For the second consecutive year, senior Maxfield Rotches represented McNeil at the state wrestling competition. While Rotches did not receive the result she wanted, she was happy with the work she put in
“It was really good to have gone before, because it wasn’t so daunting to walk in and see the ten mats that are all different colors and the rows and rows of seats,” Rotches said. “It was like I knew what I was in for.”
Rotches faced some frustrating moments during matches, particularly with officiating.
“The ref for my final match definitely upset me,” Rotches said. “There were parts where I should have been winning, but I wasn’t because the refs weren’t counting points, and it was just kind of surprising that it was like that at the state tournament.”
A top-five finish for Rotches remained elusive, but she was still proud of the work she put in to get there.
“I think that I am proud of the work that I did to get there, but my goal was to at least get top five, and I didn’t,” Rotches said. “But I definitely did my best and I put my all on the mat.”
The state tournament experience was more than just a test of athletic ability for Rotches, helping teach her the wealth of her experience.
“I love wrestling, wrestling has helped me become a better person,” Rotches said. “But it is not just who I am. I can have value as a person even though I didn’t achieve my goal in wrestling.”
Rotches hopes aspiring wrestlers will take the opportunity to give relentless effort.
“Your opponent is always working harder than you,” Rotches said. “And what I thought when things got difficult during practice and stuff is that however out of breath I am right now is nothing because the person who’s gonna try to beat me at state is working harder.”
Looking back on four years of wrestling, Rotches feels bittersweet.
“I think I’m gonna miss the repertoire that I’ve built over the years,” Rotches said. “Even if I continue to wrestle, I’m not gonna have the same team with the same people I’ve known for four years. It’s gonna be a big transition. I’m gonna go back to being the freshman that knows less than everybody.”
