Omaha, NE- The Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Program produced a pair of All-Americans during their preseason trip to Des Moines. This past weekend they sent six wrestlers to Omaha to participate in AAU’s Winter National Championship, which saw the club decorate the trophy room.
Cooper Mason and Karter Ettinger both put together two great matches but fell just short of their goals, while Kolton Kruger started his weekend out with a pin in his first match, unfortunately he fell in the next two matches ending his run for the podium.
In the 8U 80-pound division, Damian Manning broke out onto the scene and sprinted his way to the finals but lost his two matches of the tournament to claim 3rd place. Head coach Nick Ettinger is excited for the future of Manning,
“Damian’s future is bright, as he grows into his athleticism and ability he will continue to do very well in wrestling, it’s been a pleasure to travel with him and watch him get better as we go!”
Kenai Mason was looking to improve upon his 7th place finish at the preseason nationals and worked his way into the semifinals. Unfortunately, Mason would be sent to the 5th place match after losing to the eventual 3rd place winner. Despite the setback, Mason would snatch the 5th place medal for the 10U 90-pound division.
“Kenai continues to face adversity head on, in life and in the practice room” said coach Ettinger. “His maturity and ability in comparison to a few months ago is more than remarkable. Kenai is a great wrestler, a great role model, and a great teammate. Our team is very proud of him!”
All that was left for the club was to win a title and that rested on Kamden Ettinger’s shoulders. It was clear he was not satisfied with taking 4th place at the preseason national championships, attending four to five practices a week between Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club, DC Elite South, DC Elite Lone Tree, and MPYWC’s Premier Program Iron Panther Wrestling to make sure previous mistakes were not repeated.
Ettinger made quick work of his competition to earn his way to the semifinals prompting a thriller where he was able to sneak away with an overtime takedown to move on to the finals. Not only was it a chance to make all the hard work worth it but also a shot at redemption, as a year ago his championship hopes were foiled at the Tulsa finals.
Ettinger did not waste his shot as he clinched an impressive 5-0 shutout victory to claim the National Championship. For coach Ettinger, this was a special victory,
“There’s a lot of things I can say about Kamden and why he’s different but what always sticks out the most is his willingness to work hard. He is always ready to work way past discomfort with the goal of being the best wrestler ever. Kamden met Spencer Lee this fall in Iowa City and made sure to let him know his goal is to be better than Spencer himself. While we all laughed and understand that’s a lofty goal, my hope is that his hard work produces his goals in the future. He’s a kind kid, a great student, and an amazing athlete! His mom and I couldn’t be prouder that he is bringing this title back to Mount Pleasant and his team!”
It has been a collaborative effort all the way from the high school varsity boys’ head coach Anthony Blint to the parent volunteers and everyone that has committed time to the Mt. Pleasant Youth Wrestling Club, they continue to see a return on their investment with record-breaking seasons and a continuance of high-level performance on the mat.
The future is bright for wrestling in Mt. Pleasant.