Jordan’s McChesney sets gold standard
Jordan High School was open for less than two years before it could count its first University Interscholastic League state champions, both earning gold medals on the same day.
Garrett McChesney capped his sophomore season with a 4-2 decision against Amarillo Tascosa’s Thomas Pacheco in the 2022 Class 5A boys 132-pound wrestling final. It was the start of a brilliant three-year run for McChesney, who put the Warriors on the map after moving from Oklahoma.
“Coming here and winning state, that was a big deal. I felt good about that one,” McChesney said. “That was my goal too, to be the first state champ for Jordan. But there was a girl (Kaeli White) who was a swimmer and she won it the same day, a few hours before I did.”
Both athletes left their mark at Jordan. McChesney set several records for future wrestlers to catch, highlighted by two championships and an outstanding 144-4 career record.
The Chronicle’s AllGreater Houston Boys Wrestler of the Year finished 43-0 as a senior, capturing the 138 title in Class 6A.
One year after finishing 49-2 with a 6A silver medal, McChesney was able to reach another level.
“I think he was more confident, not that he wasn’t confident in previous years,” Jordan coach Mike White said. “He worked on his mental game a lot this year. He had all the tools to wrestle physically. He’s dominant on the mat. He worked on his mental space and that definitely improved and helped him through the year.”
McChesney came to Texas with ample experience on the mat, growing up in Oklahoma. He was inspired to get into the sport by his father, Andrew McChesney.
“My dad wrestled in high school and college,” McChesney said. “He’s the one that started taking me to practices when I was like six. He’s always loved the sport.”
McChesney advanced to the state tournament as a freshman at Deer Creek High School in Edmond, Okla. He hoped to win a championship that year but thrived in his first year of UIL competition, finishing 52-2 as a sophomore despite going against new opponents.
“There’s more people in Texas so you have more competition here, but the competition is less,” McChesney said. “The people you meet in Oklahoma, you always have a tough match.”
White said he immediately recognized McChesney’s ability and was impressed with his early success.
“Easy kid to coach, he came with all the tools,” White said. “I basically just got him in the direction he was going. He understands the sport, what he needs to do. I can shout out the corner what we need to get done and he can execute.”
McChesney continued to excel with Jordan reclassified as a 6A school, taking an undefeated junior season into the Region III-6A final. He finished 49-2, the only defeats to Westside’s Kyle Lew in the 138 regional and state finals. The latter was a 3-2 decision.
“Losing in that final match was tough because we were good friends going into districts,” McChesney said. “I wanted to get my revenge and redeem myself, then he ended up being in a different bracket. It drove me all season. It’s all I thought about.”
White said McChesney’s four defeats at Jordan were against two opponents, including a wrestler from Klein High School during his sophomore year.
No one could stop him as a senior, including early tournament championships in the 144 class. He pinned all three District 9-6A opponents, as well as all four foes at the Region III-6A tournament. Only Katy’s Owen Vaught and Cinco Ranch’s Max Herman made it to the second period.
McChesney ended his first state match at the 2:15 mark before advancing with 5-0 and 4-0 decisions to his third UIL state final.
He used an early takedown and near fall to build a lead and pulled away for a 12-4 victory against Rockwall’s Dario Petrucelli, securing a second state championship to lead the Warriors to a sixth-place team finish with 59.5 points.