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Jacob McGinnis is the Mississippi Valley Conference’s best wrestler.
He’s also a fine sportsman. In the eyes of an opposing coach, McGinnis, a Tomah High School senior, combined both athleticism and sportsmanship en route to becoming the Mississippi Valley Conference wrestler of the year.
“I remember how much we just enjoyed wrestling against him,” Sparta coach Bill Tourdot said. “He was always friendly and talking to wrestlers from the other teams.”
McGinnis posted a 47-3 record during his senior season and graduated with a 127-13 career record. As a senior, he was the Division 1 runner-up at the WIAA state tournament, champion of the Bi-State Tournament and a conference and regional champion. He also was a big part of Tomah’s third straight trip to the state team tournament.
Tourdot said McGinnis’ style posed problems for the opposition.
“He used a little different style than other wrestlers,” Tourdot said. “He wrestled with the upper body, and you were afraid of getting thrown and pinned.”
McGinnis’ coach, Jeff Von Haden, won the coach of the year honor for the fourth straight season. Under Von Haden, Tomah hasn’t lost an MVC dual match since the 2003-04 campaign.
McGinnis and Von Haden led a bumper crop of Tomah honorees. McGinnis was one of six Tomah wrestlers who made the first team, while one made the second team, and four were honorable mention.
Eleven of Tomah’s 14 varsity wrestlers earned MVC recognition.
McGinnis was joined on the first team by teammates Kevin Betthauser (103), Ian Duncan (119), Zach Taylor (135), Josh Vollmer (152) and John Van Gundy (285). Taylor and Vollmer are seniors; the other three are juniors.
There were no freshmen or sophomores on the MVC first team.
Freshman Tyler Von Haden (125) was Tomah’s lone representative on the second team.
Tomah’s honorable mention picks were junior Zurik Adler (112), senior Scott Pierce (130), freshman Joey Organ (140) and junior David Pierce (189).
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