By KMA’s Trevor Maeder

Rock Port High School senior Augustus Heintz picked wrestling back up like riding a bike. Now, he ends his wrestling days as the 2024 KMAland Missouri Boys’ Wrestler of the Year.

Heintz had a memorable senior season, compiling a 45-2 record and finishing second in the Class 1 126-pound weight class. “Wrestling was a huge part of my life,” he said. “I started when I was eight or nine. I went through junior high. I wasn’t able to wrestle my freshman or sophomore years because my school didn’t have wrestling. It was tricky. I started last year and was doing OK, but not excellent. The thing that surprised me the most was how quickly I picked it back up. The amount of improvement I made was pretty cool.”

Heintz entered this year motivated after failing to medal last year. He put in ample amounts of work in the offseason. “I did summer work,” he said. “I went to a camp with my cousin in Nixa. On top of that, I did Purler (Wrestling Academy) practices weekly from April to October. After that, I did some preseason tournaments to get me prepared. That helped me improve.”

Heintz didn’t have much trouble in the regular season. He suffered only one loss before state and won 27 matches via pin.

“There was one specific move I hit on a lot of people,” Heintz said. “That was a chicken-wing/arm bar tilt. That move helped me the entire season.”

A year after leaving state disappointed, Heintz put together a memorable tournament. He opened with a pin and reached the semifinals with a tech fall. Heintz won a thrilling semifinal, edging Centralia’s Charlie Robinson by 7-6 decision to reach the finals.

“The first day was stressful because you go home if you lose,” he said. “My first match, I had a second-period pin. My mindset was to leave it all on the mat and have faith in the Lord. On the second day, it was a lot less stressful because I already had a medal secured.”

Heintz ultimately lost to Father Tolton’s Christopher Ankenman by 4-0 decision in the finals. While the outcome wasn’t what he desired, Heintz cites the championship experience as the highlight of his season. “To wrestle in the finals match was a great experience,” Heintz said. “I had a blast.”

Heintz’s state finals match was likely the final of his career. He plans to join the Air Guard following graduation. “Wrestling has been a big part of my family. To secure a spot on the state podium was a dream of mine. It felt good to make that dream come true.”