Josh McClure exhaled as he made the pronouncement, having just punctuated his perfect season in perfect style.
Fulton's 113-pound sophomore topped off a rare undefeated season at 34-0 by capturing his first state title at 113 pounds with a 6-0 decision over Nevada sophomore Dayton Miller late Saturday afternoon in the Class 2 championships at Mizzou Arena.
McClure sat astride Miller with both index fingers in the air as time ran out. Realizing he was a state champion, McClure jumped up and acknowledged the Fulton fans in the stands while releasing a celebratory yell.
"Finally!" said McClure, who finished as the state runner-up at 106 pounds last year. "Last year I just came up short. Seriously, that's the only thing I've thought about since that day.
"When today came, I knew I had to be ready and I showed up and did what I could do - and it worked. It means a lot (to go undefeated and win title). There's a lot of good wrestlers, so I'm part of them now. It's pretty cool."