COLUMBIA — Going into the 2019 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships Thursday morning at Columbia’s Mizzou Arena, Owensville Dutchmen senior wrestler Blaine Schoenfeld hoped that the third time would be the charm for a medal.

A familiar face stood opposite of Schoenfeld for his first-round bout.

Already with a win against him earlier in the season, the OHS senior took on Dexter’s Parker VanSlyke at 170 pounds.

Able to keep the Bearcat junior off the scoreboard, Schoenfeld won the match by technical fall, 15-0.

Midway through the first period, Blaine scored a takedown and three back points grabbing a 5-0 lead through two minutes of wrestling.

Starting from the down position in the second period, Schoenfeld escaped before adding another takedown and three more back points for an 11-0 lead after two periods.

Schoenfeld ended the match with a pair of takedowns at the :37 mark of the third period.

Safely through to day two, the Dutchmen senior now just needed a victory in his next match to guarantee a top-six finish and a state medal.

Winning an 8-3 decision over Odessa senior Hunter Hansken in the Class 2 quarterfinal at 170 pounds Friday morning, Schoenfeld clinched his spot on the medal stand.

“I’m just happy that he’s on the podium,” Dutchmen head wrestling coach Rod Barndollar said.

Drawing first blood, Blaine scored a takedown at the 1:08 mark of the first period for a 2-0 lead.

Carrying that lead into the second period, Schoenfeld wasted no time adding to his advantage.

Earning another takedown with 1:36 for the second, Blaine now had a 4-0 lead.

In spite of an Odessa reversal seconds later, Schoenfeld still had a 4-2 lead going into the final two minutes of wrestling.

Takedowns at the 1:50 and :23 marks of the third period led to Blaine’s medal-clinching victory.

Now standing between Schoenfeld and a spot in the Class 2 170 pound state championship match was Buffalo Bison senior Floyd Miller.

Giving up an early takedown, Blaine was pinned in :54 sending him to the third round of wrestlebacks Saturday morning to determine if he would wrestle for third or fifth place.

Miller went on to win a state title at 170 pounds in Class 2.

Another familiar opponent awaited Schoenfeld in the fourth round of wrestlebacks.

Pinning Moberly’s Luke Slater in a regular-season dual at Southern Boone, Schoenfeld lost to the Spartan senior in the MSHSAA Class 2, District 2 title bout the previous weekend in Marshall.

Meeting for the third time Saturday morning, a spot in the third-place match was on the line.

After a scoreless first period, Schoenfeld got an escape to start the second period for a 1-0 lead. Giving up a reversal with 1:21 for the second, Blaine now trailed 2-1 before a late takedown left the Dutchmen senior trailing 4-1 with two minutes of wrestling left.

Able to escape for another point, it wasn’t enough as Schoenfeld dropped to the fifth-place match after falling 4-2.

Slater went on to place third in the state in Class 2 at 170 pounds.

It was an all orange-and-black affair in the fifth-place match as Schoenfeld took on Oak Grove senior Noah Sears.

Unable to overcome late takedowns in the first and third periods, Schoenfeld ended his OHS wrestling career with a sixth-place finish at 170 pounds.