The Carthage junior varsity and girls wrestling teams traveled to McDonald County and Frontenac last weekend for competition. The girls’ team faced opponents from Southwest Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and brought home 4 medals on the day, along with a 5th place team finish at the McDonald County Tournament. At 130 and 140 pounds respectively, Kaylee James and Irish Lee won the championship with their first-place finishes. Maylee Brown finished 2nd at 110 pounds and Aspen White brought home third at 115 pounds. Freshman, Kaylee James received outstanding wrestler of the tournament, pinning her way through the entire tournament.
Coach Shelby Swinehart talked about her expectation for the girls’ program this year, its second in existence at Carthage High School, and her second as its coach. “As a second-year program, I mostly wanted to see growth. I was pleased with bringing our roster to 13 girls as opposed to our finishing 5 last year. With this increase in experienced wrestlers and overall numbers, I expect us to have a winning dual record, take multiple to state and hopefully see someone on the podium.”
Carthage News Online: What advice would you give the young ladies just starting out?
Coach Swinehart: “The one thing I wish all young girls who just started wrestling knew is that they do belong on the mat. Joining a sport that is male dominated can be daunting, but do not let that discourage you. Find your space and establish it, then have fun and help the sport grow!
Coach Swinehart, herself, is a longstanding member of the wrestling community who has been involved in every aspect of the sport. “I cannot remember a time where I was not involved in wrestling in one capacity or another. I started out as my brother’s practice partner when I was about 3 and became the first female wrestler for Carthage at 7 years old. I continued to be a trailblazer for women in the sport, branching off and competing in one of the first all-female sanctions, USGWA, securing multiple state championships while maintaining a winning record and only losing one match. I served as a wrestling manager for CHS for 4 years and also mentored a few girls along the way. When I was asked to be a coach for the new girls team last year, I was excited to finally see my time in the sport come full-circle, which I had never thought possible.”
CNO: Why was it important to you to be a part of girls wrestling at Carthage High School?
Swinehart: “I believe I bring a different aspect of coaching to the girls team that not many others can, and that is I can empathize with them. I understand what it is like to see several firsts in a sport that was once seen as only for males. I understand those feelings, and not only does it help me do better when coaching them, I also think it helps me better advocate for the program as a whole, as I work harder to get these girls what they deserve.
CNO: What skills do you feel a girls wrestling program provides our young ladies?
Swinehart: A girls wrestling program encourages not only physical fitness, but it also builds confidence, self-esteem, discipline and mental toughness while strengthening a sense of belonging to the wrestling “family”. I believe the lessons they learn in wrestling will carry with them through life.
CNO: Concerning the McDonald County Tournament, what goals had you and the ladies set for the day?
Swinehart: As a team, we had set 3 main goals for the tournament. Firstly, we wanted to secure our first team placement at a tournament. Though we only had 9 scoring wrestlers participating at McDonald County, we were able to take fifth overall. Next, I set the goal to bring home at least 4 medals. Maylee, Aspen, Kaylee and Irish helped achieve this by bringing home 2 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. The last thing I wanted to see from the girls was to experiment with new moves we had been learning in practice and to be more offensive. I was very proud of Irish for personally taking this on and successfully hitting a new move in every match while remaining the aggressor.
CNO: Going forward, what do you feel is the biggest obstacle this program faces?
Swinehart: As our program grows in numbers, one of our biggest obstacles is space. We currently share the wrestling room with the boys’ team and we will have to get creative in finding solutions to allow for both teams’ growth.
CNO: We saw significant growth in the number of participants for girls wrestling this year. To what do you attribute that?
Swinehart: There are several factors to the growth of girls wrestling. Media attention with the success of Team USA at the Olympics have helped grow the sport nationally. There has also been an increase in collegiate wrestling programs for women, increasing the scholarship opportunities and making the sport more appealing. On a local scale, I believe much of the growth is from the girls’ hard work in recruiting their peers into the wrestling life.
CNO: Who are your leaders on the team this year?
Swinehart: I am blessed with a great team again this year, and I continue to see leadership qualities in almost every wrestler. We do have 2 seniors this year, Maylee Brown and Aspen White, who are stepping up to lead the team. They lead most notably with their tenacity and work ethic in the wrestling room, while also modeling excellence academically.
