Josh McClure, Zach Benner and Trenton Clines collaborated to carry out a remarkable program first for the Fulton Hornets wrestling team.
The Fulton juniors' extraordinary night, though, was almost upstaged by a tense, dramatic sprint to the finish between the Hornets and perennial power Oak Grove for the Class 2 team title.
McClure completed his second straight undefeated march to a state title, while Benner - shedding his dismay after being a runner-up a year ago - and Clines became first-time state champions as the 85th MSHSAA Wrestling Championships concluded Saturday night at Mizzou Arena. The trio's title grab gave Fulton three state champions in the same year for the first time.
Meanwhile, Oak Grove withstood the Hornets' bold comeback on the final day to capture its third consecutive Class 2 title and 16th overall, tying it with Ritenour for the most team championships in state history. The Panthers, accumulating 158 points, locked up this year's Class 2 title when senior Dalton Brinegar won the state championship at 170 pounds with a last-second, 4-3 decision over Pleasant Hill senior Kolin Rogers.
Fulton - which finished a distant runner-up to Oak Grove by 59 points in 2013 - pushed the Panthers to the end this time, falling just 3.5 short in totaling 154.5. The Hornets were down by 20.5 points entering Saturday's competition, but rallied to take a narrow 140.5-138 edge over Oak Grove heading into the state championship matches.
The Panthers, however, had an advantage in bringing six wrestlers into the finals, compared to Fulton's three. The title victories by McClure and Clines at 138 and 145 pounds, respectively, gave the Hornets a brief 148.5-148 advantage. Oak Grove, though, went in front to stay when junior Landon Cairer broke a 5-all tie and pinned O'Hara senior Maverick Griffin with 1 second left in their title match at 160 pounds.
Brinegar's victory at 170 pounds then put the Panthers up by 9.5 points, extinguishing Fulton's final chances for a Class 2 team title. Benner's state title at 195 pounds left the Hornets with a gnawing near-miss.
"We talked before about needing to get lucky (Saturday) to win a team state championship, and boy, luck was just not on our side," Fulton head coach Eric Hudson said. "We did everything we could. ...
"It was a great day for our kids and we got to have fun with it."
Hudson and the Hornets certainly reveled in the success of their triumvirate of individual state champions.
McClure completed another perfect season with a 40-0 mark, topping it off with a thorough 7-0 decision over Oak Grove senior Skyler Jackson for the state title at 138 pounds. McClure went 34-0 last year to win his first state championship at 113 pounds.
Benner, equalling McClure in ending the season with a pristine 40-0 record, rolled to the 195-pound state title by pinning Monett senior Jacob Negro in 1 minute, 27 seconds. Benner was state runner-up at 182 pounds in 2014.
Clines (34-2) held off a late rally by Ste. Genevieve senior Tyler Jones to secure the state championship at 145 pounds with a 4-2 decision. Clines medalled with a sixth-place finish at 138 pounds last year.
"If you would have told me we were going to bring three championships home, I don't know if I would have said you were lying to me; it's pretty phenomenal, really," Hudson said. "We felt pretty awesome about getting two and now to get a third, especially with all of them being juniors, it's promising for next year, for sure."
The state titles by McClure, Benner and Clines give Fulton 19 in program history, including eight in the last six years.
"The kids really do a nice job; they work at it hard, though," Hudson said. "They work hard in the weight room, they work hard in the summers, they put a lot of work in outside of just November through February.
McClure - mad at himself over a ragged 14-8 semifinal win over Marshall junior Aaron Sims on Friday night - was back to his precise, crisp self in Saturday night's title triumph over Jackson. He forged a 4-0 lead in the first period on a takedown and near-pin, added two points in the second period on another takedown, then tacked on the final point on an escape in the third period.
"I was upset because at the end (of the semifinal match) I got sloppy," McClure said. "Tonight, I set my mind to wrestle like me and control the whole match, and to make that kid feel like he had no chance of beating me. I think I accomplished that."
McClure noted that his run to a second state championship had its own distinctive feel.
"My freshman year didn't go as planned (with state-title loss at 106 pounds), so getting my first one was great (last year) because it took all of that weight off my shoulders and I finally got it, the monkey was off my back," McClure said. "This year, I knew exactly what I wanted and that's all I worked for the whole season."
McClure added that he didn't dwell too much on the unbeaten aspect of his state championships.
"The record doesn't really matter to me," he said. "It's cool, but I could lose 20 matches in a year and still be the state champ; obviously, I don't want to do that."
Hudson explained that McClure goes out of his way, regardless of weight class, to find quality opponents who will challenge him.
