By Kary Booher (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Six years ago, Matt Holt took over the coaching role of the Marshfield High School wrestling program and was like so many new coaches – eager, ready to build something special.
Well, six years in, and he’s still positive. And rightly so. A year ago, the Blue Jays were 20-6 in duals and sent two wrestlers on to college, including the program’s first third-place state medalist. And there’s talk of possibly creating a new wrestling room.
“We have definitely changed the culture in Marshfield Wrestling over the past five seasons and our kids now expect to win,” Holt said. “We need to find more postseason success, though. Because of that, our regular season is much tougher this season, and we might see a decline in our regular-season success. But hopefully it better prepares us for a post season run.”
This year’s team likely will have 45 on the roster, including 11 with significant experience – with eight of those being returning starters. Three were state qualifiers and one a state medalist.
Will Snider, a senior, is at 152 after placing state at 145 last season in Class 4. He was 42-16.
“Will has worked extremely hard this offseason and spent a lot of time on the mats,” Holt said. “He attended several camps over the summer and spent time this spring working out with local clubs and other local wrestlers. He is a senior and will look to climb even higher on the podium this post season.”
The other returning state qualifiers are senior Ruger Leppert (138) and junior Daylon Kanengieter (195).
Leppert was a match away from medaling at state last season, finishing 43-15.
“Ruger has spent a lot time this offseason in the wrestling room, adding a ton of muscle but he has maintained his weight class,” Holt said. “He is a senior who will be much stronger this season and will look to get on the podium.”
Kanengieter, the football team’s running back, also was one win from earning a state medal last season, when he finished 38-14.
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“Daylon is just a third-year wrestler, so every second he is on the mat he improves,” Holt said. “This summer he defeated several state medalists and a Missouri state champion at camps over the summer. He is a junior and a freak athlete. I cannot wait to see what he does this post season.”
The rest of the projected roster could be freshmen Tommy Mynatt (106) and Joseph Martin (113), sophomore Damian Dockery (120), freshman Braeden Young (126), juniors Seth Berringer and Chandler Tollison at 132 and senior Isaiah Ragsdale (145).
At 160, look for junior Brady Brooks or sophomores Matthew Dercichei, Dusty Stevens and Ben Wirtel. From there, it could be senior Elijah Horne (170), senior Gabe Honeycutt (182), junior Eli Steffen (220) and senior Colten Stigall (285). Isaiah Stars and Bobby Maples, both juniors, also could compete in the heavyweight division.
Dockery placed at the Big 8 Conference Tournament and won the Buffalo Tournament. Young was a state medalist in USA Kids Club, which Holt has built up well at Marshfield. Ragsdale and Steffen were one match from qualifying for state at 152 a year ago.
A few sleepers cold be Wirtel, Young, Horne and Stigall. Wirtel was a USA Kids Club state medalist who beat a Missouri high school state medalist over the summer. Young is a previous youth state medalist. Horne was behind a couple of varsity guys. Stigall started to see mat time near the end of last season, two years after suffering a major injury in another sport.
Over the summer, Holt took the team to a Northeastern Oklahoma A&M camp, and Marshfield also competed in the Central Duals in Columbia, matched opposite teams from Florida, Nebraska and Missouri.
That could help, considering the Blue Jays have a triangular dual against Class 3 state champion Neosho as well as Class 2 state champion Monett.
Still, Holt knows progress can be challenging at times. The team graduated 182-pound Clay Wilson (third), who signed with the University of Central Missouri, as well as Travin Plemmons, who was 122-55 in his prep career including a sixth-place state medal.
“Over the past few seasons we have lost some very experienced wrestlers. We are going to be young and inexperienced at some spots and our season as a team is going to hinge on how they respond,” Holt said. “We have some individuals though that I think are in position to do some very special things.”
Girls wrestling
On the girls side, the team is coached by Adam Wright. He will be assisted by Nicole Pooley. Marshfield won the Kinloch Classic and was third at the Women’s Thundering Herd Invitational.
The team has 15 on the roster, including six returning starters – one a state qualifier.
The notables are juniors Leanna Merrell and Rozalyn Richerson. Merrell is in her second season of wrestling and, despite starting as a second-stringer on the JV, eventually qualified for the state tournament.
Richerson is in her third year in wrestling and was a win shy of reaching the state tournament last season.
Look for junior Kylie Martin and sophomore Alissa Huey as likely varsity starters.
The Big 8 Conference will host a postseason tournament.
“We have had a lot of interest in junior high girls wrestling so our high school girls have spent a lot of time over there answering questions and demonstrating,” Holt said. “They have been awesome at trying to grow the sport and their brand.”
