CHAMPAIGN – Brian Bahrs set the tone early for what might be the final time he dons a wrestling singlet.

Before taking on Clinton’s Kye Reczek in the Class 1A 160-pound title bout at the state wrestling tournament on Saturday night, the Newman senior smacked his head coach, Steve Davis, upside the head. He then tried to do the same, at least metaphorically, to Reczek, and was successful enough to post a 6-3 victory.

It capped a 43-1 season and his third state title. Next year, when he’s a freshman at a yet-to-be-determined college, he plans to concentrate on football. Wrestling is a remote possibility, at best.