COLUMBIA, MO – CBC junior Colin Rutlin and senior Trey Craig were missing one line on their outstanding high school wrestling résumés.
Both have been considered among the best wrestlers in the state of Missouri, both had advanced to state championship matches, but neither had ascended to the top step of the Mizzou Arena podium.
Until Saturday.
Rutlin won the 157-pound title and Craig captured the 190-pound crown, leading CBC to a fourth-place team trophy in Class 4 at the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships in Columbia.
Rutlin (40-3), who settled for second place the previous two seasons, certainly did not cruise into the finals this year. In the 157-semifinal, he gave up the first takedown, then needed a late takedown of his own to defeat St. Pius X (KC) freshman Landen McDowell 11-7.
During the five hours between his nail-biting semifinal win and the finalists march, several thoughts raced through Rutlin’s mind.
“I was thinking, ‘What if I lose and keep getting second (place),’ but I just tried to be in the moment and tried not to predict my own future. Just let it be,” Rutlin said.
For the 157-title, Rutlin faced Lee’s Summit West senior Grady Mortensen, who entered the match with a record of 52-1 – his only loss coming to Rutlin in the finals of the Kyle Thrasher tournament. Mortenson had shut out his previous two opponents and had not yielded a takedown during the event.
After Rutlin was announced to the mat, he stood by CBC coach Jack Flynn, who gave him one last piece of advice.
“He told me to go out there and be myself, and that’s what I did,” Rutlin said.
Rutlin earned the first takedown in the final seconds of the first period and then dominated the second, earning a reversal, a nearfall, a takedown, and finally, a pin.
Upon conclusion of the match, Rutlin kneeled before Flynn, who dubbed him with an imaginary sword on each shoulder before placing an imaginary crown upon his head – a celebration that Rutlin pitched to Flynn earlier that day.
“It was my idea,” Rutlin said. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this. 730 days. Two years. I needed this.”
All three of Rutlin’s losses this season came by decision at the Walsh Ironman tournament in Ohio, where he placed sixth in the 150-bracket. The losses were by scores of 4-2, 1-0 and 2-1 in overtime.
“Those losses contributed to the person I am today. I definitely needed those losses to be here right now. That showed me that there are still people out there better than me,” Rutlin said.
But there was nobody better than Rutlin over the weekend, and he will forever be known as a state champion.
“After losing in the finals as a freshman and sophomore, this feels like a job completed. It’s not going to be my biggest accomplishment, but it’s one I needed to get scratched off the list,” he said.
Craig plays defense to capture elusive 190 crown
Since placing second as a freshman, an eventual state championship seemed inevitable for CBC senior Trey Craig.
But a broken ankle sidetracked his sophomore season, and a semifinal loss to Liberty (KC) phenom and current University of Missouri wrestler Peyton Westpfhal prevented a return to the championship mat last year.
Craig (43-1), who will join Westpfhal on the University of Missouri wrestling team next season, entered Mizzou Arena with high hopes, but in his first match, he received a serious gash under his right eye from an overzealous Chase Quinn of Rockhurst.
Wearing a patch of gauze on his face, Craig defeated both Quinn and Republic junior Ethan Montiel by technical fall before facing Fort Zumwalt North senior Deacon Moran (43-3) in the 190 semifinal.
Craig bolted out to a 4-0 lead but had to hold off a late charge from Moran, who sliced the deficit to 4-3 and nearly earned the match-winning takedown as time expired.
“I controlled most of the match, but in the third period I wrestled a little sloppy and I looked a little tired,” Craig said of his semifinal match.
Craig was reinvigorated for his championship match against Hickman junior Beau Waldron (40-4) but was forced to stay patient due to the wrestling style of Waldron, who had won a defensive, 2-1 decision in the semifinal.
“I wanted too pleased with how I wrestled. I kept trying to force shots and not really getting to my attacks like I should, but I knew nobody was going to take me down,” said Craig.
Craig yielded no takedowns during the entire tournament, and tied 1-1, earned an escape midway through the third period that catapulted him to his first state title.
“This year, I had a little chip on my shoulder. I’m just happy to finally get it done,” Craig said.
Rutlin and Craig helped CBC earn 106.5 team points, good for fourth place in Class 4 and the Cadets’ first team trophy since 2021. CBC struggled on Day 1, losing several toss-up matches in the quarterfinals but went 12-2 on Saturday.
Kosta Hatzigeorgiou (120) and Tanner Faulkner (175) placed third and Michael Poulette (132) placed fifth.
“They set a goal this year not to accept anything less than a state trophy,” Flynn said. “To watch them wrestle the way they wrestled is truly one for the ages, truly awesome.”
For photo galleries from the 2026 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Class-3-Boys-Wrestling-Championships/Boys-Wrestling-2026