Five Nixa boys wrestlers will represent the Eagles at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 24-25 to compete in the 2023 MSHSAA Class 4 State Wrestling Championships.

As a team, Nixa is seeking its third-consecutive team trophy, as the Eagles placed fourth in 2022 and third in 2021. This year Nixa enters the tournament as the No. 8-ranked team in Class 4. 

Individually, after placing in the top four at the Class 4 District 3 tournament, Zan Fugitt, Aidan Ward, Curtis Glossip, Nate Brower, and Brennan Carey all qualified and will compete in the state tournament.

Fugitt (132), Glossip (144), and Carey (215) won the district title in their respective weight classes, while Brower (175) placed second and Ward (138) placed third. 

Nixa's all-time career wins leader, 3x state medalist, and 2x state champion senior Zan Fugitt makes his fourth-straight appearance in the state tournament. Fugitt is the nation's No. 3-ranked 132-lb grappler and No. 1-ranked in Missouri, entering with a record of 46-1. He is slated to face Park Hill South's senior Dylan Taylor (23-8). Taylor placed fourth in District 4 for his first state qualification, and this opening-round match marks the first between the two. Fugitt has dominated Class 4 thus far, and during the regular season, defeated almost half of the entire bracket: Parkway South's Drew Mattison (TF 15-0), Lebanon's Canon Roark (Fall 2:26), Park Hill's Noah Johnson (Fall 1:55), Oak Park's Jamison Tunstill (TF 18-3), Carthage's Brayden Tate (Fall :29, Fall 1:43), and Kickapoo's Tobias Collins (Fall 3:14).

Fugitt's 132-lbs bracket can be found here.

Junior Aidan Ward, a 2x state qualifier, enters the state tournament with a record of 38-13. Ward will face Francis Howell Central's sophomore Owen McCracken (23-20), who placed second in District 2 and making his first appearance at state. This matchup marks the first between the two. During the regular season, Ward bested three qualifiers within the 138 bracket: Lebanon's Johnathon Perryman (Dec. 5-2), Ozark's Levi Maskrod (Dec. 4-0, Fall 4:40, Dec. 6-0, and Ft. Osage's Rylan Mansfield (Dec. 6-4). If both were to win their first-round matchups, Ward would get a chance to avenge an early season defeat to defending champion Liberty's Christopher Coates in the quarterfinals.

Ward's 138-lbs bracket can be found here.

In his debut Nixa season, freshman Curtis Glossip is making his first appearance in the state tournament with a record of 31-11 and enters as the No. 6-ranked wrestler in the 144-lbs division. Glossip will face Poplar Bluff's senior Dace Wisdom (29-15), who placed fourth in District 1 to qualify for his first state meet. Glossip and Wisdom did not face one another during the regular, and this matchup will mark the first. Four qualifiers in the bracket fell at the hands of Glossip in the regular season: Lindbergh's Aden Solomon (Dec. 4-1, Dec. 4-0), Ozark's Daniel Laney (Dec. 7-1), Oak Park's Kaleb Peterson (Dec. 2-0), and Lee's Summit Michel Foley (Dec. 6-3).

Glossip's 144-lbs bracket can be found here.

Senior 175-pounder Nate Brower is making back-to-back appearances at state, entering this year's tournament with a record 38-10 and vying for his first state medal. In the opening round, Brower will face the No. 4-ranked wrestler and 2022 medalist (4th), Hickman's senior Cole Harrell (44-4), who placed third in District 2. Brower fell to Harrell earlier in the season by a major decision of 14-2. Brower will get a chance to avenge that defeat. He defeated Staley's Kaden Trickey (MD 13-5), Seckman's Michael Stivers (MD 11-2), Lee's Summit Roan McCarthy (MD 16-6), Ft. Osage's Isaac Ward (Dec. 8-7), Republic's Connor Sandridge (Dec. 10-5), Timberland's Ethan Wasson (Dec. 5-4), and Liberty North's Nathan Sola (M. For.) during the regular season, who are all qualifiers in the bracket.

Brower's 175-lbs bracket can be found here.

2022 third-place state medalist and the top-ranked 215-pounder in the state junior Brennan Carey is making his second-straight appearance with a record of 42-6. Carey is slated to face Francis Howell North's junior Skyler Lashley (22-15), who placed fourth in District 2. This will mark the first matchup between the two this season. Carey has defeated four wrestlers in his 16-man 215 bracket: Jackson's Tyler Beyatte (Dec. 7-2), Liberty North's Jacob Stockard (Dec. 1-0), Joplin's Draven VanGlider (Dec. 3-1, Fall :27, Dec. 7-0), and Blue Springs' Conor Tindle (Fall 2:24). A potential rematch between Carey and Tindle lingers in the quarterfinals if both were to win their opening-round bouts. 

Carey's 215-lbs bracket can be found here.

Additional information regarding the Class 4 state tournament can be found below.

The tournament will be held Feb. 24-25, 2023, at Mizzou Arena.

Friday, Feb. 24 Schedule:
5:45 p.m.: Grand march
6 p.m.: First-round matches
7:30 p.m.: Quarterfinals and first-round wrestlebacks
9:15 p.m.: Second-round wrestlebacks

Saturday, Feb. 25 Schedule:
12:15 p.m.: Semifinals and third-round wrestlebacks
1:15 p.m.: Fourth-round wrestlebacks
3:30 p.m.: Third and fifth-place matches
5:15 p.m.: Finalist March
5:45 p.m.: Championship Bouts

Ticketing Information:
Admission is required for all persons 6 years of age and older.
Tickets for each session/day are $10.
Tickets must be purchased digitally on MSHSAA's website here.

How To Stay Updated:
MSHSAA will be live broadcasting the entire tournament for a pay-per-view of $15 on MSHSAA.tv here. 

Nixa will also be providing live meet updates on their social media channels. Follow the below accounts to stay updated. 
Twitter: @nixaathletics
Facebook: @nixaathletics
Instagram: @nixaschools

Any additional information can be found on MSHSAA's website by clicking here.