| I started wrestling at Mattson during my 9th
grade year and absolutely loved it. During my sophomore year
at Kentwood I wrestled with the junior varsity and got into
some big tournaments on the varsity level. It was through
hard work and the grace of the coaches that I managed to
earn a varsity letter for my sophomore year. Throughout my
junior year I attained high placings in various tournaments,
but the highlight of my junior year was that I placed fifth
at districts, making me an alternate for regionals. Despite
being injured or sick for the majority of my senior season,
I did manage to place sixth at Pac-coast, second at
districts, second at regionals, but totally barbequed at
state (0-2), which was truly disappointing for me. |
|
Justin was a wrestler who defined the term "hard worker."
As a bit of an undersized heavyweight, Justin was able to
outthink and outwork his way to numerous close victories.
Justin had his fair share of pins, but he was known for his
gutsy overtime wins. One of Justin's biggest wins came
in the dual against Kentlake where he wrestled previously
unbeaten (and later state placer) Jared Walsh, who bumped up
to try and take out the "Big Shew." Justin dominated
the match, essentially sealing the match and only Kentwood's
2nd league title since our inception. While Justin was
a superb state-caliber wrestler, he was even more impressive
as a captain and person, helping lead by example and
sometimes by words as well. He is someone who is
definitely missed in our program, and we look forward to
having him back in our room anytime he can make it. -Coach Sroka,
Anderson, and Anderson |
