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SUPERIOR — When Superior’s Connor Kreuger took to the mat last week against a wrestler from Cameron Jan. 12, he was a little more nervous than usual.
The Spartan senior knew he was sitting on 99 career wins and the next victory would be his 100th win, the wrestling equivalent of 1,000 career points in basketball.
“Going into it I was pretty excited,” Krueger said. “I knew I just had to end it quick. All my teammates were around watching the match and when I pinned him, we all went crazy — it was really cool.”
Spartan coach Bob Coleman said Krueger wrestles year-round, traveling to camps and tournaments across the Midwest.
“He just loves wrestling,” Coleman said. “He has fun with it, which is hard to do in wrestling because it’s a pretty grueling sport — mentally and physically.”
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Krueger agreed that wrestling could be tough, but he tries to embrace the challenge his sport offers.
“In wrestling, you really have to find the fun with the challenge,” Krueger said. “You’re really pushing yourself every single day at practice, making weight and when it comes to match time, it’s only you out there…You can’t blame your teammates or anything, it’s just you, so it’s really finding fun in the challenge.”
Coleman said Krueger is a quick, strong competitor who can “grind kids down” on the mat, but his growth-focused approach is what sets him apart.
“He’s just a good kid that makes good decisions and that all adds up,” Coleman said. “One reason he makes it fun is because he understands it’s growth. He focuses on the growth and not the results — growing as an athlete, as a person and a wrestler. He looks at it that way, it’s growth to him win, lose or draw.”
