After taking two years off of wrestling, Isaiah Schannep won the championship at the DI tournament at Franklin Elk Grove High School Feb 9. He later moved onto the State Tournament, but fell short because he did not feel prepared.

Q: How did it feel to win the championship at the DI tournament and be ranked #1 in the section?

A: Winning the DI championships was cool, but I just imagined it as any other tournament. I did think it was awesome to be #1 at Masters, although I got robbed in the finals match due to bad reffing. He made some really bad calls and if I had a different ref, I would’ve beat the kid. I felt dominant and was pushing the pace the whole match, whereas the kid just kind of sat there and stalled the whole time. I would score points by takedown and the ref didn’t give me some of them even though I had them.

Q: How did you do in the State Tournament?

A: It was my first high school state experience. I took a two year break from wrestling and just came back this season, so I wasn’t prepared and fell short this year at State, but I’ll be ready for sure next season to bring some heat.

Q: What would you say you need to improve on the most for next season so you can make it to State?

A: My weakness was technique, I was a bit rusty this season.

Q: What was your biggest strength this season?

A: My biggest strength is my cardio. I would go run in the mornings and at night, after wrestling practice to cut weight and to stay in shape.

Q: What was your favorite moment from this season?

A: My favorite memory this season was winning outstanding wrestler at the Joe Rios Memorial Classic and also qualifying for State.

Q: How did your coaches help you get where you are?

A:  I had a blast with my coaches this year. I got to hang out and bond with them and began to look at them more as family rather than teachers. My coaches were very supportive and were willing to help me out with carpool and extra workouts in the morning. Coach Vincent Perez is a great scout. He looks out for my opponents and tries to find out what moves they like to pull off which helps me out a lot because then I get a feel for how the opponent wrestled right away and I know what’s coming.

Q: How did your teammates change your season?

A: My teammates were awesome because they showed so much love and support for me and they really respected my passion for wrestling.