On February 25, 2026, Sam Simpson (11) qualified for wrestling state, making him one of two students at Fair Grove High School to ever qualify.
Cole Johnston, assistant wrestling coach, said, “He works hard in the room and has picked up the sport very well in his short time . . . all in all I have been proud of his effort all year.”
Overall, state is a prestigious event, Simpson placed second in district two. Johnston explained, “State is tough! It is high quality competition across the board.”
Simpson described his experience at state, “It was amazing, the walkout was a crazy experience . . . they played the Olympic ceremony music and led us through Mizzou Arena.”
Head coach, Chris Holt, said, “Sam has worked extremely hard this year and deserved to be with the best of the best,” he continued, “I expected Sam to go out and treat this tournament like any other. To wrestle hard and don’t give up. He did well for his first time at state. It is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Both of Fair Grove’s wrestling teams, boys and girls, competed in districts for a chance to feed into the state tournament. The district three tournament was held in Buffalo, Missouri, where the girls team competed for a chance to advance to the state tournament. The district two wrestling tournament was held in Butler, Missouri, this is where Simspon placed second to advance to the state tournament.
The teams consisted of 24 boys and 17 girls making this the wrestling team’s biggest numbers yet. In its two years of existence, the team has sent a total of two wrestlers to the state tournament, one in 2025 and the other in 2026.
Johnston explained, “I think we have had a group of students that have come in and learned a new sport and found the benefits of mental toughness and perseverance by competing and working in practice,” he continued, “It is not an easy sport and we have seen some low and high points throughout the last two years of having a wrestling program. I believe with a few more years and having more youth in the area that are wrestling through a youth club will bring more success and students to the sport.”
As the program continues to grow, the wrestling coaches want to continue to teach students to work hard and battle through the physical challenges that wrestling can bring.
