Deonte Kerns and Mason Quarles wanted to end their time as a Colonel the right way.

The Missouri Military Academy seniors each medaled on Thursday at the Class 1 boys wrestling state tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Kerns finished sixth at 150 pounds, and Quarles was fourth at 157 pounds.

Head coach Levi Iman said last week was a big deal for MMA wrestling. MMA has had cadets medal at state but hadn’t had multiple medalists in the same season since 1965.

“The fact that it’s been that many years and we were able to do that has been awesome,” Iman said. “I’m super proud of those two guys. I love that in their senior years they got to go and they got to medal.”

Kerns and Quarles “wrestled their hearts out” over the two days, Iman said, and they had a fair amount of it with six matches each. Quarles pinned his next two opponents after starting Day 1 with a major decision loss and then pinned his next two opponents, including Blair Oaks’ Kaiden Caudle in the blood round. Kerns won by pin and technical fall after a major-decision opening loss before besting California’s Jackson Barnard 11-7 in the blood round. 

Iman said both cadets had wrestling experience prior to high school and have developed well into state medalists. Kerns, specifically, has been in the MMA program for a while.

“Deonte Kerns, he started wrestling with us and came his eighth-grade year and didn’t actually get to wrestle but rolled around the room a little bit with some of the kids. Then, he started his freshman year with us,” Iman said. “Being able to see his whole journey where he ends up as a medalist was pretty cool.”

Quarles started wrestling with MMA last season but had kids club experience. He being almost the same weight class as Kerns provided each with a good practice partner.

“Being able to have him and Kerns in the room together just battling it out every day was a great help for the two of them,” Iman said. 

Iman said the big match for Kerns happened against Barnard after already seeing him multiple times this season, including in the MMA’s tournament to end the regular season and at districts the weekend before state. Kerns won a close decision the first time but was pinned at districts, leading him to watch video and figure out what he did wrong. Kerns told Iman, “I know what I did wrong. I’m going to beat him this time.”

Kerns found his own wrestling style and it has leaked into the rest of the program, according to Iman. 

“He likes to wrestle low to the ground,” Iman said. “We have a lot of guys you see on every team that everybody wants to stand up straight. It’s hard getting them to learn how to change levels. Kerns is a low-level wrestler, and he figured that out a couple years ago. He’s helped bring a lot of younger guys around to that style.”

Iman said he was impressed to see how Quarles responded after losing his first match to medalist Emory Crawford, of El Dorado Springs, but pinned Crawford later in wrestlebacks. Quarles could beat the returning 150-pound state champion Crawford, Iman said, and he proved it later after seeing him already.

He said Quarles has a lot of strength and he uses that to his advantage on the mat. 

“Quarles is very physical and strong,” Iman said. “He’s more of a defensive wrestler to start with. Once they get locked up up top, that’s when he likes to do throws.”

“It was a great way to cap off the season,” Iman said.