Monett senior Simon Hartline is living proof that great athletes come in all sizes. “He’s a smaller weight so football was never his go-to,” said Monett wrestling coach Ben Hohensee. “His size didn’t work for him in other sports.”
But in the sport of wrestling, it works just fine. After finishing second in the state as a freshman in Missouri’s lightest weight class of 106 pounds, Simon won his first state championship as a sophomore.
Now after bumping up to 120 pounds and finishing in fourth place as a junior, he has a familiar feeling heading into this state tournament, and he hopes it ends in a familiar way. He and his coach are using the same mantra they used two years ago.
“Going into this year it’s ‘finish,'” Hohensee said.
“A perfect tournament would be me taking home the state championship with no regrets,” Simon said. “Is that possible? I’m going to think, ‘Yes,’ until proven otherwise.”
Simon keeps his voice down much like he does the numbers on the scales. But to his teammates, it’s his work ethic that carries all the weight. “Simon’s a quiet leader,” Hohensee said. “He’s not a big talker. But he does the right things. He’s that ‘lead-by-example’ guy. And they do look at him.”
It’s something he hopes to draw on after this is all over in a career he can sink his teeth into. “Being a dentist would be pretty cool,” Simon said. “Especially pediatric, working with kids. I always hated the dentist. Making it a better place would be fun.”
So after one last appointment at the state tournament, he plans to drill down on another passion of his. “Just making them feel important like they’re an adult,” Simon said. “Even though they’re a kid.”
At the root of it all,Simon says parents of undersized kids can still help them love sports and excel just like he does. “Make it fun,” Simon said. “You get better over time then everything starts to get fun.”
And after capping off one career full of joy, the kids in Simon’s dentist chair will certainly appreciate his next one.
