As a coach, nothing is more rewarding than seeing kids "turn the corner” or “hit their stride”. The past few weeks Grant has really gained a lot of traction. His wrestling IQ is mushrooming along with his confidence. Unfortunately, at State, Grant got caught up in the first match jitters and lost a match he shouldn’t have (Wahl quarterfinal). After a slow start in his second match, he made the conscious decision to turn things around and earned his first State win (Gjefle consolation round 1). He also earned a spot on the podium and two more matches. In his third match, he wrestled well but couldn’t rebound from some early takedowns (Schmitz consolation semifinal). The loss led to a rematch from Friday morning with Wahl of Cadott (5th place match). This time Grant was the aggressor, scored first and earned the win. Even after the first match with Wahl, Grant felt he was the better wrestler and should have won. Looking back at his matches and the other match results from Grants’ state bracket it’s nice to see he can compete with the best in the state. Definitely, a confidence boost moving forward.
Wrapping up the season, I feel that although the team started slow, due to our youth and inexperience, we improved each week. Once we had some much needed live mat time and experience we looked better. We wrestled our best at the end of the season. Next season looks very positive and I have big expectations for this team. In wrestling, the two key components to success are, confidence and desire. Having two state place winners in the room with Grant and Griffin will help everyone’s confidence. Seeing their teammates succeed and watching them compete at a high level will fuel their desire. This team is young, dedicated and very coachable.
Good things to come for Southern Door Wrestling.
2019 WIAA Individual State Results for Southern Door
D3-145
Grant Englebert (40-13) placed 5th and scored 6.0 team points.
Quarterfinal - Nelson Wahl (Cadott) 30-9 won by fall over Grant Englebert (Southern Door) 40-13 (Fall 4:35)
Cons. Round 1 - Grant Englebert (Southern Door) 40-13 won by decision over James Gjefle (Brookwood) 36-11 (Dec 8-5)
Cons. Semi - Logan Schmitz (Mineral Point) 37-6 won by decision over Grant Englebert (Southern Door) 40-13 (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match - Grant Englebert (Southern Door) 40-13 won by decision over Nelson Wahl (Cadott) 30-9 (Dec 3-1)
