By: Ross Martin
For early practices, Trenton only had 17 total wrestlers in the room. Don’t count participation as a concern for coach Charlie Bacon, who looks to restore the Bulldogs as a Class 1 power.
Trenton sent just three to the Class 1 Missouri State Wrestling Championships a year ago, but behind a third-place finish from senior Jadan Whitney at 195, the Bulldogs were a respectable 28th in the final team standings. They haven’t been in the top 20 since a 12th-place showing in 2015.
With Whitney — a four-time state qualifier and two-time third-place finisher — gone, Trenton’s next state push will be behind a pair of returning qualifiers, a solid group of state hopefuls and an impact freshman class.
“Our team’s key to success will be working harder than ever in the practice room and letting that spill over into competition,” Bacon said. “We have 17 kids who love the sport of wrestling and don’t like to lose. That is a pretty good start toward success as a team.”
