Not your typical quarterback: Northwest’s Mason Ross is a top-ranked Kansas wrestler
It’s not unusual for football players to join the Northwest wrestling team in the winter. In fact, some of the Grizzlies’ wrestling state champions have doubled as standout football players.
The next in line could be Mason Ross, a senior who is signed to play football at Butler Community College and is the top-ranked 220-pound wrestler in Class 6A entering Saturday’s Kansas high school state wrestling tournament held at Hartman Arena in Park City.
The only difference? Ross played quarterback for the Northwest football team that reached another state championship game this past fall. Northwest coach Ron Russell said Ross is the only quarterback to wrestle in his program.
“I don’t think I should be judged for playing quarterback,” said Ross, who is 26-1 on the mat this season. “I just like to get out on the mat and wrestle and kick some butt and do whatever I can to help my team.”
Ross isn’t the typical quarterback. He loves contact more than he does throwing, which is part of the reason why the Grizzlies were able to split him between quarterback and tight end during their state run.
During wrestling season, Ross is going up against offensive and defensive linemen in the 220-pound division. Russell said he stands out in his weight class because he’s able to pair the athleticism that made him effective at quarterback with the tenacity he used to block at tight end.
“I’ve had several coaches who come up to me after his match and say, ‘I never realized he was that good of a wrestler,’” Russell said. “He’s extremely athletic and quick on his feet, but he’s also technically very sound. He doesn’t get himself in trouble very often.”
Ross learned to wrestle at a young age after his older brother, Jared, who became a state placer for the Grizzlies at heavyweight, picked up the sport. Now the whole Ross family is on the wrestling mats, as Mason’s younger brother, Caden, is a sophomore who is 25-3 this season and the No. 3-ranked 195-pound wrestler in Class 6A entering state.
Both Ross brothers stood on top of the podium this past weekend at their sub-state tournament. Because they are so close in weight class, they are each other’s practice partner in the wrestling room during the week.
“That can be a good thing and a bad thing some of the times,” Russell said, laughing. “Sibling rivalries can sometimes get heated, but honestly they are one of the better brother combos that I’ve ever had. They wrestle hard against each other, but it never ends in throwing punches. They just go hard.”
Of the two younger Ross brothers, it was Caden who emerged early as the more natural wrestler. While Caden became a multi-time kids state champion, Mason admits he was little more than mediocre. It wasn’t until he arrived in high school and he started weight-lifting when he found his confidence on the mat.
Now that Mason has blossomed into one of the best 220-pound wrestlers in Kansas, he is helping pull along his younger brother.
“I think the big thing for (Caden) was just trying to get him to finish,” Mason said. “I would always try to do what I can to help him with finishing and getting into shots and setting them up. He’s always had a really good tilt, so it was just working with him on the other stuff.”
After finishing in sixth place in the 220-pound division at the 5A state tournament last season, Mason now has aspirations for a state championship this weekend. He is also motivated to win for his former coach Eric Prichard, who died just before the start of his senior wrestling season.
On top of it being the last time he will wrestle in the same tournament as Caden, who could also have a shot at winning a state title, motivation is not in short supply for Mason entering the state tournament.
“I just have got to focus on wrestling my match,” Mason said. “I’m confident I can go far if I just wrestle my match, stay calm and prepare mentally and physically.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 6:05 AM.
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