State champion Herron is the KMAland Missouri Boys Wrestler of the Year
By KMAland’s Trevor Maeder
To the victor goes the spoils and for Rock Port state champion wrestler Ryder Herron, those spoils include earning the 2025 KMAland Missouri Boys Wrestler of the Year honor.
Herron recently won the Class 1 285 pound Missouri State Boys Wrestling title, becoming the Blue Jays’ first state champion since 1991.
“It’s still settling in a bit,” Herron said. “It’s crazy. It’s hard to process. Ever since I was a three-year-old in the wrestling room, my goal was to get up on the wall (of state placer-winners). I got up there last year. But to be at the top is crazy.”
Herron was prepared going into the state tournament. He opened his tournament with a win over Mario Scott (Lift for Life Academy) before reaching the semifinals with a 53-second pin of Lone Jack’s Jax Cromwell.
“Me and my coach worked hard with a lot of game planning,” Herron said. “I think I got a favorable draw. I wrestled the best I have all year. When you combine that with a good draw and preparing well, it works out good.”
Herron beat Centralia’s Marshall Kable by a 15-2 major decision in the semifinals, advancing to the finals, where he beat Holden’s Aiden Christian via injury forfeit.
“I felt comfortable,” Herron said. “Then the finals rolled around – and that’s a whole new beast. Everyone in the arena looks at you while you’re under a spotlight. It’s insane, so I did get nervous a little bit. Other than that, I was comfortable.”
Herron ends his junior season with a 39-4 record.
“It’s everything I could have hoped for,” he said. “The greatest way I could end the season is with a state championship. It’s amazing. I feel like a celebrity because around here we don’t get a lot of state champs.”
Herron now turns his focus toward being a two-time champ.
“The idea of having back-to-back state championships is enough to go out there and dominate,” Herron said. “Rock Port had one guy win two state championships, but he didn’t do it back-to-back. I’d be the first to do it.”
Herron is the second Blue Jay to win the KMAland award, joining former teammate and now assistant coach Gus Heintz, who won it last year.
Norah Watkins earns KMAland Missouri Girls Wrestler of the Year title
By KMAland’s Trevor Maeder
Rock Port High School junior Norah Watkins made massive leaps during her junior wrestling season. While those strides led to Watkins’ best season to date, it also earns her the 2025 KMAland Missouri Girls Wrestler of the Year title.
“I thought it went really well,” Watkins said of her season. “I faced a lot of tough opponents, but that helped me improve a lot from last year.”
Watkins qualified for state as part of the Class 1 105-pound field. She won two matches at state before having her season end with a heart-breaking loss in the blood round, coming up one win shy of earning a spot on the podium. Watkins wrapped up her junior season at 38-9.
“It’s pretty nerve-wracking being at the state tournament,” Watkins said. “But it helped that I had been there last year, too. I’m glad I have another year to try to medal.”
Watkins rolled into the wrestling season fresh off a productive cross country season where she finished 12th in Class 1.
“I’m very aggressive,” she said. “I’m constantly trying to do something or run a move. I can never stay still. It (cross country) is important because I feel having a lot of endurance helps me last in the longer matches. I’d say a six-minute wrestling match (is harder) because you use your whole body.”
Watkins is still relatively new to the sport, having not joined it until her freshman year.
“A female wrestler encouraged me to wrestle in high school,” she said. “I was pretty nervous, but I decided to do it. Freshman year, I didn’t know what I was doing, but it helped to try to learn little things and go slow. Eventually, I’ve improved more.”
Watkins has compiled a 96-29 record during her prep career.
“I definitely expected to enjoy it,” she said. “Because I always wanted to do it when I watched other people wrestle. And I’ve always been into lifting weights, but I didn’t expect to have success.”
Now, Watkins is hungry for more next year.
“I feel like I don’t set up my shots enough,” she said. “I’ve needed to learn how to handle different styles. I’ll go to a lot of different camps, continue lifting weights and stay conditioned.”
