There was Keith Ransom and there was the rest of the state’s Class 2 field.

Ransom swept three matches on the way to taking first place at 126 pounds in the MSHSAA wrestling championship in Independence on Thursday. He was never really challenged, winning all three by comfortable margins.

“I felt in control during my matches,” Ransom said. “I tried to keep their scoring to a minimum.”

Indeed, he allowed only three points all day – one in his opener, a 9-1 major decision over Marco Dalakishvili of Lafayette in St. Joseph, the other two in the championship round.

Jokiah Sewell finished fifth in the 170-pound bracket, Ricardo Juarez wrestled his way back to sixth after a narrow opening round loss at 120 and Deacon Haag just missed out on a podium spot at 220.

“All four guys wrestled like warriors,” Mexico head coach Gayle Adams observed. Haag, Sewell and Juarez each found themselves in trouble during the tournament. “At the end of the day, they had their backs to the wall. It shows how much grit they have.”

Juarez started the day with a narrow 4-3 loss to Seneca’s Brayden Thiel. But he rebounded, dominating the match against Micah Danner of Excelsior Springs from the beginning – a takedown 20 seconds in and three near falls before sending Danner to the mat at 1:56.

Down 3-0 to Jase Todd of Odessa in the next round, Juarez earned an escape point late in the second period. That seemed to inspire him, as a flurry of activity in the final frame gave him a 4-3 win. But Juarez couldn’t topple St. Francis Borgia’s Joseph Lause in the fifth place match.

Sewell had a bye to start the day. Trouble in the third period cost him against Odessa’s Bryce Palmer. But he pinned Evan Wilson of Reeds Spring at 2:43 to advance to the fifth place match.

Here Sewell came up against a familiar face: Levi Haney of Blair Oaks. After battling evenly through one, Sewell gained the advantage in the second, earning an escape point right away, followed a few seconds later by a takedown.

He went on to a 9-3 decision.

At 220, Haag had a comfortable lead over Sullivan’s Kyler Martin in points, but gained a win by fall with Springs from the beginning – a takedown 20 seconds in and three near falls before sending Danner to the mat at 1:56.

Down 3-0 to Jase Todd of Odessa in the next round, Juarez earned an escape point late in the second period. That seemed to inspire him, as a flurry of activity in the final frame gave him a 4-3 win. But Juarez couldn’t topple St. Francis Borgia’s Joseph Lause in the fifth place match.

Sewell had a bye to start the day. Trouble in the third period cost him against Odessa’s Bryce Palmer. But he pinned Evan Wilson of Reeds Spring at 2:43 to advance to the fifth place match.

Here Sewell came up against a familiar face: Levi Haney of Blair Oaks. After battling evenly through one, Sewell gained the advantage in the second, earning an escape point right away, followed a few seconds later by a takedown.

He went on to a 9-3 decision.

At 220, Haag had a comfortable lead over Sullivan’s Kyler Martin in points, but gained a win by fall with just a few seconds left in the match. But he dropped the next two, losing to Peyton Hahn of Boonville after a strong first period and Zander Brinegar from Oak Grove.

But Ransom had little trouble pitting his chess match style against the opposition. He rushed out to a 5-0 lead over Dalakishvili in the first, thanks to an early takedown and three rapid near falls, going on to a 9-1 major decision.

His second match was a display of efficiency – a takedown in the first, a reversal in the second and then staying away from trouble the rest of the way. It added up to a 4-0 decision over Dalton McNeal of Ste. Genevieve.

In the championship, Ransom faced Excelsior Springs’ Landon Davis. The two wrestlers tested each other through the first. They were even at 2-2 in the third, but Ransom saw an opportunity. He scored on a reversal and two near falls for a 6-2 clincher.

“I will remember the feeling of how excited I was after my match and seeing my teammates and family being just as pumped up as I was,” Ransom said.

He is the 10th gold medalist in coach Adams’ 10 year span as the Bulldogs’ head coach.