Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Panther wrestling program has been on the rise the last several years and helping them get to that point was Charlie Bohnenkamp, who signed his letter of intent to join Southeastern Community College (SCC), a program just getting its start.
Reflective of his new program, Bohnenkamp is also looking for a new start in West Burlington,
“Well, like, honestly, my senior wrestling year didn’t go exactly as planned, and there’s a lot of regret there, and, like, the way that the whole season went, I’m just hoping for another last shot, if that makes sense, you know? Like, I’m hoping to make up for anything that happened with my senior year and anything I regret with that. And it’s right close to home.”
Bohnenkamp has gone 25-32 the last two seasons, as a late surge his junior campaign saw the Panther collect a win against Burlington to help seal Mt. Pleasant’s first conference banner in over a decade and later finish 4th at districts.
Unfortunately, that momentum did not follow him into his senior season, as he posted a 14-12 record and Mt. Pleasant finished third in the conference. Nevertheless, the true test of a competitor is how they respond to adversity and Bohnenkamp is ready to take advantage of the opportunity,
“Yeah, it’s nice because SCC is giving me a second chance. I’m thankful for that. I mean, I love wrestling. I like wrestling. Like, it’s something that makes me a better person every day, and I hope that it will continue to make me better.”
Though he is excited for the move to the collegiate level, Mt. Pleasant will always be a fond memory,
“Well, Mount Pleasant, that’s my family. Like, I love everybody on that team. That was—it was the hardest thing, say goodbye. And luckily, I don’t have to say goodbye to the sport now. But I’ve just—I’m thankful that I’ve been surrounded by such good people all through high school…And the coaches are great. I’ve loved my coaches all four years of high school.”
Bohnenkamp will be looking to earn a one-year degree in collision repair. He will also be joined by two teammates: Jefferson Avalos Ramirez and Juan Lopez.