In the end, it seemed fitting that Waynesville High School was the only school that had a cheerleading squad at Hillcrest on Saturday for the Ozark Conference wrestling championship.
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After all, Waynesville had the most to cheer about and celebrate.
The Tigers captured their second consecutive conference title and third in the last five years on Saturday, edging second-place Lebanon 240-235. Rolla, Joplin and Hillcrest rounded out the top five.
Waynesville and Lebanon each had four wrestlers win titles. Waynesville was led by Jake Cyr (119 pounds), Aaron Morgan (130), Eric Mateo (135) and Josh Cyr (160).
Jake Cyr said seeing his teammates succeed gave him all the motivation he needed.
"Oh yeah, definitely," he said. "If I see someone do good, I want to do as good as them or better."
Waynesville coach Jeff Davis agreed, saying his team is a tight-knit bunch of wrestlers who look to each other for motivation.
"They're a close-knit group, as you can tell," Davis said. "They're real tight, and that's what makes them such a good team."
Tyler Zimmerman (140), Austin Brawner (145), Trevor Byrd (215) and Justin Britt (285) brought home titles for Lebanon.
The conference championship was the third in a row for Britt, the state's top-ranked heavyweight. He won all three of his matches with first-period pins, improving his record to 39-0 with 35 pins.
Despite his success, Britt said he wants to remain hungry and level-headed.
"Keep working hard and keep believing in myself and having confidence," Britt said is the key to continuing his undefeated run. "But not overlooking people, not having a big head."
Camdenton's Clifton Luber beat Lebanon's Zach Drinkall in the match of the night in the 189-pound championship.
Luber scored a takedown against Drinkall in overtime to beat his friend and onetime training partner 10-8, his second win against Drinkall in three tries this year.
"We just put it all on the line in that match," Luber said. "It was just a really cool thing to see."
The crowd clearly appreciated the wrestlers' efforts, and Luber was equally appreciative of the crowd's support.
"The crowd was phenomenal," Luber said. "That made the match, really."
Hillcrest, which has already captured the unofficial Springfield city title by sweeping its duals with the other Springfield Public Schools, was the top finisher among city schools.
Senior Keenan Berry led the way for the Hornets, beating Lebanon's Nick Nekola 15-6 to capture the championship at 152.
"It's coming around," Berry said of the strides Hillcrest has made this season. "I think that we've been progressing. But now, since we beat some of the city schools, I think people are starting to recognize, and it's given us some confidence to do better and go further."
Ozark Conference Championship
At Hillcrest High School
Team results
1, Waynesville, 240; 2, Lebanon, 235; 3, Rolla, 213; 4, Joplin, 153; 5, Hillcrest, 117; 6, Camdenton, 110; 7, Parkview, 55.5; 8, Kickapoo, 54; 9, Glendale, 48
Championship results
103 -- Brycen Miner (Joplin) def. Hunter Neighbors (Camdenton), pin, 1:14; 112 -- Blayne Shockley (Rolla) def Nathan Wilson (Hillcrest), pin, :51; 119 --Jake Cyr (Waynesville) def. Jesse Conaway (Rolla), 16-5; 125 --Caleb Friend (Joplin) def. Kyle Hansen (Lebanon), 15-7; 130 --Aaron Morgan (Waynesville) def. Chris Sanders (Rolla), 9-5; 135 --Eric Mateo (Waynesville) def. Aaron Starnes (Lebanon), 21-9; 140 --Tyler Zimmerman (Lebanon) def. Russell Flores (Waynesville), pin, 2:57; 145 --Austin Brawner (Lebanon) def. Gabe Asano (Waynesville), pin, 1:29; 152 --Keenan Berry (Hillcrest) def. Nick Nekola (Lebanon), 15-6; 160 --Josh Cyr (Waynesville) def. Masen Ridenhour (Rolla), injury default; 171 --Miles Copple (Joplin) def. Jordan Williams (Waynesville), pin, 1:31; 189 --Clifton Luber (Camdenton) def. Zach Drinkall (Lebanon), 10-8, OT; 215 -- Trevor Byrd (Lebanon) def. Trent Boyer (Rolla), pin, 3:13; 285 --Justin Britt (Lebanon) def. Kamron Davis (Waynesville), pin, 1:31
