2011 Michigan Grappler HS Wrestler of The Year - Roger Wildmo
4/21 - The 2010-11 season has been a memorable one for Roger Wildmo
as the Durand senior has won his 3rd State Championship in addition to
winning the prestigous Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina and the Flo
Nationals in Ohio. Now, Wildmo can add one more honor to his resume,
the title of Michigan Grappler High School Wrestler of The Year.
Wildmo, who was the only Michigan wrestler to win the Super 32 last fall
and was also the only Michigander to win at the Flo Nationals, won the
online voting with over 50% of the more than 1,500 votes that were casted
and also landed more coach's votes than the other two finalists.
He won the honor over fellow 3x state champions Conor Youtsey of Mason
and Taylor Massa of St Johns.
"I feel honored to be chosen over this year's wrestlers who are not only
great wrestlers but also good friends of mine. Conor (Youtsey) was my
partner when I was at my lower weights and now Taylor Massa, as well as
Jordan Wohlfert, we all train together. We have all helped each other get to
where we are and their accomplishments speak for themselves as some
of the top wrestlers in the country," said Wildmo.
Wildmo becomes the fifth wrestler to hold the honor of Michigan Grappler
Wrestler of the Year, following in the foosteps of Jackson Morse (2010),
Dan Yates (2009), Ben Bennett (2008), and Justin Zeerip (2007).
"It feels awesome to be in the company of these guys (past winners) that were all great wrestlers and also great people," said Wildmo.
Wildmo has been well-known as one of Michigan's best wrestlers since being named to the first ever Michigan Grappler All-Future Youth Dream Team back in 2007. He emerged on the prep scene immediately, winning the Division 3 State Title at 112lbs his freshman year. He has made the state finals every year of his high school career, winning two state titles as a junior and senior, but has also steadily improved on the national scene throughout his career, which culminated this season with his Grappler Fall Classic, Super 32 and FloNational Titles. He finished his senior season ranked #2 in the country at 152lbs according to InterMat and credits his improvement and continued success at all levels to his wealth of coaching influences.
"Training with Rodger Massa has really helped me become a tougher wrestler with the way he trains and cares about us and Coach Tyler in Durand has helped me stay calm in big moments and always told me not to sweat the small stuff," said Wildmo. "Also coach Hittle would crack a joke and lighten the moment when I would tense up and helped me become more aggressive on my feet," said Wildmo who also credited Michigan wrestling greats such as Chris Williams, Roy Hall, Mitch Hancock, Paul Donahoe, and Jon Reader to his development as a wrestler.
In all three of the his national tournament wins this year, the
Grappler Fall Classic, Super 32, and FloNationals, Wildmo had to
out-last his opponents in hard-fought final matches. At the
Grappler Fall Classic he won a very physical barn burner with
Montana state champ Britton Thompson to earn Outstanding
Wrestler honors for the tournament. At the Super 32 he knocked
off Jason Tsirtis of Indiana who is ranked #1 in the country
currently at 140lbs. Then at the FloNationals he came back from a
4-1 1st period deficit to out-gun California State Champ Isaiah
Martinez. He credits his training and mental approach to this
ability to win big matches.
"Learning to keep my composure and not panic really helped me
in my matches at Flo, Super 32, and at the Grappler Fall Classic.
I had to come back from sizeable deficits in some finals matches
but kept working to score and outlast my opponents."
In today's wrestling culture the common trend seems to be that great wrestlers come from "wrestling families", however Wildmo is not such a case. He is the first member of his family to wrestle and he is the first one to thank his support system for following him and being by his side through his journey in this passionate sport.
"My family has been my biggest support for years. My cousin Tyler is the only other family member that wrestles and we have trained with each other for years. I will be expecting big things from his next year as a freshman. My mom supported me, made signs for me during my high school career and just always wanted to be there for me. My sister was the only one person to slither out of my cradle because of how skinny she was and the countless hours of traveling with my dad to practices and how he always found the best room and coaches for me was great, said Wildmo.
"I was the first in my family to wrestle and they learned the sport with me, therefore it made the whole experience that much more unique and special. I've had so many coaches throughout my career that it would be too many to list but they know who they are and I thank them for helping me during my career."
Wildmo will not be going far from his family, freinds, and coaches as he has signed to wrestle for Michigan State following the conclusion of his senior year at Durand. He says that his competetion schedule is still undecided for this summer, but wrestling in Fargo and Disney are both strong possibilties. As far as his future goals, he does not planning on slowing down.
"My goals in college are to obviously try and become a national champion and I would also like to go for Big 10 titles. However, first of all I just have to win my first match," he said. "My ultimate goal in wrestling would be to compete in the Olympics someday. I'm going into pre-med studies and hope to be a dermatologist. I'll have to work hard as always and stay focused on my goals to reach them. If I keep working to improve myself every day then reaching those goals should be more easily obtained."
As one chapter of Roger Wildmo's wrestling career comes to an end in Durand, the next will be getting started next fall in East Lansing and while his college accolades are still to be determined, the trend seems easy to predict - improvement, success, and handling himself with class.
Michigan Grappler High School Wrestlers of The Year
2011 - Roger Wildmo (Durand)
2010 - Jackson Morse (Lowell)
2009 - Dan Yates (Hesperia)
2008 - Ben Bennett (Rockford)
2007 - Justin Zeerip (Hesperia)
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