Winner’s legacy will be difficult to replicate

It took one season to make history.

Three to match it.

Four to rewrite it.

Although a state championship eluded him, Mason Winner capped his career Saturday as the most decorated, and most accomplished, wrestler in the history of Jay County High School as he placed fifth for the second time in as many years.

Prior to his freshman season, Winner proclaimed he wanted to become the school’s first four-time state medalist.

Mission accomplished.

And along the way, he established a legacy which will be a tall task for anyone to replicate:

•Four sectional championships.

•Three regional titles.

•Three semi-state crowns (tied for the most in program history with 2014 graduate Eric Hemmelgarn).

•First Patriot freshman to qualify for the state finals.

•Four-time state qualifier (first in program history).

•State medals in first three years (first Patriot wrestler to do so).

•Four state medals (again, the first Patriot wrestler to do so).

•One hundred seventy career wins (eight more than second-place Hemmelgarn).

“It’s a way for me to put my name in the history books,” he said. “I set that bar high and now someone else has to work hard to achieve and do better, and I hope someone does better than what I have done.

“I’m always for making the program better and making people better. It would mean a lot if someone could beat what I've done.”

He’s never wanted the limelight on him, though.

Each year, Winner has been just another set of eyes in the wrestling room helping his teammates get better. Jay County coach Eric Myers and his stable of assistants, including Mason’s father, Jon, have often said Winner knows more about the sport than they do.

It’s his dedication to being the best — and pulling his teammates along with him — that will be the biggest void in the post-Mason Winner era of Jay County wrestling.

“Definitely a hole,” Myers said. “To lose a guy that was such a consistent part of our lineup, a consistent voice in our room.

“What does he mean to the program? That gave a new normal for some of our guys, especially a really talented middle school group coming in … to look at that and see what he’s done with four medals and know that that’s possible if they work as hard as Mason was willing to work and put that much time in.

Ethan Reiley, a freshman, won’t be able to match Winner’s achievements exactly, but he’s on his way to coming close as he became the school’s second wrestler to qualify for state as a freshman.

“[Winner] made for a great role model and something to shoot for,” Myers said.

Support for Winner each of the last four years has been in no short supply. A brief look at The Commercial Review’s Facebook page is a good way to gauge the number of community members in his corner.

Even at the state finals, Winner had supporters not affiliated with Jay County offering him well wishes ahead of matches.

Bobby Smith, a longtime official who has worked many sectional and regional tournaments at Jay County, hugged Winner after the final match of his career Saturday.

Both are testaments to the type of competitor he is, and the respect he’s gained the last four years.

And Myers said it never gets old talking about the best wrestler to ever wear a Jay County singlet.

“The community looks at Mason and expects him to do what he’s doing, which is amazing,” he said. “Like last week he lost in the semi-state final and so many people came to me shocked that he had done that … He wrestled a great match there he just came up a little short.

“I think that paints the picture of the expectations everybody has for Mason. That says a lot about him and his career that everybody just expects him to be on top all the time. It’s pretty neat. It’s pretty amazing and I hope everybody appreciates it.”

The legacy was established Saturday. The blueprint has been drawn up. He said he wants his records to be broken.

Will there be a next Winner?