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No Republic sophomore has ever turned in a showing at the state wrestling tournament like Jonathan O’Connell turned in over the weekend. O’Connell finished second in the Class 3, 132-pound weight class at the state tournament in Columbia. His only loss was to senior Trenton Young of Neosho, who had also beaten O’Connell for a Central Ozark Conference and a district championship.
“We both said before the match, ‘What are the odds of wrestling the whole state tournament, then seeing each other in the state finals?'” O’Connell says. “It’s the same kid you’ve seen all year. We’ve seen each other four times now.”
Before the tournament began, O’Connell says he was nervous–but not because he was intimidated by the competition.
“Everybody’s nervous on their first trip somewhere. That’s how I felt,” O’Connell said. “I wasn’t scared of the kids I was wrestling. I was just curious to see how I’d perform in a huge arena with tons of lights. Everyone at state is the best. They’ve earned their spot there.”
O’Connell opened the tournament with a pin of Smithville’s Blake Ackerman–a wrestler who won a state championship in Class Two in 2016. That win gave O’Connell a boost of confidence for the remainder of the tournament.
“It changed everything, because after I won the match, I went up and sat with my parents. I said, ‘That kid was pretty good.’ To beat a state champ … and get that first win off your chest, I thought, ‘I could do this. Let’s keep it going.’ And the rest is history.”
O’Connell followed up his opening win with a pin of Alex Clutter, of St. Charles, in the quarterfinals. He beat Austin Kincaid of Platte County in the semifinals to set up his championship berth.
O’Connell had never beaten his Young, his opponent in the championship match. But he’d seen him plenty, and that familiarity helped him remain calm while wrestling for a state title.
“I went into the match like, ‘Just have fun and wrestle your best.’ He’s a good wrestler, and I’ve held in with him a couple of times. I wasn’t nervous, because I knew how he wrestled. I wrestled like it was COC or just a dual. It didn’t really feel like the state finals,” O’Connell said.
Young won the championship with a 4-0 decision. But he’ll graduate this spring, leaving O’Connell’s opportunity clearly ahead of him.
“It makes me hungry now that I know that I can beat kids, and I know I can make it to the state finals,” O’Connell said. “I have a chance to be a two-time state champion. It pushes you to be the best.”
O’Connell’s finish was the highest finish for any Republic wrestler since Jake Laswell was a runner-up in 2012. It was the best finish ever for a sophomore from Republic.
Two other Republic wrestlers, Tyler Dawson and Michael Taylor, failed to make it to the medal stand. Dawson’s appearance in Columbia was his first, and wraps his career as a Tiger. For Taylor, it was his third state appearance in three years, setting up the opportunity to be a four-time state qualifier as a senior.