Grant Van Horn has enjoyed wrestling and will continue to enjoy wrestling.

Grant Van Horn Signing Photo Gallery

The Mexico senior finished a great high school career that included four state medals and culminated in him being the Class 2 175-pound state champion this season and tying the all-time program wins record of 178 held by Terrese Aaron. However, there is more to the sport Van Horn isn’t ready to leave behind yet as he signed to wrestle for the University of Central Missouri in a ceremony on Monday at the Mexico Sports Complex.

Van Horn said he wasn’t sure last year whether he would continue wrestling in college but now “feels like it’s meant to be” after signing with Central Missouri, where he will major in occupational safety management. He knew he had the ability but decided he wanted that path at the beginning of this year.

“I realized how much fun I was having just wrestling and being with my team,” Van Horn said. “I’m going to miss that feeling when it’s gone so I decided to wrestle for a few more years to keep that feeling.”

There is quite a bit of enjoyment to be had being part of the wrestling team, Van Horn said, and is a big part of the reason why the district wrestler of the year signed with Central Missouri. 

“The one thing that I noticed the other day when I went to practice is all of those guys loved being there,” Van Horn said. “None of them before practice were complaining that they had practice. All of them wanted to be there and all of them were happy throughout the entire practice.”

Gayle Adams, who just finished his 13th and final season as the Mexico boys wrestling head coach, has coached Van Horn ever since he started in sixth grade. Adams said team atmosphere would matter to Van Horn because of how much time he has spent in Mexico’s wrestling room and weight room throughout the years.

Adams said Van Horn has always made him proud and “he couldn’t ask for a better kid to coach.” He said Van Horn had lofty goals early in his high school career and “lived Mexico wrestling” while holding himself accountable to a high standard. When Van Horn won his state championship, he and Adams were overcome with emotions because of much he did to make it to that point.

“Wrestling is measured by wins and losses but is also measured by the character of the kid,” Adams said. “Grant has great character and holds himself to a great standard. He sets a good example for youth and other kids that wrestle in the program. It shows that you can’t just come in in November and just wrestle November through February. It shows you have to go to the weight room. It shows that you have to wrestle in the offseason.”

Van Horn said confidence and having good support are the key things that helped him rise to this point in his career. His support has come from people that he likes and were a good influence for him, pushing him to be better. He said his former Mexico teammates and new Central Missouri teammates fit this description.

“You don’t want to hang around people who slack in the classroom or who slack in the wrestling room,” Van Horn said. “You want to be around people who can help you be who you want to be. Be around people that help you be better.”

Going into his senior season, Van Horn certainly wanted to be better to finally achieve his goal of being a state champion. Adams said Van Horn also wanted to be bigger and put on more muscle to rise into the 175-pound weight class. That would mean Van Horn had to go through the reigning champion Father Tolton’s William (Frank) Hazelrigg, but Adams said that didn’t faze Van Horn.

Van Horn is somebody who works hard anyway and Adams said his road to state this season began “the day after state his junior year.” Adams is proud of Van Horn’s work ethic and determination in his final year after losing a state title match in the previous year.

“He put on 20 pounds of muscle and mass to get to where he needed to be,” Adams said. “With workouts, proper eating and just being persistent with his training, he did a great job with that.”

After his signing ceremony in the complex’s lobby, Van Horn took a walk down the hall with his coaches, teammates and family to the wrestling room to take care of more unfinished business. Van Horn put a championship celebration of him next to his cousin and previous Mexico state champion Keith Ransom. 

Adams said Van Horn is the latest great wrestler to come through the program and his name will always be mentioned in the future alongside “everybody else on the board that mean a lot to Mexico wrestling.” Van Horn will have some more work to do to earn his spot in college, Adams said, but believes he is somebody that can rise to the occasion.

“Finishing Mexico High School wrestling is no small feat because you’re giving up a lot of time in the summer and on the weekends to hang out with your friends,” Adams said. “A lot of kids will try wrestling and say they want to wrestle, but Grant set a goal. I can’t say enough about Grant. He’s a great kid, a great student and a great example of Mexico wrestling.”

Van Horn said he is looking forward to pursuing his future goals and expects to have support like he has had in the sport.

“It’s not just you when you win something,” Van Horn said. “It’s them putting in the work too on the mat helping you get better. You’re not alone in this sport even though you’re on the mat by yourself.”