For this week’s male Athlete of the Week brought to you by Palisade Dino Mart, we have chosen six wrestlers. Senior Julian Tautua’a, Senior Titus Steele, Sophomore Teagan Young, Sophomore Tobyn Trottier, Freshman Eli Bency, and Freshman Kadin Mulford are our Palisade wrestlers who have qualified for the state tournament on February the 15th. Juice is in the heavyweight class, Titus is in the 190 lb weight class, Teagan is in the 106, Eli is in the 144, Tobyn is in the 215, and Kadin is in the 120. These six wrestlers have put in so much work and dedication to get to where they are today.
Diving into their backgrounds on wrestling, the boys shared what got them started. “This is my first year wrestling,” said Julian. “The people around me got me into wrestling and the adults really pushed me to do it.” Titus added, “I have been wrestling since seventh grade. I thought it would be fun to toss another slice on the cake. It has also been a big part of my family.” Family and friends play a big role in a lot of these young athlete’s wrestling lives. “I have been wrestling for six years and my dad got me started,” said Teagan. Tobyn, who has been wrestling since he was five, and Kadin, who has also been wrestling since he was five, have both been inspired to wrestle by their dads. Lastly, Eli shared, “This is my second year wrestling and Kadin got me into wrestling.”
Throughout the years, these boys have learned to love the sport and the relationships that come with it. “My favorite thing about wrestling is getting to meet new people,” said Julian. Titus has come to love the sport itself. “I have focused on having fun while wrestling,” said Titus. Teagan connected with Titus in a way and added, “My favorite thing about wrestling is beating up on people.” Other than wrestling, Eli enjoys doing it with his teammates. “My favorite thing is the team and just having fun.” Tobyn added off of Eli saying, “My favorite thing is all of the friends that you make and how much we mess around with each other, as well as just going out there and smoking it up.” Kadin connected and said, “My favorite things are the relationships I have made and just having fun.”
These boys have learned so much over the years and have created such a great team through bonding together. Congratulations on qualifying for state and the hard work they put into their sport!
