 seconds over Grain Valley sophomore Trent Starr in the Class 3 120-pound championship to capture his fourth state crown. Singh was the defending champion at 120.
All four of CBC senior Malik Johnson’s titles came at the expense of Seckman’s Cam Fusco. The two battled in the Class 4 state finals four straight years, ranging in weight classes from 106 to this season’s title match at 126. Like McAteer, Johnson (30-0 this season) wrestles for one of the top teams in the state as the Cadets handily won the Class 4 title.