With wrestling season over, the team prepares for its offseason, and teammates head off to other sports. One player; though, will walk away a champion.

Junior Chase Roth ended his season on a good note after winning his third state championship in wrestling.

“It took a lot of hard work,” Roth said, “but in the end it payed off.”

Before he could even make it to the state level though, he had to practice hard throughout the season.

“Everyone had to wake early in the morning everyday and be at the school around 6:20,” junior Cooper Richter said, “We start out with by rolling out the mats, followed by a jog, then we just drill over and over and over.”

After all the training, he had to go trough multiple tournaments in order to make it to the top.

“Everyone has to weigh in to make sure that they’re following regulations for the match,” Richter said, “then everyone will get their number. When they call your number you’ll go to your match. If you win, you get to move on. If you lose, you’ll have to go to the losers bracket, and if you lose twice you’re done.”

Roth has been wrestling for over 10 years and has won multiple tournaments in wrestling. All those years of practiced also helped him be ready for this state match.

“Even though I already won the past two years,” Roth said, “I still had to prepare myself for this match. It took lots of mental and physical preparation for me to know I’d be ready.”

Even with his training, Roth wasn’t completely ready for his match and still had some concerns.

“Before the match,” Roth said, “I was still feeling pretty nervous about it, even with all of the preparation I had done before it.”

After he won, he knew it wasn’t any less special even though it was his third state win.

“I felt like it was all worth it,” Roth said, “It was rewarding to see that all the hard work wasn’t for nothing.”