Jadan Whitney traveled to Columbia for the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships with the goal of a state title. While that dream wasn’t realized inside Mizzou Arena this weekend, Whitney could find solace in other accomplishments.
For one, Whitney essentially wrestled for a state championship – in the quarterfinals. There, Trenton’s 195-pound senior wrestler faced off with Knob Noster’s Steve Elwell. Elwell won that match via a 4-2 decision and went on to claim the state title at 195, winning in the semifinals by fall and the finals by a 12-2 major decision. Elwell’s match with Whitney was the closest of the tournament for the champion, who finished the season with a 52-1 record. The one blemish on the record came from Whitney, who defeated Elwell earlier in the season at a tournament in Springfield.
After losing in the quarterfinals, Whitney showed the same determination he displayed in last year’s tournament – when he followed up a loss to the eventual state champion with a run to a third-place finish. The resiliency to win four-straight matches after having his state championship hopes dashed and the third-place medal itself justify all the things Whitney is as a wrestler.
“Jadan had a tough 4-2 loss in the quarters to the eventual state champ,” Trenton Head Coach Charlie Bacon said. “After his loss, Jadan came back to win the next four matches to place third and I think that speaks volumes about Jadan’s mental toughness.”
Whitney opened the tournament with a quick win by fall over Garrett Pair of Lawson, pinning the Cardinal in just 43 seconds to set up the match-up with Elwell.
The bout between the top two ranked wrestlers in the state played out like a state championship match. Through two periods neither Whitney nor Elwell scored a point. In the third period, Whitney started on top, yielding an escape before being taken down. Whitney was able to score a reversal to cut the lead to 3-2 late in the period, but couldn’t turn Elwell for back points that could have won the match. Elwell escaped a second time at the horn to take the match by the 4-2 score.
From there, Whitney picked up a 16-4 major decision over Keilan Jaques of El Dorado Springs and an 8-6 decision win over Lathrop’s Quinten Wolfe to guarantee himself a state medal. A 7-3 decision win over Riley Rademann of Versailles placed Whitney in the third-place match.
Alex Reyes of Principia was Whitney’s opponent in the third-place match. After a scoreless first period, Reyes started the second on bottom and generated an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Whitney tied the match with an escape of his own in the third and the bout went to overtime tied at 1-1.
Whitney scored a takedown with 13 seconds left in the first overtime to take the third-place medal by sudden victory.
“Jadan won the last match of his career in overtime with a photo finish,” Bacon said. “He finished the season with a 47-5 record. He had 157 career wins and was a four-time state qualifier, a two-time state medalist and a two-time academic all-state recipient. And , not only is he a great wrestler, but he is a great kid.”
Aside from Whitney, Trenton also sent Mark Trump (170) and Noah Lewis (160) to the state tournament. Trump and Lewis each fell in the opening round before winning in the first round of wrestlebacks. Neither Bulldog moved beyond that round, however, as both were handed second-round wrestleback losses.
“I thought our three boys represented Trenton High School very well this weekend,” Bacon said. “Noah Lewis went 1-2 in his first state tournament and his two losses were close matches by regular decision and I think that says a lot about his character. Mark Trump at 170 had the same exact path as Noah. He went 1-2 on his second trip to Columbia and his two losses were also by regular decision. I’m very proud of these two guys and can’t wait for their senior seasons.”
Trump finished the season with a 27-17 record, while Lewis finished 29-21.