Hunter Mason TN: Driven Toward Mastery
Hunter Mason TN – Driven Toward Mastery
By Bill X. Barron
“My biggest takeaway from coaching Hunter Mason is his dedication to the sport,” training coach Nashon Garrett declares in describing the 4-time Tennessee High School State Champion and 2023 Outstanding Wrestler.
Garrett knows about dedication as a 4-time NCAA All-American and national champion in 2016 while competing at 133 lbs. for Cornell. “We developed a relationship where Hunter learned to trust himself in any position on the mat.”
Hunter’s first title was as a six-year-old 42-pounder in Albuquerque at the New Mexico Nationals, sponsored by RMN Events. States his dad and first coach, Sid: “He loved wrestling; that title made him want it more.” Twelve years later, Sid was one of the elite Freak Show officials in Vegas 2023.
“From the time I first met him, he went to work improving his sleeping habits, stepping up his weight room discipline, refining his wrestling technique, and defining his mental toughness,” describes his Greenville (TN) head high school wrestling coach, Randy Shelton.
“Dad coached me up until the 8th grade,” reveals Hunter. “He brought me to where I needed to be, ready to embrace the journey. More importantly, he held me accountable to a higher work ethic.”
Nashon concurs: “He does not back down because it’s hard; he embraces the pain. His character, practice discipline, and dedication to the sport as well as his studies inspired me. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been his coach.”
From a precocious six-year-old start, Hunter and his dad followed the RMN trailer truck all throughout the Southwest, winning trophies at the Monster Match, Terminator, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Who’s Bad, and the Freak Show.
Hunter recalls: “I double-entered to get additional matches and looked forward to the big walk-out for the finals amidst smoke and music. RMN always had the most creative awards from trophies to belts and rings.”
Wrestling over 100 matches a year seasoned Hunter early on, yet he advises wrestlers just getting started to “focus more on practice, less on competing. In the long run, if you develop your skills, it will outweigh earning trophies.”
Building on that RMN foundation, “Hunter continued to grow as a wrestler, finishing his high school career as he began, winning his fourth state title, every victory at state by tech or fall,” cites Sid.
In 2021, Hunter was a 132-pounder for NHSCA Dual Champion Team Schutt, one of four on the team to be named Outstanding Wrestler at their weight, along with Peyton Craft, 220 lb. (Blair, Cornell); TJ Stewart, 195 lb. (Blair, VA Tech); and Gabe Arnold, 170 lb. (Wyoming Seminary, Iowa).
Ranked as Flo Wrestling’s #3 national recruit at 138 lbs. in 2023, Dad asserts: “he received numerous Division I offers but decided that VA Tech was the best fit.”
Now a freshman 141-pounder at #4-ranked Virginia Tech, Hunter is “confident that we have the coaches to take my teammates and me where we want to go.”
“I remember a conversation Hunter and I had when he was in the 8th grade. Hunter and his dad were obsessing over a tough decision on how best to train. I told him to train to be an NCAA champion, “ relates Coach Shelton.
“Hunter took that advice seriously. From that moment on, he trained like a national champion.”
Hunter confirms that he listened well. “Coach would say I wrestle hard, pushing the pace to put points on the board and wear down opponents. Still, Nahshon was always on me to get better.”
Yet, he humbly admits: “In my first year, I did not win a single match. I learned that you reap what you sow. Since then, I have lived wrestling year-round.
“There’s always something to work on and someone who is better. Best to keep it all in perspective since there’s only a limited amount of time when you are on top.”