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ANDERSON — Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction for the McDonald County boys wrestling team heading into the 2022-23 season. The Mustangs return five state qualifiers, including three state medalists and other key contributors from last year's team. The Mustangs anticipate being able to fill its 14-slot lineup card most nights, coach Josh Factor said. The Mustangs are led by two seniors and three returning juniors. S e n i o r s B l a k e O r t i z and Levi Smith are both two-time state qualifiers who both recently achieved their 100th career win. Ortiz was the 2021 state runner-up and finished in the quarterfinals last year in what was a tough weight division at 126. "Blaine had an outstand- ing offseason," Factor said. "He did cross country and competed in the district cross country meet. He also had a pretty event- ful summer, wrestling in a tournament in Booneville, Missouri, and wrestled well in the Southern Plains Regional in Mulvane (Kan.). … He's been after it. We're excited to see him work on getting back to the podium in Columbia." Smith was one match victory short of winning a state medal last season. "We're hoping the third time's a charm for Levi Smith," Factor said. "We're banking on that one. We're hoping his third trip to Columbia this year, he'll bring back some hardware. He's been a good leader. We're excited to see what we can bring to the mat as well." Junior Samuel Murphy placed third in the state last year as a sophomore in a somewhat controversial fashion. M u r p hy a p p e a r e d t o have won a victory in the 220 semifinals, only for the victory to be taken away by the rules committee. After more than a 20-minute delay, Murphy was later defeated by the eventual state cham- pion. He did bounce back to win the third-place match. "It's been a tremendous motivator," Factor said. "Anytime you see your wrestler fall short and have a takedown taken away that cost them a (shot at wrestling for a) state cham- pionship, it's def initely heartbreaking." M u r p h y h a d a b u s y summer, wrestling all over the country, including Fargo, N.D., Atlanta, and Las Vegas, where he earned All-Ameri- can honors with a top-eight finish. "I know he comes into the year ranked No. 15 in national rankings," Factor said. "He's got a lot to offer to our program. He has high goals of winning his first state championship this year. Hopefully, we can give him the tools he needs to go make it happen." Junior Jayce Hitt finished fifth in the 285-pound heavy- weight division. " We' ve s e e n a l o t o f growth from Jayce," Factor said. Factor added that Hitt has benefited from McDonald County's expanded coach- ing staff, which added coach Reed Davis and Bo Bennett. "Anytime we can push guys like Jayce in our coach- ing room, it's a good thing," Factor said. Both Murphy and Hitt just returned to the team after the conclusion of football season. S t a t e q u a l i f i e r J o s e Mendoza, who qualified in the 113-pound class, also returned to the team from the conclusion of soccer season. "Jose Mendoza comes off a great soccer season," Factor said. "I read he got all-district honorable m e n t i o n h o n o rs . We' re excited to have him there. He's gotten a lot of kids trying out wrestling for us. It helps having guys like him." Factor said Mendoza, a junior, went to the team's c a m p i n O h i o a n d h a s become more dedicated to wrestling. "He's stepped up and become a leader," Factor said. "He's put a lot more time into the sport and re a l ly d eve l o p e d a l o t of conf idence. I like his chances to get back to state." Factor is looking forward to seeing other veterans perform as well. Senior Colter Vick, who was out for a year, is back to the program as a senior. "Coming back as a senior, he has a lot to offer," Factor said. "He's been involved with our youth program. We're excited to get him back." H u x l ey Wa rd l aw a n d Cross Spencer are also seniors who will contribute. Junior Ayden Ball brings a lot of experience Sophomores Malosi Sosef and Alex Bogart will play key roles, and several fresh- men will get looks as well. The Mustangs will host a dual with Reeds Spring and Hillcrest at 1:30 p.m. Thurs- day. They'll host another Assembly Dual on Feb. 4 against Carl Junction. " We' re exc i te d a b o ut adding another early start dual," Factor said. Thursday, December 8, 2022 McDonald County Press 7B W