Lone Jack teen Jax Cromwell carries US flag at Beach Wrestling World Championships

LONE JACK, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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Lone Jack isn’t anywhere near a beach, but that didn’t stop Jax Cromwell, a 2025 Mules graduate, from becoming a rising star for USA Wrestling’s Beach Wrestling Team during the last year, giving him a chance to see the world.

"One of my biggest dreams actually is to travel the world, so to do it through the sport I love is just amazing," Cromwell said.

Cromwell, 19, competed last month at the 2026 Beach Wrestling World Championships in Katerini, Greece, where he was chosen as the U.S. team's flag bearer.

He competes in the USA Beach Wrestling 90+ kilogram division, both as a U-20 athlete and in regular events.

“Never in a million years would I think a kid from a small town in Missouri would ever be able to get to do something like that, so I'm definitely blessed and honored to be able to represent our country in that way,” Cromwell said. “... It was just an amazing honor.”

While Lone Jack is a long way from the beach, it is where Cromwell grew to love wrestling. His high school coach, Ben Call, recalled recognizing Cromwell's potential early after he decided not to play basketball in high school.

"Big kid, very athletic — got him out into some open mats, and then the rest is basically history after that," Call said.

Cromwell discovered beach wrestling through a teammate at Doane College in Nebraska last year and it was a breath of fresh air.

“All my life wrestling, I've always thought about the success,” he said. “I've always been fixated on winning and the outcome. When it came to this, it was just fun. I loved it. I did it because it made me happy, and I think that's the switch that flipped in my head and why I became so successful in it. It actually made me happy, so I just picked it up and ran with it.”

Cromwell said the experience in Greece — which he noted was the birthplace of wrestling, the world’s oldest sport — went beyond the competition itself.

"Even apart from the wrestling, it was definitely a breathtaking experience,” he said. “Something you know I'll never forget.”

Call said watching Cromwell grow from a freshman to a world championships competitor has been deeply rewarding.

"There were definitely moments that we've shared with him being a high school kid and getting into a little bit of things here and there, but he trusted me. ... I never gave up on him, and he never gave up on me being a coach to him and leading him the right direction, the right path. Just seeing the growth, from where he came in as a freshman and now being able to travel over to Greece, gave me so much joy. That's basically a boy becoming a man.”

It sets an incredible example for other Mules wrestlers, which he now helps coach, and kids in the Lone Jack community.

"The opportunities that are out there for these kids that are from Lone Jack and are so in this fishbowl, they don't get to see the outside world and understand, ‘Hey, there are tons of opportunities out there. You just have to be willing to go take them,’” said Call, who has coached the Mules boys wrestling team for a decade and will transition exclusively to coaching the girls team this winter.

Cromwell isn’t finished either. In fact, he’s just getting started.

“I actually got some recent news from my (USA Wrestling) coaches that they're going to be taking me on the World Series in 2027,” Cromwell said. “I'm going to spend the entire year traveling the world. I'm going to go to every single stop in the World Series. There will be five stops, as well as the Pan American Championships in Peru.”

Between meets, Cromwell has been invited to train with other USA Wrestling athletes, several Kansas and Missouri area colleges and even with teams in Europe.

Cromwell said beach wrestling is a fast-paced version of the sport, complicated by fighting for traction inside the sandy circle used for matches.

Opponents score a point anytime they get an opponent to touch anything other than a hand or foot to the ground. The first to three points wins.

"The match can end in 5 seconds with a three-point throw, feet to back, right," Cromwell said. "You get taken down; they get a point. You get pushed out; they get a point. You get thrown to your back; match is over."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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