By Kary Booher
Throughout the Ozarks, high school wrestling programs are in good hands, led by coaches who competed in their high school days, gained some college experience and love promoting the sport.
Add new Carl Junction Bulldogs coach Ty Jaquess to that list. He was a three-time state qualifier in Class 2 for Barnsdall, Okla., in the early 2000s and then wrestled at a Kansas juco. In recent years, he helped build up a pair of Sunflower State teams, Chanute and Pittsburg.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said Jaquess, who hopes to capitalize on the success of the Carl Junction football program. “The football program is getting better and better every year. There are a lot of great athletes over there. We’re just trying to get them into wrestling.”
That said, Carl Junction is facing a daunting task in building a winner again, but Jaquess is optimistic that he can meet the challenge.
For one, he’s got the energy and know-how of ways to elevate a program, given Chanute recently enjoyed its best four-year stretch in its history and, previously, Pittsburg finished fifth and fourth in state when he was there – considerable work given the town’s devotion to football.
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Plus, Jaquess is strategically placed in the junior high as a physical education teacher. If the program is to have a strong future, that’s a good place to harvest talent. After all, participation numbers became an issue at the end of last season, particularly with injuries ahead of the district tournament. Then, in the team’s October preseason meeting, 24 wrestlers turned out.
He also is taking the extra step, by creating a banner in the wrestling room. It will show all of Carl Junction’s 62 state medalists and its 12 state champions, its most recent being Josh Landis in 2006.
“I’m going to build from within,” said Jaquess, who earned an undergraduate and master’s degrees from Pittsburg State and is ready to put down roots in Carl Junction, his wife’s hometown. “It’ll take awhile, but we’re taking steps in the right direction.”
Zeke Wall gives Carl Junction a building block. Wall is the team’s only returning state qualifier, having placed fourth in Class 3, and and looks to return to the heavyweight level.
“From seeing him at camp, he’s a hard-nosed kid, extremely coachable,” Jaquess said. “He’s a guy where you wish you had 13 of him in the other weight classes.”
Carl Junction could field a full team. The projected lineup includes Chris Gordon at 106, Joshua Elllerman at 113, Holden Hughes at 120, senior Tyler Church at 126, Karson Maxwell and Dalton Honey at 132, Brooks Neria at 138 and freshmen Cory Barker and Isaac Shields at 145. Church was a state qualifier two years ago.
Look for Jesse Kennedy at 152, Kobe Maxwell at 160, Brendan Gilbert at 170, Kitch Chanel at 182, Quenton Crow at 195 and Matt Hosp and Micah Lieberman at 220.
“When I was at Pittsburg and at Chanute, I made it very clear that being a head coach was one of my goals,” Jaquess said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with great coaches who did a good job of delegating and preparing me.
“You never know if you are fully prepared, but I’m excited.”
