By BUTCH HARMON
Although Swan Valley sophomore KJ Suitor finished second at the Division 3 individual state finals, the future appears bright for him and his teammates.
Suitor finished second in the 112-pound weight class and ended the season with a 54-3 record.
“I was very excited to make the state finals,” Suitor said. “A lot of people don’t get that chance. I just tried to go out and execute the game plan. It was just disappointing it didn’t go like I wanted it to.”
Suitor was not the only Swan Valley wrestler to earn all-state honors. Fellow sophomore Matt Santos placed fourth at 125 pounds and ended the season with a 58-2 record. Junior Collin Dole placed third at 135 pounds and ended the year with a 53-6 record, while junior Sam McLean placed seventh at 145 pounds and ended the year with a 60-5 mark.
“We had three other guys make all-state, and I’m very proud of how they wrestled,” Suitor said. “All of the guys placed, and every one battled.”
With those wrestlers all returning next season, Swan Valley has some high expectations. “We have a bright future ahead of us,” Suitor said.
Suitor plans to use this year’s second-place finish as motivation to improve next year. “I finished seventh last year, and I used it as motivation this year,” he said. “Now I’m going to use second place this year as motivation to win a state championship next year.”