COLUMBIA, Mo. - Dylan Linsenbardt figured he had to catch Jaret Singh in a mistake to win the state title.
He almost did.
Linsenbardt, the Helias senior, nearly had the Kearney senior on his back at the start of the second period of Saturday's Class 3 113-pound championship match.
But nearly wasn't quite good enough. Singh bridged, then moved Linsenbardt onto his back on his way to a win by technical fall at Mizzou Arena.
"(Singh) is really good and he's probably one of the best in the state," Linsenbardt said.
Singh, now a three-time state champion, dominated the first period to lead 10-0. Linsenbardt had the decision to start up or down in the second period and chose up.
Singh and the Kearney coaches knew something was up.
"I knew I had to try and catch him with something and that was my opportunity," Linsenbardt said.
On the whistle, Linsenbardt used a move called "The Assassin" to attempt to put Singh on his back. It was close to working, definitely too close for the Kearney faithful.
"The Kearney coach told me they were a little concerned for a couple of seconds," Helias coach Travis Reinsch said. "Dylan was inches away from hitting it."
But Singh was able to bridge out, get a reversal, then put Linsenbardt on his back to end the match by the 15-point margin.
"Singh is a great wrestler," Reinsch said. "I think he had an idea that we were trying something and he did a good job of stopping it. That's why he's a three-time champion now.
"Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But Dylan had a great tournament."
Linsenbardt, who finished his season with a 47-9 record, started with a win by fall Thursday, then won by technical fall in the quarterfinals before taking an overtime decision in Friday night's semifinal.
"It would always be nice to do a little better," Linsenbardt said. "But second is still good."
Linsenbardt ends a three-time medalist, having taken fifth as a sophomore and a junior.
"I'd rather have four, though," he said.
Helias finished with 21.5 points to take 26th in the final team standings.
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