For the past 11 years, sophomore Jake Race has been a wrestler. Since Race has been in high school, he has competed for the varsity team, achieving multiple goals that he had set when he was a child.

The person who inspired Race, to what is now his greatest passion was his father. At the age of five, Race’s father became his coach, and taught him many lessons that he still keeps in mind while wrestling today. Although working with family can be hard, Race and his father are very close and whenever Race has a match, he is there to support him.

“I wrestle because when I have hard days it’s what keeps me going,” said Race. “My team always encourages me to do my best and never give up.”

Since Race has joined, he has accomplished many things with the assistance of his teammates whom he has become exceptionally close with. With the guidance from Race’s colleagues, he has learned new, difficult skills which helped him achieve his goal of making it to regional’s last year.

“Jake has come a long way from when he first started wrestling. He has not only grown as a wrestler, but also as a person,” said junior Trenton Metcalf. “He brings so much to our group, including athleticism, humor, a good attitude, and good looks.”

Being a part of a team can be challenging while in school, but Race is able to manage his time. He also receives good grades, and when he goes to practice, he shows up with a positive attitude and ready to work.

Since last year, Race has grown as a wrestler, but also a leader. He has shown support to his teammates while also presenting new skills to the team.

While Race has been waiting for tournaments to begin, he has been working hard and preparing for the upcoming season. Race desires to go to college for wrestling and hopes to attain an athletic scholarship.