Apparently, three was the charm for the Bulldogs this season.

Another memorable campaign went into the record books when the Kearney wrestling team finished third at the Class 3 MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships. It marked the third consecutive all-state finish for the program, as the Bulldogs finished second in 2008 and third in 2009.

"Honestly, I can’t describe how this feels," senior state champion Dillon Brink said. "It’s pretty amazing. This is something we’ve never done before."

Not only does this mark the first time the wrestling team has ever recorded three consecutive top-four finishes at state, it’s only the second time in Kearney athletic department history that any sport program has accomplished that feat. The girls cross county team was the first back in 1993-95.

"We’re one of only two teams in school history to do it," Kearney coach Chad Hopkins said. "It’s a testament to these kids and the consistency we’ve established as a program. What we’re doing is uncharted territory. Now we’ll have the chance to be the first team in Kearney history to win four state trophies in a row next year."

Kearney will have the opportunity to make history after a sterling performance all season. The regular season consisted of a 23-1 dual meet record, team championships at the Kirksville and Bill Skillman Memorial tournaments and team runner-up finishes at the Park Hill and Branson tournaments.

That all set the stage for the Bulldogs’ runner-up effort at the Class 3 District 4 tournament behind eventual state champion Neosho and history-making state performance. Kearney wound up with six individual state medalists, highlighted by Brink’s title at 215 pounds, matching another team record.

Seven Bulldogs — a program-high — won more than 40 matches this season: Brink (50-4 record), sophomore Tanner Minder (48-6), freshman Jaret Singh (48-6), senior Ethan Olson (46-8), senior Cody Pierce (44-13), sophomore Morgan Fitzgerald (43-12) and freshman Kevin Kinney (43-12).

Brink set three single-season team records for victories (50), pins (39) and team points (295.8). Although Olson was the only 40-win wrestler to fail to come away with a medal at state, he still recorded the most successful season of his career and established a team record with 268 takedowns.

Nine Bulldogs (eight first teamers) made the all-conference team while claiming the Suburban Small Six championship for a fifth consecutive year. Minder and Fitzgerald also received academic all-state honors.

"Probably the only kid completely satisfied is Brink," Hopkins said. "We had seven kids that had legitimate shots to win state championships, so there’s only one totally happy. But I think the kids will come to understand they had some huge accomplishments this season. Even though we didn’t finish they way we wanted to, we still had a lot of success. We had some great wins, individually and as a team when you consider we had dual wins against (Class 3 runner-up) Oak Park and (Class 2 state champion) Platte County.

"These seniors are leaving a lasting legacy. This is the first time since the state championship team in 2004 where a class came in with a lot of credentials and lived up to that. They helped this program to three state trophies. All three of them finished in our all-time top-10 in wins. Even 20 years from now, we’re going to look back and remember how great they were."

Brink said in conclusion, "I know we could have done better at times this season, but it was a great year. I’m glad to go out like this."

Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .