Nixa’s Aidan Ward is counting on a calm and composed mindset to lead him to the Class 4 District 3 138-pound championship today.
He was pleased Friday to maintain a steady approach while winning 9-2 against Kickapoo’s Chase Haase and 7-3 versus Waynesville’s Aiden Smith.
In contrast, there have been matches in which Ward’s emotions have got the best of him.
“Focusing on breathing is my biggest thing,” he said. “I have had a bad habit if I get a sloppy shot, I don’t breathe and start to panic. My lungs get on fire. Sometimes, I’ve had to forget about the match and get in a comfortable position and take deep breaths over and over.
Focusing on breathing allows me think of what I’m going to do next,” he added.
Ward (36-12), who made State a year ago, is the top seed at 138.
“I was siting in math class and looking at Trackwrestling when I saw that,” he said of the seeds. “It helped my mentality so much. (A championship) would boost my confidence so much. It would be a big achievement.”
Ward’s semifinal opponent will be Neosho’s Carter Howard (16-5).
On the other half of the 138 bracket is Ozark’s Levi Maskrod (24-15).
Also in the semifinals for Nixa are Zan Fugitt, Curtis Glossip, Nate Brower, and Brennan Carey.
Fugitt (44-1) is chasing his fourth District championship. The No. 1 seed at 132 pounds had two pins Friday. If he makes the final round, he’ll see either Lebanon’s Canon Roark (32-5) or Carthage’s Bradyn Tate (43-4).
Glossip (29-11), a freshman, racked up a total of 33 points while collecting a pair of technical falls at 144. He will meet Lee’s Summit West's Grady Mortenson, who upset second-seeded Andrew Bowling, of Lebanon.
Brower (38-9) had a pin in 1:30 and won 10-2 as the top seed at 175. He’ll meet Ozark’s Eric Shepard (25-10) in a semifinal.
Carey (40-6) had two first-period pins as the top seed at 215. On the other side of the bracket is Joplin’s Draven VanGilder (25-7), who transferred from Nixa prior to his freshman year.