CNO: We wish the Carthage Tiger Wrestling Team the best this season and look forward to watching Coach Swinehart’s ladies continue to have success on the mat.
McDonald County Tournament
December 7, 2024
5th place
110 Maylee Brown 2nd
115 Aspen White 3rd
130 Kaylee James 1st
140 Irish Lee 1st
100
Quarterfinal – Alyssa Garcia (Claremore) 2-2 won by fall over Mischa Drackert (Carthage) 1-2 (Fall 3:15)
Cons. Round 1 – Elisandra Calderon (Sprindale Har-Ber) 5-2 won by fall over Mischa Drackert (Carthage) 1-2 (Fall 2:26)
7th Place Match – Mischa Drackert (Carthage) 1-2 won by fall over Ayleen Bautista (McDonald County 2) 0-3 (Fall 0:28)
105
Round 1 – Mia Linares (Claremore) 4-1 won by fall over Hadley White (Carthage) 3-2 (Fall 4:00)
Round 2 – Natalia Hernandez (Kickapoo) 4-1 won by fall over Hadley White (Carthage) 3-2 (Fall 3:02)
Round 4 – Hadley White (Carthage) 3-2 won by fall over Jaycee WIlkerson (Kickapoo 2) 0-4 (Fall 0:53)
Round 5 – Hadley White (Carthage) 3-2 won by fall over Jaragua Calderon (Sprindale Har-Ber) 5-3 (Fall 3:03)
5th Place Match – Hadley White (Carthage) 3-2 won by fall over LaLisa Whiteside (Parkview) 1-3 (Fall 2:58)
110
Round 1 – Maylee Brown (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Dunkel Piper (Nixa 2) 1-6 (Fall 0:40)
Round 2 – Maylee Brown (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Amber Lorennij (Sprindale Har-Ber) 4-4 (Fall 0:33)
Round 3 – Maylee Brown (Carthage) 4-1 won by major decision over Sheccid Gonzalez (McDonald County) 4-1 (MD 18-5)
Round 4 – Maylee Brown (Carthage) 4-1 won by decision over Brooke Chandler (Nixa) 5-5 (Dec 6-1)
Round 5 – Mackenzie Lawvey (Bentonville) 4-0 won by decision over Maylee Brown (Carthage) 4-1 (Dec 4-3)
115
Round 1 – Aspen White (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Dani Hartley (Nixa) 6-4 (Fall 4:21)
Round 2 – Aspen White (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Ezaray Kobleur (Joplin) 0-5 (Fall 0:47)
Round 3 – Skylea Sherer (Reeds Spring) 4-1 won by fall over Aspen White (Carthage) 4-1 (Fall 3:42)
Round 4 – Aspen White (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Zabella Bradshaw (Claremoore 2) 3-2 (Fall 5:22)
3rd Place Match – Aspen White (Carthage) 4-1 won by fall over Jacqueline Teneyuque (McDonald County) 3-2 (Fall 3:44)
115
Round 2 – Cambry Suskey (Claremore) 6-0 won by fall over Ari Morga Zaldivar (Carthage 2) 0-1 (Fall 0:44)
Round 3 – Madison Kincheloe (Webb City) 2-3 won by medical forfeit over Ari Morga Zaldivar (Carthage 2) 0-1 (M. For.)
Round 4 – Jacqueline Teneyuque (McDonald County) 3-2 won by medical forfeit over Ari Morga Zaldivar (Carthage 2) 0-1 (M. For.)
Round 5 – Emma Congdon (Kickapoo) 1-3 won by medical forfeit over Ari Morga Zaldivar (Carthage 2) 0-1 (M. For.)
