Hours and hours, days and days, even years upon years is how much time is dedicated to a singular sport; time spent strictly towards wrestling and preparing for this exact moment. But with the wrestling team’s season coming to an end, one athlete finds himself preparing for an even tougher and challenging experience: Masters. This tournament, lasting two days, is packed with only the best wrestlers from the Sac-Joaquin Section. This year, Masters will be held in the Stockton Arena Feb. 23-24. It’s an accomplishment enough to be invited, but winning, that’s an even harder accomplishment to achieve. Cole Kachmar participated in Masters in 2017, but this year he hopes to advance even further in the tournament than he did last time.

Q: What weight class are you in?

A: I am in the 126 weight class.

Q: How many people are in your weight class?

A: At Masters there are 32 wrestlers.

Q: How did you prepare prior to the season?

A: I trained in the gym a lot to get myself back into my groove and get my body into the shape it needed to be in. I also ran frequently to get my weight down as much as possible.

Q: How did that help you during the season?

A: Well it definitely put me into the shape I needed to be in, but mostly it helped me push ahead of a lot of the other wrestlers I competed against.

Q: How are you preparing for post-league? How is it different from your regular practice and preparation?

A: I’ve mainly been working on just my mindset. I have to make sure my mind is prepared even more than my body.

Q: What can you take away from Masters last year?

A: I need to not give up any easy points because that’s what hurt me last year. I also need to be working harder than the other people to make sure I come out on top.

Q: Do you have wrestling plans after high school?

A: Yes, I’ll be wrestling at Sierra College for two years.

Q: How has the season been knowing it’s your final season of high school wrestling?

A: I have mixed feelings about it; like it’s sad yet I’m happy it’s coming to an end. It’s not ending quite yet, I’m just moving on.

by CAMERYN OAKES