Gaining mat fame

Only a select few in any sport have a chance to call themselves a national champion.

Zak Hensley and Mason Turner won national championships at the Jan. 22 Tulsa Nationals, a premier youth wrestling tournament featuring 1,800 wrestlers from 48 states competing in front of thousands of people with an atmosphere of strobe lights, smoke and blared music providing flair, at least during introductions.

Turner, Tanner Hitchcock and Cade McConnell medaled, representing Pittsburg Wrestling Club. Hensley wrestles for the Frontenac Wrestling Club.

Zak Hensley

Hensley, in the 15U 115-pound division, defeated five opponents, including last year’s national champion, Dylan Taylor from Ohio, 6-4 in overtime of the championship match.

The 14-year-old Hensley, who has been wrestling for 10 years, said that he was only “somewhat” nervous at Tulsa Nationals.

“Since I’ve been doing it so long, I’m kind of used to it,” Hensley said. “The atmosphere was crazy. It was an adrenaline rush.”

Tony Purler runs a company that helps young wrestlers with their conditioning and techniques, what he calls a “supplemental program” to youth wrestling coaches. He’s been working with Hensley seven years.

Purler said Hensley became a champion through hard work and dedication, by not accepting temporal constraints.

“Wrestling should not be bound by a season,” Purler said. “In our country, it’s a seasonal sport. He’s taken a non-seasonal approach to it.

“He’s very technical. He’s smart and he’s got composure and maturity, which only come from training year round.”

Purler said he took joy from watching Hensley win a national championship.

“Tulsa brings out the best and toughest kids,” Purler said. “He beat the defending champion, one of the best wrestlers in the country.”

Mason Turner

For Turner, national championships are not anything new. He’s won over 30 national titles, a mind-boggling accomplishment for a 12-year-old or, for that matter, anybody.

A previous national title includes one from last year’s Tulsa Nationals, when he wrestled at 10U 58 pounds, and he won this year at 12U 64 pounds.

James Turner, Mason’s father, said that determination sets his son apart from other wrestlers, including the best of the best.

“He gives it his all,” James Turner said, with a glow on his face. “He comes home from school and works out. He works out twice a night. We’ve wrestled 132 matches since September and he’s 131-1.”

The Turners, from Chanute, are definitely familiar on the youth wrestling circuit and James says Mason has wrestled in 12 different states.

One journey involved Kansas City, Indianapolis and New Mexico: three national tournaments in five days and three first-place finishes for Mason.

Mason, a straight A student as well as a champion wrestler mature beyond his years, wants to wrestle at Oklahoma State or Iowa State and become an Olympic champion.

Tanner Hitchcock

Hitchcock had the unfortunate distinction of wrestling Turner, his good friend, in the semifinals at Tulsa. Hitchcock placed fifth.

“It was a bittersweet deal,” Pittsburg High School activities director Doug Hitchcock said. “Mason and Tanner have wrestled each other a lot of times. They challenge one another in practice.

“He wasn’t real crazy about wrestling Mason and Mason wasn’t crazy about wrestling Tanner. Tanner didn’t have as good of a match. He wasn’t real aggressive because it was his teammate.”

In addition, the younger Hitchcock was only given clearance to practice Jan. 6 — two weeks before nationals — after he had surgery on a receding gumline.

Hitchcock and Turner wrestled at Tulsa two years ago, a match won by Turner, and last year’s Liberty Nationals in Kansas City, which Hitchcock won.

Doug Hitchcock said Tanner’s love of the sport motivates him to be good.

“He works hard at it,” Doug Hitchcock said. “He’s very focused and pays attention to his coaches. He doesn’t give up or quit.”

Cade McConnell

Cade McConnell, the youngest wrestler of this elite group (6 years old), went 5-1 and claimed third place at nationals in the 55-pound division. All five wins came by pinfall.

Aaron McConnell, who received All-American and All-MIAA honors four years at Pittsburg State University before a pro football career that included nine sacks in 2008 for the Arena Football League Colorado Crush, said his son recently diversified his sports intake.

“Football is first in our house,” Aaron McConnell said. “It’s just what we’ve lived. Wrestling is something that Cade loves to do.”

Aaron McConnell earned All-State honors in high school in three different sports — football, wrestling and track — and spent four years as a cheerleader at Pitt State since the Gorillas do not have a wrestling program.

Now, McConnell devotes himself to supporting his son’s activities and he said he will support his son in any endeavor, be it wrestling or football or marching band.

“He analyzes everything,” Aaron McConnell said.

“He enjoys it. He sees these guys (Hitchcock and Turner) in practice and how hard they work. That motivates him.”

After standing for a picture with their medals and trophies, Hitchcock and Turner returned to grappling on the practice mats at the Megan Mallatt Activity Center inside Pittsburg High School. Cade McConnell sat and watched his two role models in action.