120
Round 1 – Emmalynn Roberts (Claremore) 2-3 won by fall over Diana Juarez (Carthage) 1-4 (Fall 1:31)
Round 2 – Hope Reppond (Bentonville) 7-1 won by fall over Diana Juarez (Carthage) 1-4 (Fall 2:31)
Round 3 – Ellie Gilmore (Nixa) 3-5 won by fall over Diana Juarez (Carthage) 1-4 (Fall 3:48)
Round 4 – Laina Thomas (McDonald County) 3-2 won by fall over Diana Juarez (Carthage) 1-4 (Fall 1:28)
Round 5 – Diana Juarez (Carthage) 1-4 won by major decision over Cameron Burch (Sprindale Har-Ber) 6-4 (MD 13-3)
125
Round 2 – Anjelika Alaron (McDonald County) 4-1 won by tech fall over Aubrey Ibarra (Carthage) 2-3 (TF-1.5 1:06 (16-0))
Round 3 – Mallorie Bailey (Nixa) 7-1 won by fall over Aubrey Ibarra (Carthage) 2-3 (Fall 0:35)
Round 4 – Aubrey Ibarra (Carthage) 2-3 won by fall over Brooke Fuller (Reeds Spring) 2-3 (Fall 1:08)
Round 5 – Aubrey Ibarra (Carthage) 2-3 won by fall over Olivia Bane (Parkview) 0-4 (Fall 0:48)
5th Place Match – Jayla Musselman (Nixa 2) 2-2 won by fall over Aubrey Ibarra (Carthage) 2-3 (Fall 1:58)
130
Round 1 – Kaylee James (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Laura Shulte (Nixa) 5-3 (Fall 0:21)
Round 2 – Kaylee James (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Daniela Lopez (Webb City) 0-3 (Fall 0:18)
Round 3 – Kaylee James (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Nahomy Ranero-Garcia (Bentonville) 4-3 (Fall 0:53)
Round 5 – Kaylee James (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Stella Wheeler (Ozark) 6-1 (Fall 0:26)
Round 6 – Kaylee James (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Mackenzie Bacon (Claremore) 4-2 (Fall 2:10)
140
Round 1 – Irish Lee (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Michelle Aguilar (Har-Ber 2) 1-2 (Fall 2:43)
Round 2 – Irish Lee (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Arianna Rubi (McDonald County) 1-2 (Fall 1:12)
Round 3 – Irish Lee (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Belle Swafford (Ozark) 2-4 (Fall 2:00)
Round 4 – Irish Lee (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Emma Combs (Webb City) 4-1 (Fall 0:58)
Round 5 – Irish Lee (Carthage) 6-0 won by fall over Mayelyn Ramirez (Sprindale Har-Ber) 3-5 (Fall 0:28)
170
Round 1 – Isabella Yartz (Reeds Spring 2) 1-2 won by fall over Adrianna Patrick (Carthage) 0-4 (Fall 1:38)
Round 2 – Rachel Burnett (Bentonville) 4-1 won by fall over Adrianna Patrick (Carthage) 0-4 (Fall 0:59)
Round 3 – Lily Seman (Claremore) 5-1 won by fall over Adrianna Patrick (Carthage) 0-4 (Fall 0:24)
The Carthage men’s junior varsity team saw action at Frontenac on Saturday, as well, with several top three finishes, and seven champions in their respective weight class pools.
