Staying a Winner

He’s won often.
It’s his name.
On a few occasions, though, East Jay Middle School eighth grader Mason Winner has experienced defeat.
Like Feb. 14 in the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Middle School State meet at New Castle Fieldhouse.
He finished second out of 41 wrestlers in the 140-pound weight class, a year after earning the same place as a seventh grader.
He earned a bye to the second round, during which he pinned Bailey Whitelock of South Dearborn in 1 minute, 43 seconds. He then defeated Benjamin Zirkle of Crown Point in 1:46 because of injury, then pinned Robert Bowman in 3:43 to reach the semifinals.
Winner then spent more time preparing for his semifinal match than he did actually wrestling, as he pinned Carmel’s Gabriel Davin in 1:36 to set up a meeting with Mishawaka’s Jacob Laplace.
“(He) went out, wrestled solid,” Mason’s dad and East Jay wrestling coach Jon Winner said of the championship bout. “(He was) wrestling kind of conservative.
“He was up 3-1 and about 20 seconds to go we got caught in a funny position and gave up a defensive pin.”
Laplace won the title in 3:39.
“Afterward I knew I screwed up,” Mason said.
He didn’t let it affect him too much, though.
“That’s the way it goes,” Jon said. “Mason had a very good composure after the loss. Maintained a very good character.”
The defeat, however, was slightly more difficult for his father to stomach.
“Very disappointing for the loss (as) dad and coach,” he said. “My biggest, probably happiest point with him is how he acted afterwards.”
Mason, who has only lost three times during his East Jay wrestling career and is undefeated as an eighth grader, used the loss as a learning experience.
“Now you just have to go back to the practice room and fix it,” he said.
So for weeks, Winner has been working in practice — and at home — continuing to get better. While still competing for the Chiefs, he has his sights set on bigger goals, the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in July in Fargo, North Dakota.
He knows it won’t be easy, either.
“You have to push yourself,” he said. “If you cheat yourself you know you’re not going to get there. You have to put 100 percent effort into everything you do.”
The first step in that process, however, is the Indiana State Wrestling Association Folkstyle State this weekend at Warren Central in Indianapolis.
As a 128-pounder in the Schoolboy age group, Winner was second place last year.
This season, wrestling in the Cadet age group at 138 pounds, he wants to win. Doing so earns him a coveted spot on the national team.
“Our big goal is to make the cadet team,” Jon said. “That is the start of trying to lay the groundwork for college. He has kind of decided it is his goal to go to college.”
Should Mason — he wants to become a veterinarian and wrestle for Missouri — come short of a state title this time around, a top-three finish still earns him a spot on the team.
The younger Winner started wrestling during the fifth grade, and has since given up baseball to put all his efforts into wrestling. He has run cross country for East Jay to condition for his winter love.
“He’s always been driven,” Jon said. “I think it is maturity, growing up and knowing it’s not always about the loss but coming back stronger the next time.”
Beyond middle school wrestling, the traveling for tournaments — he’s competed in club events in Iowa, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska and North Carolina — and before his wishes of wrestling in college, Mason Winner made competing in the IHSAA wrestling state championships one of his goals.
“We love middle school,” Jon said. “We love our kids to win. He knows the bigger picture is the high school career and making it to Bankers Life.”
Mason is the premier wrestler for the Chiefs. He knows that and understands the pressure that comes with it. But he’s using his skills, abilities and the fact that his father is the coach to help his teammates get better.
“I take it upon myself to help the kids,” Mason said. His dad noted that he is generally the one to help with demonstrations, and even recruited a handful of new kids to the sport this season. “Those are your teammates and you have to make them better so they can make you better.”
Sure, Mason is Jon’s son. But as a coach, Jon is thankful to have him around.
“It’s a big help,” he said. “It’s a big boost to the team because the kids kind of look up to that. They have someone that is on their level, their age to help a little bit.”
Though the Chiefs, who defeated the Bluffton Tigers 48-31 Thursday night, end their season Saturday in the Allen County Athletic Conference tournament at Adams Central, they will be without Winner.
He isn’t the only wrestler from Jay County competing in the folkstyle state tournament, either.
Jay County junior Ivan Hemmelgarn (160 pounds), sophomores Gaven Hare (220) and Seth Fugiett (126) as well as freshmen Jordan Schricker (145), Bailey Ludy (285) and Thomas Hemmelgarn (145) have all entered.
A number of elementary school wrestlers are competing too, including Memphis Torre, Spencer Smitley, Xander Torre, David Confer, Landon Blowers, Sylas Wenk, Cameron Clark, Peyton Ludy, AJ Myers, Sean Bailey, Tony Wood, Cody Rowles, Tyler Manor, Bryce Wenk and Mason Ludy.