What did you get out of wrestling?
Looking back on wrestling, I'm going to say it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I'm going to take a lot from that. My work ethic was strengthened, and physically, I'm in the best condition of my life right now. And my best friends growing up are all on the wrestling team. There's nothing better than going on an overnight trip to a tournament and going to Cole Field House during the state tournament and hanging out with Eric Kohr and Jake Pace. Those were some of the greatest experiences of my life.
You talk about how difficult wrestling has been. Did anything funny happen this season that lightened your spirit?
Early in the season we wrestled Sherwood, and I actually wrestled a wrestler a weight down from me. I was struggling at that point in the season, and I managed to get penalized and disqualified from the match for not wrestling enough. I was called for stalling seven times. It was a River Hill record. It wasn't funny at the time, but it has become funny. My coach and teammates have teased me about it all season.
Do the skills from your three varsity sports cross over from one to the other?
A lot of the skills overlap. In wrestling, my conditioning, my strength and muscles in my arms and thighs have helped a lot, and you have to use your body as a unit in wrestling. It all has to work together. You have to know where your hands and feet are and where they're moving. It definitely helps in lacrosse, especially in faceoffs, because I'm able to be aware of the ball and use my hands and feet to drive my opponent off and get the ball for our team.
And also in lacrosse. In football, I'm a tight end and primarily used for blocking, which is similar to playing defense in lacrosse. The hand movement has to be right. Your hands have to be on an opposing player just right, just like you have to have your hands right on your stick in lacrosse to be able to block them away from the goal. In each sport it's all about technique.
Did you set goals in each sport for this year?
I was not expecting the seasons I've had. I made the All-State football team, was second in the state wrestling tournament. I would have liked to have had that state title in wrestling, but I wasn't able to finish that. A great goal for me would be to make All-County, All-Region and All-State honors in lacrosse. That would be awesome. That would make my year.
Do you have a college picked out for next year?
I have no decisions back from my applications yet. I'm really hoping for Vanderbilt, Boston College and Lehigh. But I also like Columbia and Wake Forest.
What do you want to major in?
Right now, I'm leaning toward engineering, but that may change, based on classes I take in college and what I like.
Have you been recruited in any of your three sports?
I would love to compete in a sport in college, but most of my success has come during this, my senior year. Recruiters are usually interested in underclassmen, so I haven't gotten that many looks.