i n t e r S p o r t S This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. A proud supporter of our local athletes! ANDERSON — McDonald County's young girls wres- tling program continues to grow and make strides. The Lady Mustangs are in their fourth year of sanc- tioned competition and feature 14 wrestlers on the roster, including several returners. "They say that girls' high school wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country," said McDonald County coach Josh Factor. "We're starting to see a lot of that impact our girls wres- tling program, and it defi- nitely helped [in] growing our numbers." Three of the 14 wrestlers are two-year returners in juniors Jaslyn Benhumea, Stacy Lopez-Apolinar and Gisel Aragon. Benhumea was second- team all-conference as a freshman, while Lopez-Apo- linar was runner-up last season in the Big 8 Confer- ence. Aragon also made honorable mention last year in the Big 8, Factor said. "All three of them have been all-conference at one point over the last two years," Factor said. "And so they've definitely improved the last couple of years. We've got some high expec- tations this year." Benhumea was a district runner-up as a freshman and a sectional qualifier. She also earned a win at district last season. "She's definitely going to have to give a little more (this season)," Factor said of Benhumea. "She's got big goals and the right mindset. She's hoping to qualify for the state tournament, and we're hoping to make that happen." Graham Thomas McDonald County Press gthomas@nwaonline.com BENNETT HORNE/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County's Helen Martinez (left) goes against a wrestler from Rogers Heritage during a match Nov. 29 in Anderson. BENNETT HORNE/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County's Ellysia Wasson applies a headlock to a Rogers High wrestler during a match in Anderson on Nov. 29. Girls Wrestling Program Continues To Grow McDonalD county Girls WrestlinG teaM NAME CLASS Rylie Houston 12 Helen Martinez 12 Lexie Pickle 12 Stacy Lopez-Apolinar 11 Gisel Aragon 11 Jaslyn Benhumea 11 Madison Burton 11 Candy Martinez 10 Kiera Pulliam 10 Jazmynn Brewer 9 Melani Jesse 9 Tylie Stauber 9 Kimberly Torres 9 Ellysia Wasson 9 McDonalD county Boys WrestlinG teaM NAME CLASS Fahad Ali 12 Blaine Ortiz 12 Cross Spencer 12 Levi Smith 12 Huxley Wardlaw 12 Colter Vick 12 Ayden Ball 11 Jayce Hitt 11 Emmit Houston 11 Nathaniel McLaughlin 11 Jose Mendoza 11 Samuel Murphy 11 Micheal Owens 11 Wyatt Reece 11 Tafavi Ruan 11 Kalel Black 10 Alex Bogart 10 Brady Bogart 10 John Clemons 10 Gunner Cook 10 Yeison Lopes-Duenas 10 JD Edward 10 Lorenzo Mendoza 10 Kaden Most 10 Matthew Muehlebach 10 Malosi Sosef 10 Kesty Tihpem 10 Cole Thomas 10 Kevin Blancas 9 Marvin Vazquez Gomez 9 Caleb Hall 9 Franklin Holcomb 9 Ethan Jones 9 Kevin Molina 9 Eberson Perez 9 Diego Valdez 9 Paden Vance 9 Alexsandro Vazquez-Lopez 9 Robinson Yoshino 9 McDonalD county WrestlinG DATE OPPONENT LEVEL TIME Dec. 8 Reeds Spring/Hillcrest G/JV/V 1:30 p.m. Dec. 16-17 KC Stampede V 1 p.m./9 a.m. Dec. 28 Parkview Girls Invite G TBA Dec. 29-30 Kinloch Classic V TBA Jan. 3 at Joplin G/JV/V 6 p.m. Jan. 6 at Seneca Girls Tourn. G 5 p.m. Jan. 7 at Seneca JV Tourn. JV 9 a.m. Jan. 7 at Monett Invitational V 9 a.m. Jan. 10 at Aurora/Diamond G/JV/V 6 p.m. Jan. 12 at Neosho/Webb City G/JV/V 5 p.m. Jan. 14 at Labette Co. Girls & JV Tourn. G/JV 9 a.m. Jan. 14 at Branson Tournament V 9 a.m. Jan. 17 at Cassville G/JV/V 2 p.m. Jan. 18 at Big 8 Girls Conf. Tourn. G 5 p.m. Jan. 20 at Big 8 Conf. Tourn. V 4 p.m. Jan. 24 Glendale/Parkview V/JV 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at Big 8 JV Tourn. JV 5 p.m. Jan. 26 at Marshfield G/JV/V 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27-28 Thrasher Tourn. V 5 p.m./8 a.m. Feb. 2 Carl Junction G/JV/V 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10-11 Girls Districts G 6 p.m./10 a.m. Feb. 17-18 Boys Districts V 6 p.m./10 a.m. Feb. 22-25 State Tournament G/V TBA SEE GIRLS WRESTLING PAGE 8B Expectations High For Boys Wrestlers BENNETT HORNE/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County's Colter Vick works on a Rogers wrestler during a match on Nov. 29 in Anderson. BENNETT HORNE/MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS McDonald County's Jayce Hitt battles a Rogers wrestler during a heavyweight match on Nov. 29 in Anderson. Graham Thomas McDonald County Press gthomas@nwaonline.com