Don’t expect Austin Hood to feel too nervous when he walks out onto the mat for the first time during Friday’s Class 4A state wrestling tournament in Salina.
Those nerves were gone two state championships ago and have been replaced with confidence and determination. The Louisburg senior is going for his third consecutive state crown and has his eye on an undefeated season.
If that wasn’t nerve-racking enough, should Austin win the state championship at 126 pounds, he would have also picked up 150 wins in his high school career — a mark that is not achieved by many.
Before the season even started, Austin’s goal was to go for that undefeated season, the one thing that has eluded him in his two state championship and three state medal career. At 36-0, he is just four wins away from 40 in a season and 150 for his career.
“He is already all over the Louisburg High School record books,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said of Austin. “He could be our first four-year state medalist, and he is our first multi state champion. I know Tim Dozier went undefeated in the ’80s, but to finish undefeated in 2012 would be amazing.
“We compete at tough tournaments, and he has seen some stacked competition. Austin is almost a professional out there, and he is not letting the pressure get to him.”
It would be easy for Austin to become overconfident. In his previous 36 matches, he hasn’t really been tested. He did have an overtime win over Lansing’s Michael Olson in the championship round of the Wildcat Classic in early January, but Austin hasn’t let an opponent get that close again.
He is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his weight class and a lot of people’s favorite to win another state crown.
To win three state championships is something not a lot of high school wrestlers can accomplish. Only the elite few can hold that status.
It will be hard-pressed to imagine that Louisburg will see another talent like Austin for a long time. Austin has won 84 of his last 85 matches to go along with the three state medals.
There will undoubtedly be state champions in the future, but Austin Hood’s name will be a fixture in the Wildcat record books for years to come.
— Andy Brown can be reached at 837-4321 or andybrown@miconews.com
