A new era begins for the McDonald County High School wrestling program.
Gone are Oscar Ortiz and Jack Teague. The pair were perhaps the most successful teammates in the history of the program. Ortiz was a four-time state medalist, including a state championship in his junior year. Teague was a three-time state qualifier with a third-place finish last year.
But the Mustangs have several guys back and some newcomers ready to put their mark on the program just as Ortiz and Teague did.
Returning starters include sophomores Blaine Ortiz (120), Cross Spencer (132-138), Levi Smith (138), Colter Vick (152), Juan Morales (195) and junior Alberto Valdez (182).
Senior Ryan Donica is in his third year of high school wrestling and is a returning letterman. He will be joined by fellow seniors Caleb Gardner and Karlo Barreda, both of whom have some, but limited experience.
Top newcomer is freshman Sam Murphy, who saw much success in youth wrestling.
Coach Josh Factor said this year has been a challenging year already since the team has been dealing with the pandemic almost since the end of the 2019-2020 season.
"Any day that we get a chance to go and compete is a good day," Factor said. "We want to continue to get better as a team and get more experience on the mat. Each of these guys has their individual goals but, as a team, we want to continue to put wrestlers at the state tournament and bring back some hardware when we get there."
He said he hopes for the team to improve up and down the lineup in order for the Mustangs to get more recognition across the state.
"We have several younger wrestlers who want to get invited to some of the bigger tournaments where the top 10 teams from the state tournament get invited," Factor said. "That's something in the back of our minds that we are continuing to strive for."
Factor said he has high expectations for both Blaine Ortiz and Levi Smith.
"Blaine was probably one of our most talented freshmen last year," Factor said. "He just missed going to state. He got injured in his 'bubble' match. He was in a good situation before suffering the injury. He was more than capable of winning that match. Levi wasn't much behind him and he is a quality wrestler. I expect him to have a good year."
Factor said others to watch include Spencer, Vick, Valdez and Morales.
"Cross didn't have the best freshman season, but sometimes you have to get that experience under your belt to build up your confidence," Factor said. "I feel like, as a sophomore, he has a lot more confidence on the mat. He has a goal to get to the state tournament and I think he is more than capable of doing that.
"Colter is one who has dealt with some injuries last year. I think this year will be a telling year if he is going to be successful at the high school level.
"Alberto needs to work harder in the classroom and in the wrestling room. He needs to get a little more serious and be more coachable.
"Juan has been working hard and has made some strides since his freshman year. He continues to get stronger, but he is going to have to get down to a weight class where he will be more competitive."
Factor said he expects Murphy to surprise some people.
"We have a lot of expectations for Sam," Factor said. "He has a pretty busy summer and fall. He went to a lot of club tournaments and did pretty well at the national level. A lot of those are 15-16 under tournaments, but I think he has a realistic shot to get on the podium (at state) this year and make a name for himself in high school wrestling."
Factor said, despite the pandemic, he was able to take a few kids to a wrestling camp.
"We went to a camp in Urbana, Ohio," Factor said. "It was probably the best high school camp we have gone to. We only took four of our high school wrestlers, but the experience we got was great. We are definitely looking at going back to that camp. We have taken a lot away from that camp and applied it to our system here."
Factor will be joined this year by Allen Callahan as an assistant. Callahan spent five years at Baker University and last year at Baldwin City (Kansas) High School. Volunteer coaches include Andrew Miller, Cody Factor and Oscar Ortiz. Junior high coaches Daniel Sumler and Blake Martin complete the staff.
Factor said one of the new things for the program is the addition of a girls' team.
"We have had individuals in the past, but we have been approved for a girls' team by the school board for this year," Factor said. "I am excited by the girls' team. We are still low in our numbers, but we are continuing to work on growing our numbers during the season. Even if we take in a few a little later, it's all about building the program and introducing more students to the sport."
