Centralia sophomore Madie Shelton was eliminated from the Class 1 MSHSAA girls wrestling state championships after two matches but showed that she belonged.

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In the tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, girls head coach Tyler Forsee said first-time state qualifier Shelton may have lost both matches, but she owned a lead in both bouts before being caught in a pin.

“She came in with a lot of confidence and things just didn’t go our way,” Forsee said. “The jump from last year to this year was tremendous, and (her better seasons) was not luck. She’s got the skillset, and I think next year will be a big climb in the ladder.”

In her first round match with Monett’s Brooke Bluel, Shelton was ahead 4-1 in the third period before being taken down and then pinned. In her next match, Shelton had the advantage in the second period before being pinned.

Avoiding these types of results is easily fixable, Forsee said, as the underclassmen needs even more time to develop on top of the extra work she has put in during the summer.

“I think her just having a little more awareness of what the score is and where we’re at on the mat,” Forsee said. “You can practice so many things, but that is just the feel of when do I do this and when do I do that and that comes with mat time.”

Forsee said he is excited to see where Shelton goes from here and where the program goes as well. She has a younger sister, Jayci, who Forsee said looks good and other girls are showing interest.