COLUMBIA, Mo. – Noah Keen climbed the stairs at Mizzou Arena and found a seat in the bleachers after winning his fifth-place match last season.
Out loud, he made a declaration.
“I looked down and said, ‘Next year, on this day, I will be a state champion,’” recalled Keen, a Francis Howell Central senior.
Keen turned his prediction into reality Saturday by winning the 138-pound championship in Class 4 during the 2024 Wrestling State Championships at Mizzou Arena.
Keen (38-3) needed to summon every ounce of belief as he waded through a brutal, 138-pound bracket. He won his opening match 2-1 against Drew Mattison, a Lafayette senior who had defeated Keen earlier in the season.
Against Liberty North senior James Lovelady (49-4) in the quarterfinal round, Keen trailed heading into the third period, but a takedown and near fall in the final 31 seconds propelled him into the semifinal. With the championship match in sight, Keen eked out a 1-0 decision against Seckman freshman Chance Ruble (40-14) with a third-period escape and outstanding defense.
Keen faced another freshman phenom in the state title match. Colin Rutlin (42-7) had set the school record for wins by a freshman for wrestling-rich CBC. When the two met at the Kyle Thrasher Tournament in late January, Keen won a close decision.
“That match at Thrasher, for some reason I felt a little off, so I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to go out and prove that I am the (wrestler) I want to be,” Keen said.
Keen unveiled his most impressive victory of the tournament, securing six takedowns and claiming a 13-4 major decision to win the title.
“Before I went to bed Thursday night, I closed my eyes and visualized every match and me standing on top of the podium,” Keen said.
Performing flawlessly on the championship stage did not surprise Keen, for he had played out the exact scene in his mind a year earlier and with regularity throughout the season.
“Every single practice that I went through, I thought in my head, ‘I will win state this year.’ It was really just setting my sights on something, staying focused, mentally believing in myself and almost manifesting this championship,” Keen said.
Seckman’s Orine returns to Missouri and wins 132-championship.
Seckman senior Draegen Orine required few tense moments in claiming the 132-pound championship. He accumulated 73 match points in his four matches, including a 15-5 major decision over Staley sophomore Miller Sipes in the title match.
Orine (43-3) placed second as freshman and third as a sophomore in Missouri before attending Wyoming Seminary, a Pennsylvania boarding school and wrestling hotbed as a junior. He returned to Seckman for his senior year and rekindled his passion for the sport, winning his final 29 matches, 24 by either pin or technical fall. (For more on Orine’s story, click the link below).
“I’m happy. I put in all the work for this moment here. It’s what I was aiming for,” said Orine, who will wrestle at North Carolina State. “I personally don’t think this is my best performance. I’m just going to keep working and trying to get better.”
Lafayette’s Wier captures 190-title after runner-up finish last season
Lafayette senior Andrew Wier found himself in a familiar spot – the spotlight of the 190-pound championship match.
Wier (32-4), who lost a one-point decision to finish as state runner-up as a junior, made some slight adjustments during the hours leading up to this year’s state title match.
“This whole tournament I was thinking about coming up just a little bit short last year, and it made me think about all the little things – what I ate, how I warmed up, the rest I got,” Wier said.
Wier found the winning formula, defeating Fort Zumwalt North sophomore Deacon Moran by 8-3 decision to capture the 190-pound title.
“I’ve been wanting this moment ever since I was a little kid. It feels amazing. It’s everything I imagined,” Wier said.
Wier helped Lafayette earn a second-place team trophy with 139.5 team points, trailing only Liberty-KC (188.5).
The Lancers received third-place performances from freshman Riley Sumner (106), freshman Caleb Frankenberger (120), senior Drew Mattison (138) and freshman Carter Brown (175).
Senior Dylan Roth (126) and junior Adam Schoen (144) placed fourth, and sophomore Callum Brown (113) placed sixth.
Other local state-placers in Class 4 include:
2nd place: Northwest Cedar Hill sophomore Eli Porter (106), Parkway South freshman Camron Duffield (120), CBC freshman Colin Rutlin (138), Seckman senior Drake Jenkins (157), Eureka senior Ryan Thornhill (175), Fort Zumwalt North sophomore Deacon Moran (190).
4th place: Francis Howell Central sophomore Chase Gray (113), Fort Zumwalt North junior Nathaniel Provost (120), Eureka senior Caden Gousetis (165), Francis Howell Central senior Hayden Devilder (190).
5th place: Marquette senior Brody Rudman (138).
6th place: Seckman freshman Chance Ruble (138), Eureka senior Noah Richardson (144), Timberland senior Ty Shelton (165), Oakville senior Ethan Venable (215), Mehlville senior Devon Scott (285).