In the preseason, Helias coach Weston Keleher talked about Drake Perkins being under the radar this wrestling season for the Crusaders.
The sophomore’s time in the shadows may be coming to an end as Perkins went 7-0 this weekend for the Crusaders in the Missouri Duals at Rackers Fieldhouse
“He was our real bright spot,” Keleher said. “It’s no surprise to me what he’s doing.
“He got us a lot of bonus points this weekend, he’s a tough kid who is doing a lot of good things for us.”
Perkins won four of his matches by fall, one by major decision and two by decision.
As a team, Helias finished 6-1 in its duals in the two-day event. The Crusaders finished second in the Blue Division behind Hillsboro before edging Jefferson City in the third-place matchup.
“It’s the best finish we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Keleher, in his fourth year at Helias, said. “It’s quite an accomplishment to take third against these great teams.
“All in all, it was a tough tournament with a lot of good teams in it.”
Helias finished tied at 34 against Jefferson City in their matchup. It took all the way to the ninth tiebreaking criteria — most points scored first in a match — to decide it. The Crusaders scored 16, while the Jays had 12.
“I knew it was going to be a close dual,” Keleher said. “They stole some points I thought we would get, we stole some points I thought they would get.
“Coach (Phil) Cagle always does a great job preparing his kids, they wrestled well. We both have extra juice when we wrestle each other. It was just another chapter in our rivalry, this time we came out on top.”
Helias’ lone dual loss came in its final in pool play, a 36-30 decision to Hillsboro.
“I wish we could have been in the final,” Keleher said. “We knew Hillsboro is a tough team.”
Carter Prenger also was 7-0 for the Crusaders in the tournament, winning four times by fall and once by technical fall at 120.
Jack Lage at 126/132, Wyatt Forck at 152 and Logan Montoya at 160 were all 6-1 for Helias. Forck won four times by pin, while Lage had three falls and Montoya had two.
Carson Hayes was 5-2 with five pins at 138, while Michael Sanner was 5-2 with three wins by fall at 220.
“We’re tough down low, we’re tough in the middle and we’re getting better at the heavier weights,” Keleher said. “Things are starting to come together.
“We just need to stay healthy.”
Helias will open Central Missouri Activities Conference action Tuesday night with a dual against Hickman in Columbia. Action will begin at 6 p.m. The Crusaders will then go to the Harrisonville Tournament next Friday and Saturday. It is an individual, not a duals, tournament.
Neosho, the Gold Division champion, repeated as the Missouri Duals champion with a 47-27 victory against Hillsboro in the title match.