Shenandoah Boys Wrestling
Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill (second from left, with belt), celebrates breaking the school record for wins in a career Saturday, Jan. 24, at the John J. Harris Tournament in Corning, after his semifinal victory. From left: Hayden Roush, McGargill, Carter Wooten, Hayden Dukes and Will Berning.
Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill shows off his championship belt, given to him by his coaching staff Saturday, Jan. 24, after breaking Shenandoah's career wins record at the Harris Tournament.
Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill is recognized for his 100th career fall Thursday, Jan. 22, during a home quad.
Shenandoah junior Lukus Major (center, with poster) earned his 100th career win Friday, Jan. 23, at the John J. Harris Tournament in Corning. Major is pictured with Tyler Babe (left) and Hayden Roush (right).
Shenandoah junior Hayden Roush stuffs Central Decatur's Kacyn Watson into the mat Saturday, Jan. 24, in the 144-pound championship match at the John J. Harris Tournament. Roush won the match 7-6 to win his first Harris title.
Shenandoah senior Tyler Babe turns for the fall Saturday, Jan. 24, in the 175-pound third-place match at the John J. Harris Tournament. Babe pinned Creston's Jackson Pettegrew.
CORNING — It was a historic day for Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill Saturday, Jan. 24, at the John J. Harris Tournament.
McGargill broke the all-time wins record in Shenandoah program history, with a major decision in the semifinals over Wayne’s Fischer Buckingham. He then captured the 165-pound tournament championship with a pin of Winterset’s Jax Jensen, becoming the first Mustang to win three Harris championships.
“It’s a record that was there for 26 years, McGargill said on breaking Tyler McGinnis’ program record of 186 wins. “It’s a tough record to have and an amazing accomplishment but I’m going for a state title.”
The title has been the goal from the beginning for the Shenandoah senior, who fell just short of that goal last season, placing second at the state tournament. To reach a record like the one he broke Saturday, though, requires more than just a great season or two, you have to pile up the wins right away.
“It’s always been about improving myself and my skills,” McGargill said. “I’ve always thought that I can beat anyone if I put my mind in the right place and it shows. Going to club helps a lot and having the coaches that I have, amazing coaches, helps so much.”
Shenandoah head coach Todd McGinnis was a little emotional when asked about McGargill and what he continues to mean to the program.
“He’s special,” Todd McGinnis said. “You could just tell from the first couple times I saw him wrestle that he has something. He’s set a goal and when he walks out there, he makes you feel confident. The way he attacks the matches the way his mindset is pre-match, he’s a special kid.”
McGargill’s final win of Saturday’s tournament was the 188th of his career and was another in a long line of dominant matches. This one saw McGargill, ranked 2nd in Class 2A by IAwrestle, lead fifth-ranked Jensen 7-0 in the second period before a turn and a pin.
“I went straight into a rush to close the distance,” McGargill said about his final. “He didn’t want to be close, so I was just taking advantage of that. I took him down, rode tough on top and got the pin. I was going for a butcher, and he sat up high, so I just threw in a headlock.”
McGinnis said McGargill expects to perform like that, dominating a top five match, which is why he’s 46-0 and handed Jensen just his second loss of the season.
“The sky is the limit,” Coach McGinnis said. “He expects to dominate and that’s what he goes after when he’s out there. That’s how he practices and that’s his mindset. That’s all he does in the practice room, so when he walks out on the mat, it all comes together.”
For McGargill, these big tournaments late in the season are just the beginning of what he wants to do to finish his Shenandoah wrestling career.
“Work hard, no days off,” McGargill said in looking ahead.
Shenandoah at Southwest Valley Tournament
Jacob McGargill and Hayden Roush earned individual championships, leading the Shenandoah boys wrestling team to a fifth-place finish Saturday, Jan. 24, to wrap up the two-day John J. Harris Boys Wrestling Invitational, held at Southwest Valley High School in Corning.
McGargill became Shenandoah’s all-time leader in wins and won his program-record third Harris championship. Roush won his first. The Mustangs scored 124 points, 8.5 better than Nodaway Valley.
Atlantic won the team title with 230.5 points, outdistancing Riverside’s 209. AC/GC and Winterset were also ahead of the Mustangs.
McGargill pinned his two opponents on Friday at 165 and then earned his 187th and record-setting win by a 13-2 major decision over Wayne’s Fischer Buckingham in the semifinals. McGargill pinned Jax Jensen of Winterset in a battle of No. 2 against No. 5 in the IAwrestle state rankings, by second period fall in the final.
Roush had a pair of easy wins by fall on Friday and then pinned Charlie Christensen of AC/GC in the semifinals at 144. He won a 7-6 battle over Kacyn Watson of Central Decatur in the final.
Tyler Babe added a third place showing for Shenandoah while Carter Wooten and Charlie Liles finished fourth.
Babe opened with a fall and an 11-6 decision before losing a 13-3 major decision to Austin Henderson of Wayne in the semifinals at 175. Babe pinned his last two opponents, including in the second period of the third place match against Creston’s Jackson Pettegrew.
Liles won his two matches on Friday, by fall and by a 10-3 decision. He lost by third period fall against Brian Snyder of Centerville in the 190-pound semifinals but bounced back and won his consolation match by second period technical fall 15-0. Liles lost by first period fall in the third-place match to Donovan Hedrington of Atlantic.
Wooten also earned a pin, then a decision Friday at 113. The decision came by a 13-6 score. He lost by first period fall to Sebastian Brooks of Winterset in the semifinals. Wooten won by fall in a consolation semifinal and then lost 10-7 to Ayden Fowlkes of Central Decatur in the third-place match.
Shenandoah’s Lukus Major won his 100th career match Friday, advancing to the semifinals with a 22-5 third period technical fall and a first period fall. He won just one match Saturday, placing fifth at 157. He lost by first period fall to Tully Wood of Wayne in the semifinals, lost by first period fall in a consolation semifinal and then won by first period fall in the fifth-place match.
Landon Fuller won one match at 215 and Will Berning was 0-2 at 285 for Shenandoah.
Shenandoah at Home Quad
Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill recorded his 100th career fall on Senior Night, leading the Shenandoah boys wrestling team to a 2-1 finish Thursday, Jan. 22, at a home quad.
The Mustangs beat both of their Hawkeye 10 Conference foes, downing Creston 40-30 and Denison 42-36 but lost on tiebreaking criteria to Nodaway Valley 43-42.
McGargill pinned all three of his opponents, all in the first period. Lukus Major also earned three falls on the day for the Mustangs while Hayden Roush also earned three wins, two by fall. Landon Fuller and Carter Wooten were also 3-0 with Fuller and Wooten pinning two opponents each and taking a forfeit.
The Mustangs earned four straight pins late in the Creston dual to earn the win. Trailing 24-10, Major, McGargill, Tyler Babe and Charlie Liles all earned pins with McGargill’s pin giving him the milestone.
Hayden Roush won a 19-9 major decision over Brodrick Phelps at 144 while Wooten and Fuller took forfeits.
The Mustangs won seven of 10 contested matches against the Monarchs. Wooten, Roush, Blake Burdorf, Major and McGargill all won by first period fall for the Mustangs. Fuller and Charlie Liles added wins by second period fall.
The Mustangs won seven of 10 contested matches against Nodaway Valley as well but the four forfeits the Wolverines took gave them the dual win.
Wooten, Roush, Burdorf, McGargill, Babe and Fuller all won by first period fall for Shenandoah with Major adding a win by fall in the second period.
The Mustangs ended the day with a 22-8 dual record, 6-2 in the Hawkeye 10 Conference.
