The Rolla Wrestling Team has had tremendous success over the past few years. For the wrestlers placing in state qualifiers is a huge moment in their career.

Tristan Barr is a Senior on the wrestling team who placed 2nd two seasons ago in state qualifiers.

“It felt great to be the #2 kid in the state, but breaking my shoulder last year took me out. So coming back this season being ranked #1, you’ve got a target on your back so you just gotta keep fighting,” Barr said.

Wrestling is a difficult sport to compete in, there is a lot more to the sport than just going out onto the mat and performing your best. There is a whole mental aspect to it.

“I think it is one of the hardest things you can do because, you have to deal with all the mental side of it, and there is a team aspect of it but once you step out there on the line it’s just you and the other person and if you mess up it’s all on you,” junior Coleman Brainard said.

Wrestling in general is an extremely difficult sport to compete in and to compete at a state level requires a lot more than just going to the usual practice.

Gage Maxwell is a Senior on the wrestling team who placed 4th in state last season in state qualifiers.

“You have more to do than practice. sometimes you have to stay late, and other times you have to go on days you don’t even have a practice scheduled,”
Maxwell said.

Some wrestlers even go above and beyond in the off season and visit a club coach.

“I lift in the morning with my coach; I did that throughout the summer and I did camps and went to a club coach. Just a lot of extra things, to help maintain where I am and get even better than I was,” Brainard said.

Wrestling is a tough sport to compete in, and compared to other sports it shows just how simple wrestling can be.

“I think that wrestling is better than football or baseball, because Im probably the funkiest wrestler out there and I just go out there on the mat and do what I need to do to win,” Barr said.

At the end of the day these wrestlers have represented the Rolla athletics program well, placing in state qualifiers, and putting in the extra work shows how they got there.

Placing in state is a huge accomplishment and at the end of the day everyone is going for that #1 place.

“All I’ve got to say is that it’s my senior year here and I hope I leave my mark well here,” Barr said.