Frontenac JV Tournament
December 7, 2024
113 Javi Perez Merida 2nd
120A Carson Misner 1st
120B Malakhi Marshall 1st
126A Wyatt Reed 2nd
132A Uzi Teo 1st
132A Jace Nichols 3rd
132C Dan Alejandro 1st
138A Dylan Evans 2nd
138C Erwin Paxtor 2nd
144A Douglas Ball 1st
144B Eddy Puerto 1st
150B Eli Smith 1st
150C Alex Alvarado 3rd
157B Kayden Hole 1st
215D Jomar Serious 2nd
285B JohnBruce Serious 2nd
JV Boys 113
Round 2 – Andrew Valdez (Rogers) won by decision over Mason Artym (Carthage) (Dec 5-3)
Round 3 – Josiah Galt (Chanute) won by fall over Mason Artym (Carthage) (Fall 1:15)
Round 4 – Javi Perez Merida (Carthage) won by fall over Mason Artym (Carthage) (Fall 1:16)
Round 5 – Mark Stroud (Frontenac High School) won by major decision over Mason Artym (Carthage) (Maj 12-4)
JV Boys 113
Round 1 – Mark Stroud (Frontenac High School) won by fall over Javi Perez Merida (Carthage) (Fall 2:33)
Round 3 – Javi Perez Merida (Carthage) won by fall over Andrew Valdez (Rogers) (Fall 0:48)
Round 4 – Javi Perez Merida (Carthage) won by fall over Mason Artym (Carthage) (Fall 1:16)
Round 5 – Javi Perez Merida (Carthage) won by fall over Josiah Galt (Chanute) (Fall 2:23)
JV Boys 120A
Round 1 – Carson Misner (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 2 – Carson Misner (Carthage) won by fall over Avett Landis (Lawrence Free-State) (Fall 2:42)
Round 3 – Carson Misner (Carthage) won by fall over Damian Quick (Lawrence Free-State) (Fall 2:31)
Round 4 – Carson Misner (Carthage) won by fall over Corey Ivey (Joplin) (Fall 1:24)
JV Boys 120B
Round 1 – Malakhi Marshall (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 2 – Malakhi Marshall (Carthage) won by fall over Diego Almaraz (Rogers) (Fall 2:24)
Round 3 – Malakhi Marshall (Carthage) won by fall over Kole Bonneville (Rogers) (Fall 3:47)
Round 4 – Malakhi Marshall (Carthage) won by tech fall over Jasper Miller (Joplin) (TF 18-0)
JV Boys 126A
Round 1 – Victor Morales (Rogers) won by fall over Wyatt Reed (Carthage) (Fall 3:56)
Round 3 – Wyatt Reed (Carthage) won by decision over Jordan Blackburn (Joplin) (Dec 5-3)
Round 4 – Wyatt Reed (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 5 – Wyatt Reed (Carthage) won by decision over Jayce A. Williams (Prairie View) (Dec 7-2)
JV Boys 132A
Round 1 – Uziel Teo (Carthage) won by tech fall over Isaac Hamm (Frontenac High School) (TF 18-1)
Round 2 – Uziel Teo (Carthage) won by fall over Jace Nichols (Carthage) (Fall 4:01)
Round 3 – Uziel Teo (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 5 – Uziel Teo (Carthage) won by major decision over Ethan Boren (Rogers) (Maj 12-2)
JV Boys 132A
Round 1 – Ethan Boren (Rogers) won by decision over Jace Nichols (Carthage) (Dec 1-0)
Round 2 – Uziel Teo (Carthage) won by fall over Jace Nichols (Carthage) (Fall 4:01)
Round 4 – Jace Nichols (Carthage) won by medical forfeit over Isaac Hamm (Frontenac High School) (MFF)
Round 5 – Jace Nichols (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 132C
Round 1 – Dan Alejandro (Carthage) won by major decision over Kohen Flaherty (Lawrence Free-State) (Maj 14-2)
Round 2 – Dan Alejandro (Carthage) won by tech fall over Corbin Willhite (Rogers) (TF 18-3)
Round 4 – Dan Alejandro (Carthage) won by fall over Zachariah Prigmore (Joplin) (Fall 2:49)
Round 5 – Dan Alejandro (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 138A
Round 1 – Aaron Whalen (Lawrence Free-State) won by decision over Dylan (Michael) Evans (Carthage) (Dec 10-5)
Round 2 – Dylan (Michael) Evans (Carthage) won by decision over Axel Lopez (Monet) (Dec 5-0)
Round 3 – Dylan (Michael) Evans (Carthage) won by fall over Jacob Thompson (Chanute) (Fall 2:06)
Round 4 – Dylan (Michael) Evans (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 138B
Round 2 – Dillinger Singer (Lawrence Free-State) won by decision over Olvin Vicente (Carthage) (Dec 9-7)
