With two returning state qualifiers, including Jakob Gerow, who ended up in fourth place at 113 pounds at last year's state championships, and six other returning starters, the outlook is good for the 2016-2017 McDonald County High School wrestling team.
On the other hand, the Mustangs struggled at times in duals in the past because of openings at several weights.
Wrestling Roster
Wgt. ^Name ^Class
113 ^Caleb Misner ^Fr.
113 ^Oscar Ortiz ^Fr.
113 ^Keagon Spurgeon ^Fr.
120 ^David Lazalde ^Fr.
120 ^Jakob Gerow ^Jr.
126 ^Johann DelaCruz ^So.
132 ^Jared Weaver ^So.
132 ^Tyler Moritz ^Fr.
132 ^Junior Teriek ^Fr.
138 ^Kash Chaudhary ^Fr.
138 ^Leon Zacarias ^Fr.
138 ^Adrian Ocampo ^Jr.
145 ^Jack Bowers ^Fr.
145 ^Christian Willmann ^Sr.
152 ^Nathaniel Johnny ^Sr.
160 ^William Zellers ^So.
160 ^Truman Craig ^Sr.
170 ^Timber Bowers ^Jr.
170 ^Kevin Sakryas ^Jr.
182 ^Wilson Menas J^r.
195 ^Brandon Andrew ^So.
195 ^Darren Solomon ^Jr.
220 ^McKoy Ikosia ^Fr.
220 ^Dylan Akins ^So.
220 ^Kammeron Barnes ^Sr.
285^ Cecil Pointer ^Fr.
285 ^Tinker Kinser ^Jr.
285 ^Jesse Metcalf ^Sr.
Wrestling
Date^Opponent^Level^Location^Time
Dec. 1^Diamond/Seneca Duals ^Var/J.V. ^Home^5 pm
Dec. 3^ Neosho Tournament ^Var/J.V.^Away^ 9 am
Dec. 10^ Carl Junction Tournament ^Varsity ^Away^10 am
Dec. 13^ Bentonville ^Var/J.V. ^Away ^6 pm
Dec. 17^MCHS Tourney^JV ^Home^9 am
Dec. 29-30^Springfield Holiday ^Varsity ^Away^ TBA
Jan. 5 ^Republic Duals ^Var/J.V. ^Away^5 pm
Jan. 7^Seneca JV Tourey ^JV^Seneca ^9 am
Jan. 7^ Monett Tourney ^Varsity ^Away^9 am
Jan. 12 ^Webb City Duals ^Var/J.V. ^Away^5 pm
Jan. 14^ Branson Tourney ^Varsity ^Away^9 am
Jan. 17^Cassville High S^Var/J.V. ^Home^5 pm
Jan. 19^Glendale/Parkview ^Varsity ^Home^5 pm
Jan. 21^ Kickapoo JV Tourney ^JV^Away^ TBA
Jan. 26^Carthage High ^Var/J.V. ^Away ^5 pm
Jan. 27-28^ Liberty Tourney ^Varsity ^Away^TBA
Jan. 30^ Grove ^Var/J.V^Away^ 6 pm
Feb. 2^Diamond Duals ^Var/J.V. ^Away^5 pm
Feb. 10-11^District Camdenton ^Varsity ^Away^TBA
Feb. 16-18^State Columbia ^Varsity^Away^TBA
"We have some talented individuals, but in order for us to have success at the team level, we have to improve on our commitment to the program and get more participants out for the sport to fill all 14 weight classes," said coach Josh Factor. "We have increased our mat time from the past in the first two week of the season and we have a very competitive schedule where we will be matched up several times with the returning Class 3 state champions (Neosho). This means our wrestlers will have many opportunities to become rising stars and make a name for themselves, but it all starts with the right attitude and confidence."
Gerow, who was sixth in state in 2015 at 106 pounds, is expected to move up to 120 pounds as a junior.
"Jakob comes into this season with a great amount of experience and knows what it takes to make it on the podium at the state tournament," Factor said.
Joining Gerow as a returning state qualifier is Tinker Kinser, a 285-pound junior.
Leading the remaining returning starters is four-year senior Truman Craig. Craig enters the season ranked in the top six in state at 152 pounds. Other returning starters are Johann Dela Cruz (106), Christian Willmann (132), Nathaniel Johnny (145), Brandon Andrew (182) and Dylan Akins (220).
Timber Bowers (160) is the final returning letterman back for the 2016-2017 season.
Factor said three newcomers to the program will contribute to the success of this year's team. They are freshman Oscar Ortiz (106) and David Lazalde (113) and senior Kammeron Barnes (195), a transfer from Webb City. Ortiz and Lazalde both had successful youth careers while Barnes is a three-year starter at Joplin and Webb City.
"We want to bring county-style wrestling to the mats," Factor said. "That's an exciting, aggressive style of relentless attack on our opponents, where our athletes are scoring a lot of points and creating a style that is fun to watch."
McDonald County was 7-8 in duals last year and has a 71-63 record in Factor's seven years as head coach at McDonald County High School. Factor began an assistant coach at MCHS in 2003. His son, Cody, serves as an assistant and the staff also includes junior high coaches Shannon Kline and Blake Martin.
The Mustangs opened the season on Nov. 29 at Seneca against Rogers High and Rogers Heritage. Their first home meet is set for Dec. 1 against Diamond and Seneca followed by the first tournament of the season on Dec. 3 in Neosho. Other tournaments scheduled include Carl Junction (Dec.10), Springfield Holiday (Dec. 29-30), Monett (Jan. 7), Branson (Jan. 14) and Liberty (Jan. 27-28).
The Class 3 district tournament is set for Feb. 10-11 in Camdenton. The state championships will be held Feb. 16-18 at Missouri University in Columbia.
Sports on 11/30/2016