Through escapes, forfeits, takedowns and with every win or loss, Xavier Arroyo still chooses to stand back up, persevering through the ranks and levels of wrestling.

The coaches at Grant Community High School hold high expectations in wrestling. With being ranked #5 in the 3A ranking system of IHSA, wrestling is no easy sport. There have been people training for years– one might think it’s too late to start an activity that’s so high-intensity. 

Yet, there have been some hidden gems within Grant. Some people have a long standing athletic talent to do wrestling, getting onto varsity with ease, impressing the coaches and being valued quickly to benefit the team, such as sophomore Arroyo. He started wrestling last year with a strong start of his season. Arroyo has spent these past few years working through whatever is thrown at him within the wrestling community, showing confidence 

within his abilities to prove to the coaches why he’s a good candidate. Erasing his past sports to commit himself to the wrestling room, he earned his spot as 3rd in state. He has spent 13 hard years becoming the best he can be, expanding further past his expectations and climbing his way to the top of the podium.

Hard-work and experience can dim your passion for your sport, but as Arroyo explains, “Just have fun, don’t think about it too much.” Wrestling isn’t just how strong you are against your opponent– wrestling requires a strong head, as well with tight focus. When on the mat, there’s nothing else on your mind, it’s only you and your opponent. 

There’s many ways wrestling can change somebody as a person, but Arroyo claims that wrestlin

g has only helped him with both his sport and his everyday life. Tackling his opponents head-on and taking his discipline off the mat to better himself, Arroyo has expressed that standing out to coaches to get onto wrestling doesn’t ju

st depend on how good somebody can be as a wrestler. Keeping a good attitude, helping others be better and putting up with the hard challenges that he might face in wrestling are all important too. “Playing other sports

made me realize that wrestling is my thing. Nothing else.”

Wrestling is a tough sport, with plenty of intimidation. Arroyo has managed to deal with this head-on and take over the mat. Overall, Arroyo is noticeably a hard worker, building himself from the ground up, conquering the many challenges on and off the mat.