The Fulton Hornets are poised yet again to make a strong play for the program's first state wrestling championship in more than three decades.
But to reach that summit, Fulton will have to take down a familiar antagonist - perennial power Oak Grove.
Armed with 11 qualifiers, including returning state champions in seniors Josh McClure, Zach Benner and Trenton Clines, the Hornets will attempt to knock the three-time defending state champion Panthers from their perch atop Class 2 when the 86th MSHSAA wrestling championships kick off this morning at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
First-round matches start at 10 a.m., followed immediately by first-round wrestlebacks.
There will be other Class 2 contenders, for sure, but Oak Grove has enjoyed its present title run mostly at Fulton's expense. The Hornets were a distant runner-up to the Panthers in 2013, followed by a fourth-place finish behind them in 2014. Then came last year's excruciating outcome when Fulton fell 3.5 points shy of toppling Oak Grove in a stirring sprint to the finish for the Class 2 championship
"I think the kids had to feel pretty good about it because they did everything they could to pull that off," Hornets head coach Eric Hudson said during Tuesday afternoon's workout in the wrestling room overlooking Roger D. Davis Gymnasium. "Really going into that day, looking at the math - thinking about what was going on, thinking that we probably didn't stand a very good chance of doing that - we needed a lot of things to go right, and they did.
"Oak Grove just had a few more things go right for them."
While appreciating what he and his teammates accomplished, the exasperating near-miss sent McClure's emotions into upheaval.
"I was devastated," said the 145-pound McClure, who is seeking to become Fulton's first-ever three-time state champion. "I went from being, like, on top of the world after winning my second title, to being, like, mad and sad at the same time.
"We were all super-pumped and then we were all just kind of like, "What the heck.' ... We did our job - we won the matches we needed to win, how we needed to win them. It just didn't work out."
Top-ranked Oak Grove and No. 3 Fulton - which last won a state championship in Class 3A in 1981 - won't likely just be a two-team battle for this year's Class 2 title. No. 2 Smithville - which defeated the Panthers for the District 4 championship last weekend - will also be in the mix, along with No. 4 Pleasant Hill, No. 5 Cameron and No. 9 Mexico, the Hornets' North Central Missouri Conference rival.
"Those west-side teams, which is pretty much the other contenders other than Mexico and ourselves, they spend a lot of time competing with each other," Hudson said. "They're with each other in a lot of the same tournaments, they dual each other.
"They know what they're walking into - for the most part - with each other. I think Mexico and us are a little bit more of an unknown to them, so we probably make them a little nervous, I would imagine."
Benner, competing at 220 pounds, believes Fulton - which secured its second straight District 2 title last weekend in St. Louis - has the pieces in place to be in the hunt for Class 2's top prize.
"I feel like we have a pretty good chance, honestly, if everyone does what they're supposed to do," Benner said. "You've got to focus on winning the little battles, one step at a time, try and get pins when you can, and majors (decisions) when you can.
"You've got to do that little extra for the team. That's whenever an individual sport becomes a team sport ... whenever you're close on points."
The 152-pound Clines noted that the Hornets are finally in the position they've been coveting - another crack at that elusive Class 2 title.
"As close as we have been ... that's something we can strive for - we want to be on top," Clines said. "That's what we push for every day in practice, that's what we talk about before every match.
"We're working toward a state championship. ... We're not real worried about everything else that happens throughout the season. The duals are nice and all of the winning throughout the season is nice and even winning districts is nice and getting as many people through as we can, but that's not our main goal."
Fulton's other state qualifiers include seniors Clayton Bristol (285 pounds), Andy Baysinger (160) and Kobe Kaminski (195), juniors Brandon Dews (120), Luke Berrey (170) and Devan Hudson (126), and sophomores Tucker Caswell (113) and Colton Bristol (182).
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McClure (38-1) starts his pursuit of history this morning when he faces Sullivan junior Kale Dudley (37-16) in the first round at 145 pounds. After a state runner-up finish at 106 pounds as a freshman in 2013, McClure - who has signed with North Carolina - made impressive undefeated marches to state titles at 113 in 2014 and 138 last year.
"He knows how to do so many things, but he has his primary offense and doesn't deviate from it a whole lot - unless he has to," Eric Hudson said. "When I wrestle with him I know what's going to happen, I know what he's going to try to do and I can't stop it.
"He's just drilled it and done it so many times, and worked so hard at perfecting his offense, that he's incredibly difficult to defend and stop."
McClure experienced a rare hiccup when he suffered his first loss in more than 2 1/2 years back in December at the Spartan Duals in Moberly - an 11-4 setback to Owensville sophomore Jarrett Jacques. McClure had previously defeated Jacques in the 2014-15 season when he was at Kirksville.
Jacques is a state qualifier at 138 pounds with a 49-0 mark.
"It was one of those reality checks where it was like, "Hey, wake up,' because anybody can beat you any time," McClure said. "I wrestled horrible in that match - I knew it, Hudson knew it, everybody knew it. The fact is, I didn't perform and he did perform, and that's why he won.
"I got caught sleeping, so now I've learned from that match to always be ready - no matter who it is."
Benner - coming off his undefeated run to a state title at 195 pounds last year - is perfect again at 39-0 heading into his first-round match at 220 against Cameron senior Colby Gerber (32-9).
"I think Zach has a little more match awareness now," Hudson said. "On top of that, just his competitive nature ... continues to get higher and higher.