"Outstanding for him, and he hasn't ducked competitors," Hudson said of McClure's back-to-back titles. "He's pumped up, he's cut weight, he's done whatever to try to find the best competition he can find within our schedule.
"He's really done an excellent job. He chose his weight class based on where he felt like the best competition was, so that's quite a testament to him. To Josh, the winning's important, but who you beat is more important."
Benner worked quickly in obtaining his first state championship. He logged an early takedown of Negre and maintained the upper hand before finally folding him up in a cradle with :33 left in the first period. Benner had previously pinned Negre in 1:13 at the Odessa Tournament on Jan. 31.
"He came out a lot stronger and harder this time," Benner said of Saturday night's title match. "I knew I had to be right there with him if I wanted to have the same results. Pretty much after I took him down, I knew right then I was going to put him on his back. I had my mind set to it."
Benner could now call himself an undefeated state champion like McClure, putting behind him last year's 8-3 loss to Smithville's Luke Sachs for the title at 182 pounds.
"It feels great," Benner said. "I feel like I did what I put my mind to; I really wish that we could have gotten the team title, but individually I feel awesome."
Benner also joined his brother, Drew - now a Fulton assistant - as sibling state champions. Zach donned the same hoodie that Drew wore in the 2009-10 season when he captured a state title as a freshman at 135 pounds.
"It feels pretty good," Zach Benner said. "We hadn't really talked about (the possibility) much."
Hudson pointed out that Benner was a dominating force en route to his first title.
"It was rare that anybody really tested him," Hudson said. "Zach has kind of a unique style, but it works well for him. He's very excited about his first state championship and obviously to have his brother on the mat with him, it's pretty exciting stuff for him and his family."
Clines grabbed a 2-0 lead over Jones in their title match with a takedown in the first period, then extended his advantage with another takedown in the second period. Jones cut his deficit in half on a reversal with :53 to go in the third period, then Clines held on for his first championship by scrambling in the last :10 to avoid being pinned.
"I kind of slipped there when I was on top," Clines said of the final moments. "I knew that all I had to do was stay off my back, but I knew I had the stalling call already, so I couldn't just sit there.
"I had to actually move, so I was just working to make sure I was moving, but he wasn't getting what he wanted to get."
For Clines, his state title was the culmination of years of competition and practice.
"It feels great, just something I've been working for for a very long time," Clines said. "I'm glad to finally be able to meet my goal that I've been dreaming about since I was 4 years old.
"It's something that I've been expecting and wanting since last year."
Hudson said that Clines exuded unwavering faith in his drive to become a state champion.
"Trenton really showed a lot of composure and a lot of want to, as far as getting that state championship," Hudson said. "He was very confident about it. Coach (Ryan) Morts asked him tonight at the conclusion, said, "If I had told you at the beginning of the year you were going to be a state champ, would you have believed me?'
"He (Clines) said, "Yeah, that was my goal all along.' It was not really a surprise to Trenton, more that excited feeling that he's achieved his goal. That's great for him."
Fulton erased its deficit and took over first place in the Class 2 standings earlier Saturday during fourth-round wrestlebacks and the third- and fifth-place matches, ultimately emerging with four medalists.
Senior Clayton Bristol took third place at 285 pounds, sophomore Brandon Dews and senior Taylor Gillooly both finished fourth at 120 and 182, respectively, while freshman Tucker Caswell took fifth at 106.
Bristol (30-2) pinned Mexico freshman Terrese Aaron in 1:16 in his third-place match at 285 pounds. He also pinned Richmond sophomore James Gardner in 2:42 in fourth-round wrestlebacks.
Dews (37-6) bowed to Monett junior Sean Jastal 5-2 for third place at 120 pounds. He downed Winfield sophomore Kai Rogers - who he defeated for a District 2 title - in a 5-2 decision in fourth-round wrestlebacks.
Gillooly (17-3) dropped a 9-1 major decision to Monett senior Wesley Abramovitz in the third-place bout at 182 pounds. He shut out Ste. Genevieve junior Albert Gonz 5-0 in fourth-round wrestlebacks, avenging a first-round loss to Gonz.
Caswell (40-6) turned back Monett freshman Joel Barrientos 5-3 in the fifth-place match at 106 pounds, redeeming himself after a quarterfinal loss to Barrientos. He was pinned by Winfield junior Tyler Moon in 2:35 in fourth-round wrestlebacks.
"We were a lot more competitive in those wrestleback rounds and stayed after it," Hudson said. "... That was encouraging and put us in first place to start the finals."