State B Tournament: Wrestling is `90 percent mental'

His motto is “Make a statement.” His goal is to make some history.

 When Tyson Mitzel of Aberdeen Roncalli steps onto the mat at the State B wrestling tournament this weekend, the junior will be in search of his school’s first state championship in nearly 40 years.

 “It’s always been a dream of mine to get up to the big stage and making something happen,” Mitzel said.

 Mitzel has been making something happen for the past couple of seasons. This past year, he broke the school record for career victories (currently at 175) and his only loss of the season came against a Class A foe.

 “Early on his career, he was very much a technician,” said Roncalli coach Justin Briese. “Now, he’s combining technique with muscle. He’s very aggressive with his moves now.”

 Mitzel always has been a student of the sport. He watches other wrestlers and also studies videos, finding ways to improve.

 “He doesn’t look for a lot of prompting from me. He looks to improve himself on his own,” Briese said. “He’s always constantly learning, picking up new moves.”

 This past off-season, Mitzel added more muscle to his 160-pound frame and became a lot stronger.

 “I do a lot of strength training in the summer,” Mitzel said. “Lifting weights is sometimes underrated. I can tell it definitely helps me out a lot.”

 Still, Mitzel believes it was a lack of conditioning that played a role in his only setback of the year when he lost to Reagon Francom of Huron. That match capped three straight days of wrestling for him and Mitzel felt it.

 “By the end of that, I was just tired,” he said.

 He went back to practice the following week and the real work started.

 Now, he feels more physically fit as he prepares for his biggest matches of the season.

 “I’m definitely trying to peak at the right time,” Mitzel said. “I started my mindset already: just get in there and take care of business. It’s just a matter of going in and focusing on one opponent at a time and doing what I need to do.”

 While Mitzel now has the strength, stamina and know-how to wrestle, it is having the proper frame of mind that helps to set him apart from other competitors.

 “Wrestling is about a 90 percent mental game,” Mitzel pointed out.

 Briese said he doesn’t need to say much to ensure that his top wrestler is ready to go each time he steps out on the mat.

 “It’s not too hard to keep him focused,” Briese said. “He’s pretty conscious about what he needs to do.”

 What he is trying to do is become the first Roncalli wrestler since the mid-1970s to capture a state title. Paul Eckrich was a state champ in 1974 and Bill Wall won a title in 1975.

 Mitzel made it to the semifinals of last year’s state tournament before succumbing to five-time state champion Alex Kocer of Wagner.

 “I kind of try to forget about that match, because I got pounded pretty bad,” Mitzel said. “Kocer was just an amazing tilter.”

 Despite a forgettable outcome, Mitzel remembers the tilting technique that Kocer employed and has added that to his own repertoire this season.

 Interestingly enough, Mitzel’s main competition this weekend could come in the form of Kocer’s brother, David, who also has lost just once this season.

 While Mitzel knows where Kocer is at in the draw, he is trying to keep things in perspective: “Knowing that I’m not going to see him unless I take care of my first matches first.”

 Getting a chance to wrestle in his hometown in front of his home fans is an added bonus.

 “It makes me more excited than nervous. I don’t really feel any pressure from anybody,” Mitzel said. “It does make a difference, because I know that a lot of my classmates will be there.”

 Like Mitzel, they will be there in anticipation of being a part of Roncalli wrestling history.

 “I’m very excited for it,” Mitzel said. “It’s something I’ve been waiting for ever since last year.”

 Mitzel appears he’s ready to “make a statement” and would love to end it with an exclamation point.