Mat Time

The end of a wrestler’s season is determined by how far they went, and the sacrifices they made to get there. In wrestling, the postseason consists of a series of individual tournaments, each progressing in skill level and intensity. In order to keep your season alive, one must be able to place in each one to move on to the next. In particular, one wrestler’s journey during the postseason turned out to be the longest, as well as the toughest. Out of his 13 teammates that made it to CIF, Tyrell Rogers was the only one to prevail onto the prestigious Masters Meet.

Tyrell Rogers is a Junior at San Dimas High School. Along with being on the varsity football team, Rogers is currently in his 3rd year of wrestling. This year, he is on Varsity, wrestling at 160 pounds. In an interview, he was able to describe the preparation leading up to the tournament, as well as his time at the action-packed event.

How were the practices leading up to Masters different from a normal day of practice?“There was a lot of work put in the week of the tournament. Hard drilling and constant conditioning. They were the toughest practices I’d ever had. Not to mention it was just me at practice, along with 2 of my teammates that were practicing with me so I’d have someone to work with.”

What was it like being the only one to qualify for Masters? “The feeling was different, I didn’t really like it to be honest. I didn’t like being the only one practicing, and I would have much rather had the whole team make it so they could practice with me.”

What was some advice that you were given that really stuck with you? “My coach, Coach Jim, not only kept telling me to wrestle smart and hard but if I were to just go out there and wrestle the way I wrestle, I’d do great. And he was right.”

What was it like walking into the tournament? Were you nervous? “Walking in I was pretty nervous, and it didn’t help that everyone was like 10 times bigger than me, but once I sat down I was able to calm myself and get focused.”

How did you do? Were you happy with your performance? “I won a match and lost 2. There was some good competition out there and overall I’m proud of how I wrestled, but there always room for improvement next year.”

Who or what was your biggest motivation this season? “My girlfriend Anika was definitely one of my biggest motivations during the season, showing up to my matches and cheering me on. Towards the off-season, the reality hit that I have a chance to really go far and make a name for myself and the team, and that thought alone also helped push me.”

Lastly, what is something you would say to anyone thinking about joining wrestling? “It’s definitely worth a try, but it’s not meant for everyone. It’s important that if you do end up sticking with it not to get discouraged. You’re gonna lose, but it’s about learning from the losses that make you get better.”