Junior Zach Stinnett has always seen himself as a baseball player. It’s the sport that he identifies the most with and the one he would prefer to play over any other. But in the past year, wrestling has had more and more of a role in his life.

Making varsity sophomore year, his first year trying out for the team, Stinnett has shown his ability. He finished fourth at regionals and competed at many varsity meets during his sophomore year.

Although he has seen a lot of success, every loss makes an impact on Stinnett.

“Losing a match sucks,” Stinnett said. “It’s just you that loses as opposed to a team taking a loss.”

Even though wrestling is more of an individual sport, Stinnett sees the memories made during wrestling practices and meets as bonding the team together.

“I enjoy the companionship with the other wrestlers,” Stinnett said. “My favorite memory was during my sophomore year. Trey Johnson was acting like a monkey jumping around the gym at the Johnson County Classic.”

Stinnett sees his hard work as the thing that sets him apart from other wrestlers. He estimates that he will practice for 12 hours every school week. To prepare for meets, Stinnett has to attend zero hour every morning and keep his weight down in order to be able to compete in his weight class.

“I have to eat less than I normally do and stay hydrated,” Stinnett said.

Staying healthy has been a problem for Stinnett this year. He suffered from pneumonia and had to miss many practices and preparations for the season. Regardless, Stinnett feels that he is prepared for the season.

“I just missed practice,” Stinnett said. “But I’m back to healthy. It was hard to breath at the beginning, but my breathing is coming back.”