COLUMBIA Kearney senior Tanner Minder lifted his index finger in the air and pointed straight at the purple-and-black cheering section in front of him at Mizzou Arena. One moment later, he simply smiled and nodded. It was still early in the evening at the Missouri state wrestling championships &#x2014; 10 weight classes had yet to be decided &#x2014; but Minder and the rest of the Bulldogs fans had already started to sense it: This would be Kearney&#x2019;s night. </p><p>It had to be, right? Minder, a senior at 145 pounds, had just edged Staley senior David Montoya by scoring a fall in overtime. That result came after Kearney junior Kevin Kinney (132) and sophomore Grant Leeth (138) had already clinched individual state titles. The Bulldogs had entered the day leading Staley in the points race, and now it was even clearer: The Kearney Bulldogs were going to be the Class 3 state champions. </p><p>&#x201C;It was definitely like a relief,&#x201D; said Kearney senior Morgan Fitzgerald, who was waiting to take the mat in the 170-pound final. </p><p>As the night wore on, the Bulldogs, who topped second-place Staley 177-159.5, simply put up some style points. Fitzgerald, who had lost in double-overtime at the state tournament last year, won the title. And junior Jaret Singh, 52-4, capped the night with a bow after defeating previously unbeaten Zachary Nelson of Fort Zumwalt North in the 113-pound final.</p><p>&#x201C;I watched everybody wrestle,&#x201D; said Singh, who won a title at 112 last year. &#x201C;And after Tanner&#x2019;s match I was just like, &#x2018;We got this.&#x2019;&#x201D;</p><p>It was a sweet victory for Kearney coach Chad Hopkins, whose program won its first state title since 2004. The Bulldogs didn&#x2019;t have Staley&#x2019;s depth or numbers, but they had five elite wrestlers stand atop the pedestal. </p><p>&#x201C;We knew that if we were gonna win it with nine (qualifiers),&#x201D; Hopkins said. &#x201C;We were going to have to get points from everybody&#x2026; and we did about as well as we could have.&#x201D; </p><p><span class="subhead">Blue Springs defends title</p><p></span>There really was no secret to Blue Springs&#x2019; game plan in the Class 4 title race. The Wildcats had three defending champions in the middle of their lineup &#x2014; sophomore Daniel Lewis, junior Darick Lapaglia and senior Greg Hegarty &#x2014; and they would have to serve as a strong foundation if Blue Springs wanted to win its second straight state title. </p><p>On Saturday, the plan worked to near perfection as Blue Springs finished first with 164 points, topping second-place Park Hill (144) in the process. </p><p>&#x201C;This one wasn&#x2019;t as easy as last year,&#x201D; said Lapaglia, who won the Class 4 title at 138 pounds. &#x201C;We knew that right off the bat.&#x201D; </p><p>Lewis, 42-2, opened the day by disposing of Jefferson City senior Cole Baumgartner on a technical fall at 126 for his second straight state title. And the Wildcats soon took over the No. 4 mat on the Mizzou Arena floor. Nearly 25 minutes later, Lapaglia, 49-1, took down Marshall Phelan of Nixa. And Hegarty, 48-1, dominated Holt junior Clayton Ream in the 145-pound title match. </p><p><span class="subhead">Staley&#x2019;s Hosick rolls</p><p></span>Staley junior Trent Hosick added an undefeated wrestling season and a Class 3 state title at 285 to his growing resume of high school accomplishments. Hosick, who quarterbacked the Falcons to a Class 5 football state title in the fall, wrestled at 285 despite weighing closer to 215. He held off Belton senior Kevin Estell in the final. </p><p>&#x201C;Can I feel the size difference?&#x201D; Hosick joked. &#x201C;Are you kidding me?&#x201D; </p><p>Staley senior Aaron Engle, 41-8, joined Hosick as the Falcons&#x2019; only first-place medalists by edging Casey Bartee of St. Charles West in overtime at 152 pounds. </p><p>&#x201C;Four years of hard work,&#x201D; Engle said. &#x201C;When (the referee) raised my hand, it was just like all the pressure went away.&#x201D; </p><p><span class="subhead">Redemption at Oak Park</p><p></span>More than two months ago, in early December, Oak Park senior Hashem Omari declared that he was on a mission to win the state title. He had, of course, been undefeated heading into the state meet last season, only to be upset before he could stand atop the winner&#x2019;s platform. </p><p>On Saturday, Omari completed the mission with a victory over Jesse Ruark of Willard in the Class 3, 195-pound title match. Omari finished the year 39-0. </p><p>Oak Park sophomore Noah Teaney (106) won his second straight individual state title, and Northmen junior Brad Perkins completed a perfect 34-0 season with a Class 3 state title at 120 pounds.</p><p><span class="subhead">Etc.</p><p></span>&bull;&nbsp;Two of the biggest surprises of the night came in the 285-pound division. In the Class 2 final, Pleasant Hill senior Tully Byrne, 42-7, pinned Harrisonville senior Travis Britz, a Kansas State football signee who entered the day 45-0 and had been dominant throughout the tournament. </p><p>That result came just moments after Lee&#x2019;s Summit West senior Evan Boehm was pinned by Parkway South senior Donnell Walker in the Class 4 title match.</p><p>&bull;&nbsp;Other state champions: Excelsior Springs junior Brennan Johnson, 42-9, defeated Zack McClure of Fulton 4-2 for the 145-pound title in Class 2. &#x2026; Odessa senior Josh Thomson (160) scored a title in Class 2 after an 11-2 victory over Makenna Cook of Kirksville. &#x2026; Oak Grove senior Chase Wrisinger, 49-3, edged Clinton senior Gabe Suthoff 7-3 in the 170-pound title match in Class 2.