COLUMBIA - You could see it on his face, you could hear it in his voice.
Lucas Laux was frustrated.
"Yes, very frustrating," the Fatima sophomore said Saturday night after finishing second in the Class 1 state championships for the second straight year.
Laux dropped a 3-2 decision to Logan Ferrero of Whitfield in the title match at 120 pounds at Mizzou Arena.
Ferrero, ranked No. 1 by MissouriWrestling.com, got the lone takedown of the match in the first :20 to take a 2-0 lead.
"I thought it might come down to whoever got the first takedown," Laux, ranked No. 2, said.
Then it was time for Laux to make a change in strategy.
"I knew I had to get an escape by the end of the period to have a chance to come back," he said.
Laux got that escape to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading to the second period. Ferrero, starting down, got an escape in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.
Laux started down in the third period and got an escape with 1:40 left to make it 3-2. He made repeated shots, attempting to score the takedown that would give him the lead.
"But I couldn't get the takedown at the end that I needed," Laux said.
It wasn't because of a lack of trying.
"I just couldn't get one," Laux said.
Laux, second at 113 last year, ends with a record of 44-3.
"You can tell he's mad," Fatima coach Kurt Strope said. "That may drive him a little bit in the offseason."
Laux said he plans to put in some extra work in the gym in the offseason to see if that's what can get him up to the top step of the medal stand at Mizzou Arena.
"I guess some of these guys are a little bit stronger than me, that makes a difference," he said.
Laux was one of four state medalists this year for the Comets.
"We competed really well," Strope said.
Jason Strope (41-7) was fourth at 106 for the Comets. The sophomore went 1-1 on Saturday, winning by major decision in the fourth round of wrestlebacks before losing 5-4 in the third-place bout.
Blake Wiles (35-11), a sophomore, at 132 and senior Sam Martin (18-10) at 138 both finishing sixth.
"They're all disappointed because we have guys that want to win championships," Kurt Strope said.
Fatima finished with 68.5 team points to place ninth in Class 1.
"That's the first time for us in the top 10," Strope said. "That's the first step, now we're looking to get into the top four in the next few years. And then maybe get a shot at competing for a state title."
Whitfield won the Class 1 title with 192.5 points. Seneca was second with 126.5, while Lathrop (122) and Lawson (107) rounded out the trophy winners.