Round 3 – Olvin Vicente (Carthage) won by decision over Cameron Anderson (Rogers) (Dec 10-4)
Round 4 – Wyait Polen (Frontenac High School) won by tech fall over Olvin Vicente (Carthage) (TF 15-0)
Round 5 – Olvin Vicente (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 138C
Round 2 – Caleb Jameson (Frontenac High School) won by decision over Erwin Paxtor (Carthage) (Dec 1-0)
Round 3 – Erwin Paxtor (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 4 – Erwin Paxtor (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 5 – Erwin Paxtor (Carthage) won by fall over Tyler Misener (Monet) (Fall 0:46)
JV Boys 144A
Round 1 – Douglas Ball (Carthage) won by fall over Jacob Close (Joplin) (Fall 4:11)
Round 3 – Douglas Ball (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 4 – Douglas Ball (Carthage) won by major decision over Gavin Henderson (Frontenac High School) (Maj 14-6)
Round 5 – Douglas Ball (Carthage) won by major decision over Alex Daily (Joplin) (Maj 19-5)
JV Boys 144B
Round 1 – Eddy Puerto (Carthage) won by fall over Braden Shrum (Prairie View) (Fall 1:23)
Round 2 – Eddy Puerto (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 3 – Eddy Puerto (Carthage) won by major decision over Devon Nichols (Lawrence Free-State) (Maj 13-3)
Round 4 – Eddy Puerto (Carthage) won by fall over Lacota Nichols (Joplin) (Fall 2:44)
JV Boys 150B
Round 1 – Eli Smith (Carthage) won by decision over Karsen Madrid (Monet) (Dec 13-6)
Round 2 – Eli Smith (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 3 – Eli Smith (Carthage) won by fall over Arvin Komet (Joplin) (Fall 2:17)
Round 5 – Eli Smith (Carthage) won by major decision over Chance Anderson (Prairie View) (Maj 18-5)
JV Boys 150C
Round 2 – Will Pence (Lawrence Free-State) won by decision over Alex Alvarado (Carthage) (Dec 10-9)
Round 3 – Alex Alvarado (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 4 – Lucas Mills (Anderson County) won by fall over Alex Alvarado (Carthage) (Fall 1:04)
Round 5 – Alex Alvarado (Carthage) won by tech fall over Logan McConnaughey (Frontenac High School) (TF 16-0)
JV Boys 157B
Round 1 – Kayden Hole (Carthage) won by decision over Trenton Tiffin (Rogers) (Dec 4-3)
Round 2 – Kayden Hole (Carthage) won by fall over Brayden Cohee (Chanute) (Fall 2:33)
Round 3 – Kayden Hole (Carthage) won by fall over NIko Diel (Joplin) (Fall 1:08)
Round 4 – Kayden Hole (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 165A
Round 1 – Rhett Pope (Prairie View) won by fall over Bradley Guzman (Carthage) (Fall 2:49)
Round 2 – Brody Kohlmeier (Anderson County) won by fall over Bradley Guzman (Carthage) (Fall 0:37)
Round 3 – Bradley Guzman (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 5 – Jude Chalfant (Lawrence Free-State) won by fall over Bradley Guzman (Carthage) (Fall 2:24)
JV Boys 215D
Round 1 – Jomar Serious (Carthage) won by fall over Tristan Hartje (Joplin) (Fall 0:20)
Round 2 – Jomar Serious (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 4 – Jomar Serious (Carthage) won by fall over Cowen Wittman (Anderson County) (Fall 0:50)
Round 5 – Alexander Flinn (Joplin) won by fall over Jomar Serious (Carthage) (Fall 2:01)
JV Boys 285A
Round 1 – Ayden Ogle (Chanute) won by fall over Dom Kanas (Carthage) (Fall 1:43)
Round 2 – Hrodgar Wetzel (Monet) won by fall over Dom Kanas (Carthage) (Fall 1:00)
Round 3 – Cesar Martinez (Lawrence Free-State) won by fall over Dom Kanas (Carthage) (Fall 1:10)
Round 5 – Dom Kanas (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
JV Boys 285B
Round 1 – JohnBruce Serious (Carthage) received a bye () (Bye)
Round 2 – Zach Brown (Joplin) won by fall over JohnBruce Serious (Carthage) (Fall 3:51)
Round 3 – JohnBruce Serious (Carthage) won by fall over Tristan Russell (Rogers) (Fall 1:55)
Round 5 – JohnBruce Serious (Carthage) won by fall over Edward Squires-Riley (Prairie View) (Fall 0:20)
