COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Helias wrestlers entered the Class 3 state tournament with a goal of finishing in the top 10. But with just five qualifiers, coach Bryant Gaines figured a top 20 finish would be more realistic.
Gaines was right. But not by much.
"Close, but I guess we have to give it to him," Helias senior Zack Carr said Saturday night after Helias finished 12th in the tournament at Mizzou Arena.
Gaines wasn't ready to accept credit for being right.
"Turns out they might have known what they were talking about," he said. "It surprised me and I think themselves a little bit. I don't know if people can appreciate just how well we did to finish this high, knowing where we came from at the start of the season to now."
Four of the five qualifiers earned medals by finishing in the top six of their respective weights, led by seniors Nick Schnieders and Carr.
"They had an awesome year, they were great leaders," Gaines said.
Schnieders topped Helias' finishers, taking fourth at 160 pounds. He said his goal all season was to place at state.
"I wasn't ranked, but I thought I could do it," he said.
It was his first trip to the state tournament.
"I didn't feel any pressure," Schnieders said. "I stuck to the moves that I do the best and just did the best I could."
Schnieders defeated Jackson White of Carl Junction 8-5 to advance to the third-place match Saturday, before falling 9-2 to Ethan Locke of Kearney.
His fourth-place finish could give him bragging rights among his teammates. But he won't be using them.
"It doesn't matter," Schnieders, who finished the season at 48-13, said. "It's all about the team."
Carr also medaled in his first state appearance, taking fifth at 132. He has some bragging rights and plans to use them as he is the first of four wrestling brothers to make it to the state tournament.
"They never qualified, but I qualified and placed," Carr said. "I worked hard to get here and get this medal."
Carr (44-15) didn't have a goal of medaling until the start of the tournament.
"I wasn't really thinking about it until I got up here at state," Carr said. "But I wrestled hard because I really wanted one."
Carr defeated Dylan Owens of Hillsboro 2-0 in the fifth-place match.
"Carr went out in style," Gaines said.
The other two Crusader medalists finished sixth.
At 120, Evan Winder fell 1-0 to Blake Bills of Platte County in the fifth-place match.
"That was a tough weight class, it was tough to figure out who was going to win any of the matches," Gaines said.
Winder, a junior, is a three-time medalist after finishing sixth the last two seasons at 106.
"He's battled each year," Gaines said. "I think Evan will be a little pushed to do better next season."
At 152, sophomore Jackson Careaga lost 7-2 to Jed Brandon of Willard in the fifth-place match.
"Jackson was a little undersized for that weight, but he went out there and fought his best," Gaines said.
Gaines believes the state tournament is another step up the ladder for the program.
"I hope so," Gaines said. "This should really boost our confidence, get people a little more excited about Helias wrestling again with this success."
Kearney won the Class 3 title with 161 points. Neosho was second with 158.5, while Platte County was third with 110.5.