Last year was historic for the McDonald County wrestling program. The Mustangs had a strong state tournament that saw them crown the program’s first state champion in Oscar Ortiz. Ortiz beat Rolla’s Nathan Pulliam by a 4-2 decision in the 113-pound championship match.
Ortiz’s triumph has had an immediate effect on the McDonald Country wrestling program.
“I feel that immediately after Oscar won the Championship our off-season commitment as a team definitely grew stronger and inspired others to put in more time, but we still need to get a lot more support from the team as a whole in terms of committing to the sport,” McDonald County coach Josh Factor said.
Ortiz returns for his junior season after a strong offseason that saw him compete in Freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions across the country. Factor estimates he wrestled around 50 matches over the summer. He wrestled at 126 pounds in the summer, so his weight class will land somewhere in that range this winter.
“My expectations for Oscar are to provide a leadership role for McDonald County High School and continue to see him work at the level that has got him this far in the sport,” Factor said.
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Fellow junior Jack Teague also returns after a state qualification at 145 pounds last year as a sophomore.
“Jack learned a lot from his experience at the state tournament last year. I’d say the biggest lesson for him was that after putting the eventual state champion (Ryan Hampton from Smithville) on his back in the quarterfinals round, he realized he is more than capable of winning a state championship with the right work ethic an attitude going into that tournament,” Factor said.
Teague wrestled at 160 pounds this summer and will be around that range for the high school season.
Seniors Jarred Maggard (195/220) and Christian Davidson (113/120) along with sophomore Justin Smith (120/132) also put in some time in Freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions this summer.
Jacob Owens (106-120) and Junior Eliam (220) are two freshmen Factor thinks could see varsity mat time.
The Big 8 expanded this year, which will allow for a Big 8 Tournament to be contested. Previously only four Big 8 schools fielded a wrestling team. Now 10 schools will have a wrestling squad.
“The chance to compete for a Big 8 Conference team title is something that allows us to get excited for and continue to motivate our athletes on what it means to compete as a team,” Factor said. “As for individual conference recognition, this is a great opportunity for our athletes to gain recognition for the sport on a localized level.”
McDonald County will be a little inexperienced outside of Ortiz and Teague, but that hasn’t lowered Factor’s expectations for his team.
“Other than Ortiz and Teague, this will be a building year for McDonald County High School wrestling. I will say just because we’re rebuilding doesn’t mean we don’t expect our guys to win,” Factor said. “In my opinion, there are lots of opportunities for our guys to make a name for themselves and the guys that have put in the most effort will get what they deserve.”
