Student wrestler takes second at state

“I would say my main mindset while competing was taking it one match at a time.You gotta have a lot of discipline to make it that far and even to just place.” State wrestler Dylan Whitt said.

Whitt placed second in State, winning three out of four matches, losing in the finals. As well as Landon Shaul and Rylee Barnet qualifying for state. 

Whitt’s semi finals match definitely goes in the books as Dylan was ranked #6 seed while his competitor was ranked #2 seed. A huge move put Whitt up 6-2, and ended up winning the match at 7-5, which put him in the state finals. 

In Whitt’s final match in the state finals, he competed the returning state champ, ultimately losing the match but getting second place for his weight class. 

Although Whitt lost in the finals, he stays positive. “You know, I’m so glad I got to feel one of the best kids in the nation.” Whitt said.

Dylan was thinking about winning throughout his competition. We collectively had a game plan for Dylan for each match, and he knew what he had to do to be successful. He is a good competitor, and at the state tournament, that gets you a lot further than technique in most cases. His mindset of capitalizing on every opportunity improved greatly from the 1st round match,” coach Colby Grothoff said.

Whitt’s ambitious goals and determination for next year’s wrestling season is a necessity for his ongoing years as a wrestler. Whitt said he knows that even though he lost the state finals, his experience will help him win in the future. Now I have an idea how good I’m gonna need to be to win it next year.” Whitt said. 

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