Inductees

In sports, some success stories seem to be authored by a Hollywood script writer.

In Clinton in the 1980s, efforts to turn the high school wrestling program into something special took blood, sweat and tears. Especially sweat, in a place with no frills.

The wrestling room? It was in a large room that doubled as the school cafeteria and auditorium, with wrestlers required to lift and relocate tables and chairs and then roll out mats for practice – and then put them back together all nice and neat.

In other words, iron sharpened iron, and the result is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the 1990-1994 Clinton High School Wrestling Era with the Class of 2025.

Coached by Ray Niles, the Cardinals finished in the top four of Class 1-2 in four of the five seasons. They won it all in 1991, while the 1990 and 1992 teams placed third, and the 1994 placed fourth.

State champions were Kendal Koch (130 pounds in 1990), Shane Green (125 in 1991), Brandon Peck (171 in 1991), Jon Koch (112 in 1992), Doug Walrath (189 in 1992), Matt Morrison (112 in 1994) and John Pickens (160 in 1994). A number of others were state qualifiers and state medalists.

Their legacy? Well, in the new high school, there’s a dedicated wrestling room with padded walls. See the photo up on the back wall? That’s the 1991 team. To get there, you have to walk through a state-of-the-art workout facility. And out in the cafeteria is the trophy case, with hardware on display for those early 1990s teams.

As Walrath put it, “I’m grateful for the support and friendship I’ve received because of wrestling. It’s a bond that all wrestlers have knowing the effort and discipline it takes that prepares us for life better than any other sport. We are accountable for our losses, and there’s no loss more personal to learn and build our character. This guides us now and in the future. It’s better to have wrestled and lost than to have never wrestled at all.”

Niles was the architect. When he resigned in March 1999, he had spent 19 seasons as Clinton’s coach. The 1991 team qualified 11 wrestlers for the state tournament and 10 earned medals, a then-record that tied mighty Jefferson City Helias Catholic and Oakville. In his tenure, 57 individuals earned state medals, 10 of them earning state titles. His Cardinals also won six conference championships and six district titles.

All this for a program that sits an hour south and east of Kansas City, to the west of Truman Lake at the intersection of Highways 13 and 7.

Niles didn’t wrestle in high school but competed in sports, paying attention to the way successful athletes achieved their success. He spent a year as Clinton’s volunteer assistant, but was promoted after the head coach left.

He then recruited the hallways and built momentum.

“I don’t know if there wasn’t a kid who wasn’t approached (about joining the team),” Niles said. “(When I arrived), I couldn’t figure out why they weren’t placing at state. There were great athletes for a small school.”

Todd Park was Clinton’s first state qualifier, in 1984, and two years later placed second. That opened eyes. Kendal Koch won state in 1989.

The 1990 team then placed third. It was amazing accomplishment, but …

“About ’89, we became a serious contender, and in 90 we had a great group of seniors – 7 seniors, I believe. I thought we had a real shot,” Niles said. “Maybe my inexperience as a coach … it was just disappointing. You think you’re doing everything and that it’s going to be a great story.”

The 1991 team won it, and somewhat unexpectedly.

“In 91, that was with a lot of the JV guys who had gotten stuck behind the senior had been multiple state qualifiers the year before,” Niles said. “To this day, that is just amazing.”

Hard work was the secret to success. Even during the holiday break, he scheduled two-a-day practices.

“Our goal was not to win a regular-season tournament,” Niles said. “Our goal was to win in February.”

A big key was the support of parents. Quality people, he called them.

“These kids on the team, we’ve got doctors out there and other very successful people,” Niles said. “Lou Holtz said, ‘Sports aren’t character-building; they are character-revealing.’ Can you meet the challenge? … They really rose to the challenge.”