OZARK’S HUNTER TENNISON raises his hands in celebration after winning the Class 4 285-pound state championship Saturday.
HUNTER TENNISON is all smiles on top of the medals stand at the Class 4 State Tournament on Saturday.
Let history show Hunter Tennison has secured a legacy for himself as one of Ozark’s all-time greats on the gridiron and on the mat.
Tennison followed up his Class 5 First-Team All-State selection in football last fall by capturing the 285-pound championship at the Class 4 State Wrestling Tournament on Saturday.
After previously never winning a medal at State, Tennison capped a 51-0 senior season by edging Washington’s Gavin Holtmeyer 4-3 in a classic title tilt.
“Anybody whoever is doubting themselves can say, ‘If you can think of it, you can achieve it,’” Tennison said. “Last summer, I was keeping my head down and pushing myself in the weight room. I was always telling myself, ‘I can go one more,’ even when I knew I couldn’t. I’m humbled by what has happened. This is all about dedication and hard work.”
Just as Tennison is physically stronger than he ever has been, his championship run is also a tribute to the leaps he’s made to become mentally stronger than ever.
Tennison was dominant all season, rarely giving up an escape. But when Holtmeyer freed himself from Tennison’s grasp to gain an escape, Tennison wasn’t fazed.
“I knew I was going to go up against the best guys in the state,” he said. “I tried to hold on to him the best I could. There were some guys here who could stand up pretty well.”
“Hunter has had those moments in the past, as all kids do, in which he had a mental weakness or a lack of composure,” Ozark coach Tod Sundlie said. “But he never got rattled today. He regrouped and overcame. That’s been the different Hunter this year. He’s been more composed. He moves on, is better for it and finds a way to win.”
Holtmeyer (36-5) made Tennison earn the victory. Holtmeyer charged at Tennison in the third period and grabbed his left leg in an attempt for a takedown. But Tennison was somehow able to maintain his balance and fight off the attack.
“He went low for my leg and I had to center my balance,” Tennison said. “I had to get more pressure on his head. I knew if I was going to be too high he was going to come out of it. I’ve worked on my core in practices a lot this year, so I’ve been able to shift my balance.”
“(Holtmeyer) was in deep on his leg,” Sundlie said. “But Hunter is good at using his length and leverage. It was a good hip fight.”
Tennison broke a 3-all tie at the beginning of the third period with an easy escape. Holtmeyer seemed to concede that he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep Tennison down and didn’t fight off the escape.
“Hunter bounced back, got his one (for an escape) and stayed with his match plan,” Sundlie said.
“One thing I’ve stuck to is making sure I can get my ones (for an escape),” Tennison said “Getting up from the bottom is no problem for me.”
Tennison will go for a trifecta of sorts by trying to track down more laurels, along with a college offer, this spring as a pitcher for Ozark’s baseball team.
With no plans to wrestle at the college level, he was content while stepping off the mat for the final time.
“I loved every second of it,” Tennison said. “I gave it my all, knowing this would be my last match.”
