Wichita ? Lawrence High wrestler Nolan Kellerman walked off the mat Saturday night at the Kansas Coliseum visibly shaken as blood clotted in his nostrils.

The Lions’ 160-pounder probably was more in shock than anything, considering the events of his championship match against Derby’s Kirk Fairley.

But, as soon as he stepped out of the ring, the song “Final Countdown” began blaring from the overhead speakers.

Talk about karma. Not even DJ Scribbles could have spun a more perfect beat after Kellerman pulled off one of the day’s most exciting finishes, scoring a single point with one second remaining for a 5-4 victory in the 160-pound title match.

“I can’t believe it. I’m completely in shock right now,” said Kellerman, who still had his nose plugged minutes after the match. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think I would do too well in this class. But, in the end, it was a perfect fit.”

An understatement, to be sure.

Kellerman’s title-match victory gave him a perfect 43-0 mark on the season, helping him pass Aaron Madill’s school record from two years ago.

The victory was an historic feat, too. The last Lion individual champion was Douglas County sheriff Ken McGovern, who won in 1978 — nine years before Kellerman was born.

lawrence high's nolan kellerman, left, wrestles Derby's Kirk Fairley in his division's title match. Kellerman won the state title at 160 pounds Saturday in Wichita.

“It does feel pretty special when you take it in a historical context,” said Kellerman, who pulled out the win by performing a “gramby.” Despite his self-admitted sloppiness with the aerial spin, Kellerman stunned his Panther opponent just long enough to land on top for the quick score as time expired.

“They don’t get much closer,” said LHS coach Mark Dulgarian, whose squad finished in 14th place after scoring 50 points.

Free State placed 16th with 45; Overland Park Aquinas held off Manhattan for the Class 6A team title.

Free State had two wrestlers, 125-pounder Marc Somers and 189-pounder Jesse Hardy, who wrestled all the way back through the consolation bracket to finish third.

“I’m so extremely proud of those guys,” Firebird coach Darrell Andrew said. “No matter how you lose in the semis, a loss there always takes a little air out of you.

“But those two really showed their heart today, especially Marc. He wrestled the tournament of his life. Personally, I think if he doesn’t fall in the semis, he would have won the title.”

Both coaches said they were a tad disappointed with the team finishes considering the two squads went 1-2 at the Shawnee Mission West regionals last week and qualified a total of 22 wrestlers for state.

One final medalist was LHS senior Pharouk Hussein, who ended a three-year drought when he placed fourth at 130 pounds.