For any high school wrestler, the state tournament is already a big stage.

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It felt even bigger to Mexico freshman 235-pounder Alexus Johns as she finished the first day Wednesday of the Class 1 MSHSAA girls state championships with a 1-2 record — not good enough to advance her to Day 2. Johns pinned her first opponent, Steam’s Latahvia Williams, in the third period prior to losing by fall to senior 40-match winner, Cameron’s Hollie Hedgpeth, and dropping a 9-5 decision to Nevada’s Drew Leer.

Right before Johns — final record 34-14 — stepped on the mat, head coach Tony Senor could tell there were nerves, which is understandable given Johns’ status not only as a freshman but also as a first-year wrestler. Adjusting to the state schedule also presents a challenge to calming the nerves as Senor said his girls typically are able to warm up for 45 minutes to an hour before every tournament, but Johns had less time.

“She didn’t wrestle the best, but she was able to advance to the quarterfinals,” Senor said. “Warming up, I could kind of tell she wasn’t herself. We didn’t get into a regular routine to warm up either. We only had 10 minutes on the main mat. All things considered, she handled this tournament very well. Beginning of the season, I did not expect her to be in this tournament at the end of the season.”

All season, Senor said Johns has displayed an excellent work ethic while learning the sport and has shown a fearless attitude, no matter who is across from her on the mat. This could be seen with Hedgpeth, who Senor called one of the top girls in the state before eventually finishing as the state runner-up.

“We gave her everything we had,” Senor said. “I think that’s probably the best wrestling we’ve done all year, and it was against that girl. I’m really impressed with the fight — not backing down from a fight.”

Senor said Johns should be proud even if her final match brought a tough result. Johns tried to make up for the deficit by turning over Leer, who was the other freshman in the 235 bracket, for a pin but was unsuccessful.

As for areas Johns can address for next year, Senor said spending time in the weight room and working in the offseason, which applies to all his girls, could close the gap. Leer showcased power that Johns was unable to match.

“We clean a few things up for next year and see that girl at state again, I think we can beat her,” Senor said. “Experience is a big factor at the state tournament,” Senor said. “She’s gotten a taste of what this tournament is, what it looks like, the pressure, the nerves, the butterflies, and all that. I feel like, next year, we could potentially be in the medal round, if not in the state finals.”

For the Mexico girls program, Senor hopes to see the Lady Bulldogs fill a full team of 14 weight classes. The support from the Mexico community and Mexico athletic director Brandon Schafer has already been great so he wants to see more growth in the program’s fourth season.

Senor expects to have several girls either improve or come back from a season away. Freshman Abby Bowen just missed out on state by one match this season, and Matty Tolbert and state medalist Katie Bowen should also be back.

“We could have some girls in the medal round next year, multiple girls hopefully,” Senor said.