COLUMBIA, MO – Lafayette junior Carter Brown stood behind a curtain alongside other state finalists as they waited to be introduced to the Mizzou Arena crowd.
While others fidgeted nervously as they prepared to run through the smoke machines and onto their respective mats, Brown was conducting a one-man comedy show.
At one point, another wrestler walked up to him and offered a good luck handshake, to which Brown extended his hand then lifted it away quickly in an old-fashioned, ‘Sike’ maneuver.
“I always have a little bit of nerves, but I don’t feel like I have to lock in. I’m at my best when I’m joking around and having fun,” Brown said.
Brown was at his best Saturday, winning his second consecutive 215-pound state title in dominating fashion during the 2026 Wrestling Championships Saturday in Columbia.
Brown (50-2) outscored his opponents 33-1 and earned two first period pins, including one 41 seconds into his championship bout against North Kansas City junior Kobe Rhymes as he ascended to the top of the podium for the second year in a row.
“I thought, ‘Just be confident and go out there and do it again,’” Brown said.
His only two losses came in December during the Walsh Ironman tournament in Ohio, dropping one match by 5-3 decision and another in overtime. Neither the losses nor the pressure of defending a state championship affected the even-keeled Brown, partly due to his lighthearted nature.
“He’s a big jokester. He’s a goofball. He loves life, he’s always smiling, he’s always laughing,” Lafayette coach Sam Ritchie said. “He’s living in his own little world, and I think that really helps him not to get too worked up about things. He’s going to enjoy life regardless of what happens on the wrestling mat. He’s just a great kid.”
Lafayette placed fifth as a team with 96 points and sent five medalists to the podium, including Carter Welsh (2nd at 175), Max Rowe (3rd at 113), Riley Sumner (4th at 126) and Caleb Frankenberger (6th at 132).
Howell North’s Dannegger repeats in defensive showdown
As returning state champion, Wyatt Dannegger sought to prove his excellence.
The Francis Howell North junior added a 113-pound championship to his list of accomplishments by earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Liberty sophomore Rowdy Angst in the title match Saturday at Mizzou Arena. Dannegger won the 106-pound championship last season.
“I say, if you win it once, I feel like you’re expected to win it again,” Dannegger said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of pressure and this is a big stage, but I’ve been on big stages like this before. I treat it as another tournament, and I just have to go out there and wrestle like it’s another dual (meet).”
Dannegger (23-5), who went undefeated as a sophomore, suffered an injury in practice this season that damaged the tissue around his kneecap and sidelined him for a month. He returned to action in early February and won the Cole Greene Memorial Tournament and the Class 4 District 2 tournament, before earning two pins and a tech fall in Mizzou Arena to reach the state title match.
“It’s a big deal. It’s pretty cool to win it back-to-back,” Dannegger said. “It’s good to show my parents what I worked for. I’d just like to thank them for pushing me anytime I didn’t want to practice. They got me where I am.”
Francis Howell North placed 10th in Class 4 despite bring only four wrestlers to Columbia. Senior Cole Dillon joined Dannegger as a state medalist by placing fourth at 175.
For a photo gallery of the Class 4 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2026