By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
COLUMBIA — The way things unfolded for Bolivar’s Mason McCurry at the Class 3 State Wrestling Tournament, he couldn’t have written a better script himself.
From his road to the 175-pound title tilt to his opponent in the finals and, finally, to the manner in which he outlasted Carl Junction’s Tony Stewart 4-2, for a state championship Saturday McCurry wouldn’t change a thing.
It was the fifth meeting over the past two years between McCurry and Stewart. Stewart holds a 3-2 edge in their series, but McCurry took both their matches at state.
“We’re good buddies,” McCurry said. “We’ve been around each other so much, we might as well be. We have an upbeat attitude. Last year when we got third and fifth at state, we were hyping each other up.”
Going into their title tilt, McCurry (31-3) was thankful to have an extensive scouting report on Stewart (39-4).
Stewart beat McCurry in the Ozark Mountain Conference Tournament 3-2 and for a district championship last week 5-4.
“For our district match, I was getting flustered and upset. He took me down and I didn’t have my leg-defense,” McCurry said. “Wrestling him, you have to be calm and pressure him, making sure he gets a little flustered before you can put on the moves because he rides the outside of the mat. That makes him really hard to attack. My game plan was to stay on top of him, fluster him and make sure I really get him worked up before I go for it. I made it work.”
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With their match tied at 1, McCurry won in dramatic fashion. He recorded a third-period takedown :38 remaining
“He got my leg up to his armpit and was starting to finish it,” McCurry said. “But I took my palm and palmed his face. After that, I tripped his leg and he went down. I landed on top, scrambled a little bit and came away with the points.”
McCurry is Bolivar’s first state champion since Tyson Moore in 2022.
“As soon as the timer hit 0:00, the emotions flooded in me,” McCurry said. “I proved everything to myself and everyone in the stands. I have high expectations for myself. Before the match, I was saying, ‘I need this.’ Then, I said, ‘I am this.’ That calmed me down and kept me laser-focused.”
Stewart was a state runner-up two years ago as a sophomore at 165.
McCurry felt he beat the 175 favorite by edging Belton’s Quinten Atterberry (48-4) by a 14-13 in the second round Friday.
“Everyone was calling for him to take the bracket,” McCurry said. “I pulled off the upset and then it felt like fate to meet (Stewart) in the finals.”
Bolivar 144-pounder Cooper Moore (31-1) finished third. He ended with a 5-3 victory versus Colin Weiss, of Ft. Zumwalt South.
Moore fell from the ranks of the undefeated in the semifinal round, losing to eventual state champion Jackson Tucker, of Hillsboro.
Carl Junction’s Lopez-Durman runner-up
In addition to Stewart, Carl Junction’s Marcus Lopez-Durman finished second.
Lopez-Durman (38-4), a junior, fell in overtime 11-5 in the 190 final to Carter Temple, of Kearney.
Earlier this season, Lopez-Durman beat Temple 2-1 at the Kansas City Stampede.
This is Lopez-Durman’s first medal finish at state.
Pair of Marshfield seniors take third
Tanner Davidson (45-5) added to his record-setting career at Marshfield by placing third at 150. He closed things out by winning 13-8 in overtime against Father Tolton’s Brady Narron.
Davidson got an escape in the final seconds of the third period and went on to dominate in overtime.
“I think I was in better condition than him. I wanted it more,” Davidson said. “Going into overtime, I was thrilled. I wanted to push that match as far as I could. I was trying to push him and make things as uncomfortable for him as I could.”
Davidson is Marshfield’s first four-time state qualifier and first three-time state medalist and holds the school record for career wins.
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“I’ve worked really hard to get this far,” he said. “Things really started to click for me after my sophomore year.”
The Jays’ Tyce Jones (43-8) finished third at 190, after winning four wrestleback matches. He finished off his run by winning 7-1 in the third-place match against McDonald Country’s Alex Bogart (38-18).
It was their third meeting this season and the seventh time they faced off in their careers.
“There was a nostalgic feeling. It gave me a sense of confidence,” Jones said of meeting Bogart again.
Jones medaled for the first time, after going 1-2 at state each of the past two years.
At the beginning of the season, I was going for top three,” Jones said. “I’m proud of all the hard work. This is what I came here to do and I’m happy I got it. It’s a great feeling.”
CLASS 3 BOYS MEDALISTS
1st – 175 – Mason McCurry, Bolivar (31-3)
2nd – 175 – Tony Stewart, Carl Junction (39-4)
2nd – 190 – Marcus Lopez-Durman, Carl Junction (38-4)
3rd – 190 – Tyce Jones, Marshfield (43-8)
4th – 190 – Alex Bogart, McDonald County (38-18)
3rd – 144 – Cooper Moore, Bolivar (31-1)
3rd – 150 – Tanner Davidson, Marshfield (45-5)
5th – 120 – Carter Fogleson, Carl Junction (41-8)
5th – 215 – Stevan Benhumea, McDonald County (32-9)
6th – 126 – Camdon Kunkel, Carl Junction (34-15)
