ST. CHARLES - The Fulton Hornets' presence at the state wrestling championships later this week will be abundantly apparent.
Fueled by individual titles from senior Cody Pae, junior Paul Books and freshman Josh McClure, Fulton qualified 10 wrestlers for state and took second as a team at the Class 2, District 2 championships on Saturday.
The Hornets - ranked No. 7 in the state by MissouriWrestling.com - accumulated 187.5 points in finishing as the district runner-up. No. 8 St. Charles West captured the District 2 team title with 198.5 points. Fulton was followed by a pair of North Central Missouri Conference foes - No. 3 Kirksville in third place with 177 points and No. 11 Mexico in fourth with 158.
Logging second-place finishes for the Hornets were senior Drew Benner, sophomore Trey Hudson and freshman Trenton Clines. Junior John Kingsley and freshman Clayton Bristol both placed third, while freshmen Jason Pae and Zach Benner each came in fourth.
Fulton's state contingent will be the largest in Eric Hudson's seven years as head coach.