Class 3 Boys: Zumwalt South’s Weiss overcomes illness, Warrenton’s Teson overcomes nerves to win state titles

COLUMBIA, MO – Colin Weiss woke up with a body temperature that resembled a weight class, not a thermometer reading.

The Fort Zumwalt South senior, who medically forfeited his district title match due to illness, arose Tuesday with a temperature of 104, and spent the next few days at home with a diet of medicine and fruit juice.

“When I couldn’t practice, I was practicing mentally. I took that time to really focus in, to limit all distractions,” Weiss said.

Despite his lingering illness, Weiss powered through his Class 3 bracket to win the 144-pound championship at the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships Saturday at Mizzou Arena.

Weiss (48-5), who placed fourth as a junior, earned five takedowns and a near fall in the championship match to defeat Whitfield senior Jackson Bassett by technical fall. He credited a busy, 84-match offseason for preparing him for a spot atop the state podium.

“I learned how to win in the tough moments, how to deal with tough losses, and how to lean on my support system – my family, my teammates and my coaches,” Weiss said.

Weiss won an 8-3 decision over Warrensburg senior Justus Griffith in the first round and pinned Windsor senior Max Coerver to advance to the semifinal, where he earned a 17-5 major decision over Jeff City senior D’Andre Watts.

The 144 championship was a rematch of a Class 3 District 2 title match from last year that Bassett won convincingly, leading 7-1 at one point before giving up a takedown in the closing seconds to set the final score at 7-5.

“I’ve wanted this match back for a year,” Weiss said. “I studied what he’s good at, where he struggles, and how I could take advantage of it. I was confident in the gameplan.”

The gameplan was to stay active, keep Bassett moving and prevent him from getting the takedowns he secured in their previous meeting.

“He doesn’t shoot often but when he does, he’s dangerous, so I tried to keep him off-balance to keep him from shooting,” Weiss said.

This time it was Weiss who opened a 7-1 lead with a takedown and nearfall in the first period. He added two more takedowns in the second period, and in the third, glanced at the scoreboard periodically to do the math in his head.

His takedown with 23 seconds remaining secured a convincing 20-4 tech fall and the first individual state title for Fort Zumwalt South since Cameron Rudy won the 126-pound championship in 2017.

Weiss joined Jena Gumahin, who won her second girls wrestling title on Thursday, as Fort Zumwalt South seniors who stood atop the podium as state champions this week. The two wrestle each other at practice at least twice a week to sharpen their skills.

“We both started wrestling when we were 6 years old, so we’ve known each other for 12 years. It’s nice to be up there next to her for once and not trailing behind,” Weiss said.  

Teson captures 132-pound title after calming conversations

Warrenton junior Zayden Teson felt the nerves creeping in prior to the state championship matches, so during the time allotted for warming up, he stood on the mats in conversation with fellow state title contenders.

“Every guy I was talking to is either a state champ or a future state champ. We were just chatting it up and that calmed me down so much, just getting out of my head and having fun,” Teson said.

Teson yielded the first takedown before unleashing a scoring barrage to secure a 15-5 major decision over Pacific senior Brock Webb in the 132-pound title match Saturday at Mizzou Arena.  

Teson (47-1) won the second individual state title in Warrenton history, joining current assistant coach John (JJ) Filipek, who won the 182-pound title in 2013. After the match, Teson jumped into the arms of Filipek and raised his fist in the air.

“It was great to share that moment with him,” Teson said.

Teson cruised through the first two rounds with a tech fall and a first period pin before holding on for a tough, 8-5 decision over Kearney junior Phoenix Shelton in the semifinals. In the championship match, he secured a takedown in the final seconds of the first period to take the lead and then controlled the match the rest of the way.

Teson, who placed sixth and fifth respectively in his two previous state tournaments, credited deeper commitment at practice to putting him on a championship trajectory.

“Going into practice with a purpose to get better, not just work on your moves and dilly-dally around, but to train with intensity,” Teson said.

And it was the alleviation of intensity before the title match, including jovial conversations during the finalists march, that may have given him the edge he needed.

“During the grand march. I was joking with the guys right next to me,” Teson said. “It’s easy to be nervous, not calm, not enjoying it, but to be able to talk and get your head out of it, helps so much to be able to enjoy the moment.”

Hillsboro earns fourth place with three state finalists

Hillsboro earned a fourth place trophy in Class 3 with 92 team points and crowned four medalists. Tucker Williams (106), Carter Pryor (113) and Evan Litzsinger (120) each earned a spot in championship matches before placing second. Carmen Romaine (215) secured a sixth place medal.

Other Class 3 area state medal winners

For a photo gallery of the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Tournament, visit this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2026