McCall Takes Third Straight State Title

On Saturday, Jesuit’s Draven McCall took home his third title in a row at the FHSAA State Championships in Kissimmee, Florida. Thanks to his first-place finish and 27.5 points overall, the 165-pound senior led the Jesuit Tigers to claim the 2A number two spot in the state behind Somerset High School over the weekend.

McCall’s victory by 2-0 decision over Lake Gibson’s Husam Mustafa gives the three-time state champion and Hernando County resident a dominant 41-3 record, and only one of those losses was to an in-state opponent. Draven quickly avenged that loss at the same tournament. *

Following the Knockout Christmas Classic, which Draven’s father Shane referred to as “the toughest in-season tournament in the state every year,” McCall emerged victorious from the Cradle Cancer Tournament in Jensen Beach.

The wrestler he defeated in that tournament’s final (Kalias Nazario, Mater Lakes Academy) would go on to be the 1A 165 champion at states over the weekend. When asked what he felt was his son’s greatest area of growth since freshman year, Shane offered a pair of answers.

Comfortability within Jesuit’s system was the first. As opposed to some sports where coaching staffs may change frequently, Draven has had the opportunity to become accustomed to every nuance of the Tigers’ process because the wrestling staff has remained consistent. As a result:

“The biggest area of growth was that he became so acclimated to exactly what the coaches were coaching him,” Shane said. “You see the comfort level. It became second nature. Instead of thinking of doing, he was just doing.”

McCall has also grown physically. Draven began his high school career as a 5’7”, 113-pound freshman. He is now 6 feet tall and weighs 165 pounds. Due to his steady growth from ninth to twelfth grade, he has risen through the weight classes to win a different division every year.

This meant that Draven did not face the same opponents each year as many do. “We got like a new slate of opponents every year because he grew every year,” his father said.

Draven has proven to be a dominant wrestler for the Tigers, as he has racked up well over 100 varsity wins and amassed an impressive 16-1 postseason record. In addition to being a three-time state champion, McCall is also a four-time placer at states, a three-time regional champion, a four-time district champion, and was named a Fargo All-American.

The four-year varsity starter also helped Jesuit to take two IBT State Championships (2022,2024) as well as a Dual Team Championship in 2025. With five athletes in the state finals in the last two years, Draven’s father credited Jesuit’s mindset as a “huge component” for the team’s success.

“They don’t really worry about anybody else,” he said. “They don’t worry about what the opponent is doing. They don’t worry about what that kid is good at. They just get back in the room and train the things they are being taught to learn and go out and use those things to win.”

The accomplished senior has committed to wrestle for Division 1 for West Point Military Academy next year.

*At the Knockout Christmas Classic, Draven McCall lost in overtime in the first bout before winning 2-1 in his rematch and placing third overall.