COLUMBIA -- Logan Montoya heard a pop.
During his quarterfinal match Friday morning in the Class 3 state wrestling championships, the Helias junior thought something went wrong in his knee.
“I was a little concerned, nobody likes to think about a tear in their knee,” Montoya said. “We think it might be a torn meniscus. But I knew there were just two matches left in the season, so all I could do was wrap it up and gut it out.”
Montoya won that quarterfinal 3-2 to stay alive in the chase for the title. He then won by fall in the semifinals to advance to Saturday night’s state championship match against Bolivar senior Trey Brewer.
With the knee wrapped, Montoya scored three points in the third period and posted a 3-1 victory against Brewer to win the title.
“I’ve worked my whole life for this,” Montoya said. “It’s a dream come true, it’s an opportunity seized.”
Gallery: 2023 Class 3 Boys Wrestling State Championships -- Day 2
After a scoreless first period, Montoya started in the up position to start the second. Montoya did a good job of keeping Brewer under control until there were :40 remaining in the period.
“I wanted to ride him the entire period, but he was able to get away, I had to cut him,” Montoya said.
The escape gave Brewer a 1-0 lead going to the third period, which started with Montoya in the down position. He got an escape in the first :20 to tie the match at 1 to set up a thrilling finish.
“I knew I needed to get that takedown, I knew I could get it because of all the work I’ve put in when I’m tired,” Montoya said. “I knew what to do.”
Montoya got the takedown with :50 remaining to take a 3-1 lead. But then he had to work to keep Brewer on the mat the rest of the way. And as the time wound down, Brewer got closer and closer to getting away.
But Montoya was able to hold on.
“I knew I didn’t have any stalling calls, so I could just hold onto his leg the rest of the way,” Montoya said. “Just gut that last 20 seconds out.”
He did gut it out and set off a celebration worthy of a title.
“I’ve put in a lot of work through the years and I’m grateful that I’ve stuck with it and it’s paying off,” Montoya said.
Montoya adds a state wrestling title to his first-team all-state and Central Missouri Activities Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors he earned as a linebacker in the fall for the football Crusaders.
“It’s been a great year,” Montoya.
Montoya ends the season with a record of 48-1.
III
A pair of seniors earned fourth-place finishes for the Crusaders.
Carter Prenger earned his third state medal by taking fourth at 126.
Prenger dropped an 8-0 decision to Gavin Alexander of Hillsboro in Saturday morning’s semifinals, then won by fall in :56 against Eli Teiberis of Jefferson City in the fourth round of wrestlebacks. It was Prenger’s third first-period win by fall in the tournament.
“I thought I had a good chance to win my semifinal match and when I didn’t, I just went out and tried to have fun after that,” Prenger said. “If I didn’t finish first, it didn’t really matter where I finished.”
Prenger the lost by fall in 4:48 to Tristan Essig of Hannibal in the third-place match Saturday afternoon.
Prenger finished third in the state as a sophomore and second as a junior.
Jace Duemmel of the Crusaders rebounded from losing his first-round match to eventual state champion Logan Rubenstein of Holt to finish fourth at 144.
On Saturday, the senior advanced to the medal round with a 13-5 victory against Cameron McKee of Jefferson City. After a scoreless first period, Duemmel used a dominant second period to take a 10-1 lead.
Duemmel then won 5-2 against Austin Hunter of Fort Zumwalt South in the fourth round of wrestlebacks to advance to the third-place match against Kayden Kinder of Rolla.
Kinder won the match 1-0, scoring the lone point of the match on an escape in the second period.
Duemmel, who has signed to wrestle at Minot State, ends the season with a record of 42-6.
Prenger and Duemmel were the senior state qualifiers for the Crusaders.
“Carter and Jace have been great ambassadors for the program,” Keleher said. “These kids are part of the group that changed the program, they are great kids.”
III
Eli Homan wrapped up an impressive freshman season by taking fifth at 157 for the Crusaders.
“As a young kid, you have to be happy taking fifth in the state,” Keleher said.
Homan posted a win by fall in 3:28 in the bubble round against Owen Dalpoas of Vianney to clinch a medal.
He then fell 4-2 to Landon Littleton of Belton in the fourth round of wrestlebacks before scoring a 6-3 decision against Darrius Page of Van Horn in the fifth-place match.
After a scoreless first period, Homan got an escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Page tied it with an escape early in the third period before Homan got a takedown and two near fall points to take a 5-1 lead with :14 remaining.
Page got a reversal with :02 left to make it 5-3, then Homan escaped at the buzzer to make the final 6-3.
“We knew it was going to be a tight match,” Keleher said. “We worked on a few things and it worked out for the best.”
Homan finishes the season at 38-10.
III
Parker Lock of Helias lost in the third-round of wrestlebacks at 106 Saturday morning.
The junior dropped a 6-0 decision to Bradley Hiteshew of Glendale. Hiteshaw led 2-0 after two periods before sealing the win with a four-point third period.
Lock ends the season with a record of 23-11.
III
Justin Wieberg of Helias finished one win away from a medal Saturday, falling to 16-3 to Lane Cross of Belton in the third round of wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
At 132, Wieberg ends his junior season with a record of 29-19.