Years of dedication to the sport and passion for wrestling are keys for success on the mat, as proven by the achievements of the athletes who have made the sport part of their lives.

  “Dedication and hard work on and off the mat is what it takes to be a passionate wrestler,” junior Dallas Larsen said.

  Some wrestlers were introduced at a young age which helped grow their interest and passion of wrestling.

  “The earlier you can start the quicker you can get the basics and start to master the rest of sport and get good at the sport.” head coach Jared Steenburgen said

  “I was introduced by my dad when I was younger and it helped grow my passion for the sport” sophomore Kolby Estes said. “I started practice at the age of four and began to compete at the age of five.”

  Estes is ranked fourth in the state in the 152 weight class, according to missouriwrestling.com, and is 30-2 for the season.

 Larsen started wrestling young as well (about 7 or 8).  

 Recently, Larsen defeated the second ranked wrestler in the state, Tristan Blair from Lathrop High School. He is 22-4 for the season at the 120 weight class.

  “I knew he was going to be good but I just went into the match like I normally would,” Larsen said.

  According to missouriwrestling.com Larsen is now ranked fourth in the state, but he doesn’t let that high status influence his performance.

  “Rankings don’t matter because anyone can be beat but it does feel good,” Larsen said.

Larsen made his first state appearance his freshman year.

  “I was a freshman making to state so it was neat but I wanted to do better,” Larsen said.

  “The thing that made me so passionate about wrestling is seeing the state wrestling stadium for the first time,” Larsen said.

  Junior Nate Fauquier also experienced the state wrestling tournament last year. He is currently 25-8 in the 220 weight class.