By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

PLAINVILLE -- On Feb. 10, Tammy Werner was at work at Dessin Fournir in Plainville when she received a troubling phone call from a friend of her son, Maverick, a student at Fort Hays State University.

Maverick was believed to be dead.

Werner immediately called Plainville High School and asked for her son, Cole, a senior, to leave class. Cole was taking a test when he was called to the office. At first, he kept taking his test. Then, the office called again. Cole went down to the office and saw anguish on the face of a cousin sent to pick him up.

Werner quickly left school and went home. The Werner family, including multiple siblings and in-laws, went to Hays. Tammy Werner also called Hays Medical Center. The hospital didn't have Maverick's body. Then, Tammy Werner knew her oldest of four kids had died at age 20.

"It still feels kind of like it's not true or that it didn't happen," she said Wednesday afternoon.

* * *

In the last two weeks, Maverick Werner's death has reverberated through the large Werner family, Plainville High School, the Mid-Continent League and the Class 3-2-1A wrestling community. Family and friends remember a friendly man who loved the outdoors and was especially close to his three siblings, twin 11-year-old sisters, Brooke and Bailey, and Cole, a three-time state medalist and owner of 123 career victories, second-most in Plainville history.

At the Norton regional last season, Werner nearly lost his first-round match because he was so weak from losing weight. After the match, he replenished his body. He had to make weight again that night and needed to lose a pound. Maverick ran with his brother so he could lose the weight. Werner did, qualified for state and eventually finished as state runner-up. This year, Werner "wanted really bad" his first state championship.

Then, when Maverick died, Werner didn't want to wrestle anymore. He couldn't compete at regionals without Maverick.

"(Cole) didn't want to go without him," Tammy said.

Werner had several family, friends and some wrestlers come to the house, and, through their help, made the decision to finish the season.

"I knew that Cole couldn't give it up since he had a lot riding on it," said sophomore Trevor Axelson, Plainville's state qualifier at 112 pounds and Werner's practice partner.

Last Monday, Werner started to train for regionals. For the first three days of last week, he didn't attend school and couldn't go to practice. Instead, he ran at night to stay in shape. At regionals, Werner lost twice but still finished fourth and earned the Goodland regional's last qualifying spot to the state tournament. Werner (33-3) is ranked fourth in the statewide coaches' poll at 125 pounds and is one of the candidates to win a state title. Plainville qualified six wrestlers for the state tournament and potentially can finish in the top 10.

"It would be amazing," Axelson said of Werner winning a state title. "I would be so excited for him. I would probably be more excited for him than for how good I do."

* * *

Maverick Werner wrestled when he was younger and went out for the Cardinal program when he was a freshman. But he quickly knew wrestling was not one of his favorite activities.

He went up to the coaching staff one day.

"He was totally honest, he said, 'You know, wrestling is not for me,' " Plainville coach Corey Dobson said. "I will never forget that because most of the time you will get kids that will give excuses, 'There is this and there is that,' and they won't just flat tell you, 'I don't like it. It's not for me.' I respected Maverick for that a ton just to come forward and say, 'Look, it's not for me.' "

But Maverick loved people, hunting and wildlife and had plenty of hobbies.

"He was kind and sweet-hearted," Tammy said. "He would do anything for anyone. He usually had a smile on his face, pretty much all the time. He wrestled when he was little. He did really, really good, and then when we had our twin daughters, he was done. He didn't want to wrestle (any) more. All he wanted to do is be around (those) girls. He helped with them all the time. He was an avid hunter and ... loved to be out in the wilderness."

"What he loved, he made sure that he did perfectly," Werner added. "He was a really good artist. He drew a lot of beautiful things. He just put everything he could into them and was a perfectionist. I want to put everything that I have into what I love the way he did."

At FHSU, Maverick was studying to become a wildlife biologist. He had a summer job helping the wildlife biologist at Webster State Park and worked at Vanderbilt's in Hays. Maverick loved taking people out hunting. He mentioned earlier he helped 22 people this year get a turkey. His family didn't see him on Christmas Day until 9 p.m. because he had taken a cousin hunting. The Werner family wasn't upset.

"That's what he loved to do," Tammy said.

Axelson, Werner and Maverick often went to the Werner's grandparents' house and worked cattle. One time, Axelson wrecked Werner and Maverick's grandfather's four-wheeler. It was Axelson's fault.

"But Mav took the blame for it," Axelson said. "He was a really nice guy. He was quiet, but once you got to know him, he was pretty awesome."

* * *

Dobson heard about Maverick's death from Plainville assistant coach Ryan Becker. He was in Kensington working on a bridge and made the 10-minute drive to Smith Center to talk with Redmen coach Brock Hutchinson. The next day, Smith Center and Plainville had a dual. The Smith Center team prayed and gave Werner a card. Hutchinson put the Werner family on the prayer list at his church in Smith Center.

"We have had some parents around this area send him cards," Hutchinson said. "It's been a bad situation. A deal like that, there is nothing you can say, there is nothing you can do. I lost a brother five, six years ago, and I kind of understand what he is going through. It gets easier, but it doesn't get better. It's a loss."

Other teams stepped up in support. Ellis sent a card. Thomas More Prep-Marian prayed. TMP junior 119-pounder Dylan Schumacher and his family drove to Plainville to pay their respects to Maverick and the Werner family. Friends and family constantly have stopped by the house.

"I think everybody we know has contacted us in some way, whether it be a card or a flower or a memorial or coming over with food," Tammy said. "It's been good. The community and friends and family, I don't know how we would have gotten through it without them. Every time you think you are going to be alone and you are going to have a minute, then somebody comes by and they are able to tell you a story or help you get through and encourage us."

Dobson had more coaches come up to him at regionals last weekend.

"It felt like a really tight wrestling family to give Cole and the family their condolences," he said. "A lot of coaches told me that they used the situation as a counseling tool for their own programs, and they talked to the kids about the situation and how to deal with things and to know that if you ever need anything, to talk to people."

Next year, Werner was expected to attend Fort Hays and live with Maverick. Now, he'll go to FHSU but will stay at home because, "I don't want him to get too far away," Tammy said.

To honor his brother, Werner said he has "just got to keep living." He has written his brother's name on his wrestling shoe, and, this weekend will look to end his career with a state title.

"Practice has been pretty good," Werner said. "I didn't wrestle so good this last weekend. I think a little bit of nerves, little bit of stress and a little bit of dehydration. Didn't wrestle as well as I wanted to. Hoping to get everything collected and wrestle well this weekend."