"He's the type of kid when things aren't going his way in a match, he elevates his effort by a large degree."
Benner stressed that he can't allow his focus to stray as he seeks to cap off his high school career with consecutive state championships. He was also state runner-up at 182 pounds in 2014 and finished fourth at 170 in 2013.
"I just have to keep my eye on the target and realize that I've put in all of this hard work my whole life to get where I'm at right now," Benner said.
Clines (26-2) - who has been battling a partially torn patellar tendon in his knee this season - begins his quest for another state title when he clashes with Center sophomore Daylyn Snelling (26-12) in the first round at 152 pounds. Clines secured his state championship last year at 145 pounds.
"His bracket is loaded with some talent - tough kids, upperclassmen," Hudson said. "He's going to have to wrestle well this weekend and compete well.
"He did it last year, so we're hopeful he can pull it off again this year."
Clines - a four-time qualifier who also medalled with a sixth-place finish at 138 pounds in 2014 - explained that he's as healthy as he's been and is good to go.
"I feel great right now," Clines said. "Having the whole season build me to where I am, I know what I need to do and I know how to handle myself if I do reinjure (the knee).
"I know that I can fight through it. I have a sense of confidence in me that I didn't have at one point throughout the season."
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Clayton Bristol (33-2) was a state medalist last year with a third-place showing at 285 and is looking to improve his standing this weekend. A four-time qualifier, Bristol also medalled in the weight class with a sixth-place finish in 2014.
His first-round opponent this morning is Hollister junior Brandon Gandy (21-6).
If the bracket plays out as anticipated, Bristol could be looking at a semifinal showdown with Smithville senior Jacob Bohlken (49-3) on Friday night. Bristol bowed to Bohlken in a 5-2 decision at the Odessa Tournament on Jan. 30.
"Clayton's fully capable of going in there and being in the state finals," Hudson said. "... I'm optimistic that that match experience (with Bohlken) was enough for him to know what he needs to do to fix the problems that were in that match, and gut out a win, hopefully."
Dews (33-1), a three-time qualifier, also medalled with a fourth-place finish at 120 pounds in 2015. He will have his sights set on a better outcome at 120 when opens up against Monett sophomore Angel Rabadan (15-20) in the first round.
"Brandon's probably the hardest worker in the room," Hudson said. "He's just constantly working, working, working as hard as he can. You don't really see Brandon taking breaks.
"That's how he has to wrestle. ... He's got technique that he uses, but he's just not a technician on the mat. He's more of a constant grinding, beating on a kid, wearing him down. We've told him to just go, go, go, go, go."
Caswell (33-4) was the Hornets' other medalist last year, taking fifth place at 106 pounds. His first-round match at 113 pounds this morning will be against Eldon freshman Isaiah Simmons (31-6).
"Tucker is one of those extremely hard workers and just does an excellent job - on the mat and off the mat," Hudson said. "... Tucker, the same as with everybody else, has got to go wrestle well and he should be a state-placer for us."
Baysinger (33-5) is a two-time state qualifier and will tangle with School of the Osage senior Michael Henley (17-10) in the first round at 160 pounds.
"If Andy wrestles what (assistant) coach (Ryan) Morts likes to call clean, where he's staying in control of situations and not rolling around, he's going to have a great tournament," Hudson said. "... If he goes out and wrestles the way he's capable of wrestling, he's going to do very well."
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Kaminski (17-4) wrestled as a freshman and sophomore with the Hornets, but then took last year off to concentrate on football. Qualifying for state in his return this season, Kaminski's first-round opponent at 195 pounds this morning is Chillicothe sophomore Kayde Burton (41-10).
"We spent some time trying to catch up (this year) and go back and fix some technique for Kobe," Hudson said. "He's done an awesome job. He does a really good job of competing in every match that he's in.
"... If he goes out and just works and works and works, and stays in matches, he's going to beat kids just based on conditioning and just his will to win."
Berrey (33-7) is also a two-time qualifier and will meet Ste. Genevieve senior Wyatt Hahn (17-6) in the first round at 170 pounds.
"Luke is probably one of our most-improved kids," Hudson said. "... He's a little small for the weight class, but he's obviously done a really nice job.
"Luke's got to go over there and not be complacent. He's got to go knowing that he has the ability to be a state-placer and to upset some kids that maybe would place ahead of him."
Devan Hudson (27-11) is a three-time qualifier who medalled with a sixth-place finish at 106 pounds as a freshman in 2014. He will face a tough task in his first-round match at 126 pounds this morning against Odessa senior Dakota Miller (48-3), a two-time state champion.
"Just to get into the tournament, Devan had to wrestle well," Eric Hudson said. "His district bracket at 126 was pretty loaded. His first-round matchup is going to be tough ... so we're going to have to go and get after that.
"Whatever we face next, we'll have to go and keep fighting."
Colton Bristol (26-10) will be making his first appearance at the state championships and will match up with Ste. Genevieve sophomore Wade Hahn (41-9) in the first round at 182 pounds.
"Colton's another one of those kids that's wrestling up a weight class," Hudson said. "Colton's won a majority of his matches by just relentlessly competing.
"It's the same for him as it is for the rest of those guys, you just have to go and compete, and not quit. He's done an excellent job of that."
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McClure can etch his name in school and state history with a third championship Saturday night. Pairing a Class 2 title with it for he and his teammates would make his time with the Hornets complete.
"It would be awesome to win it," McClure said. "It would be kind of checking that last box on your high school career."