Senior Chase McCoy made his final mark in his high school wrestling career by placing third in his last state competition, in February 2020, at Mizzou.

McCoy placed  fifth last year at  state.

“I trusted in the work I had put in and just stayed calm,” McCoy said. “Wrestling is a very tough sport, and a lot of people let pressure before matches affect them. You just have to relax and smile.”

In his winning match, McCoy wrestled Tyson Kind from Raymond Peculiar, a school in Kansas City.

“I was not worried about any of my matches because I wrestle very offensive compared to other people in my weight class, and I know I can score on anyone in the state,” McCoy said.

McCoy has been wrestling since he was 5. He has wrestled with the Wentzville Indian wrestling club, Timberland team Xtreme, as well as all four years of high school, two that were spent at Timberland.

“His last match was perfect. He wrestled amazingly. [I am] proud, [but] I always get a little sad because it was his last match in high school,” wrestling coach Jesse Friese said.

Friese has known McCoy since his little league wrestling days. Friese said he thinks of Chase as a hard worker, and that the senior’s ultimate goal was to be the best Heavyweight to come through Timberland.

“It felt like a culmination of what you have worked your whole All year for and I was excited because I finished strong,” Friese said.

Friese also said many colleges had asked for McCoy to join their wrestling teams, but McCoy’s heart belongs on the football field.