Prep of the Week: Jack Krier

(ABC 6 News) — Every school year, Jack Krier has continued to become a better wrestler on the mat.

After finishing as a state medalist in his freshman and sophomore years, it only seems logical that this year he does it again.

“These last few weeks I really worked on being confident in myself and getting after it,” Krier stated. “Previous few weeks, getting into the season I haven’t been wrestling the way I wanted to and then this last weekend I really opened up and started wrestling how I’m capable of.”

Jack has been trending in the right direction so far, he’s solidified his #3 Class AA ranking with a first-place victory over Cannon Falls’ Calvin Singewald — the #4 Class AA wrestler — during the Bi-State Classic on December 30 in La Crosse.

“That kid kind of stepped over the top, he had a great move,” Krier said of his opponent. “I just kept wrestling there, I didn’t stop and I was able to hit a peek out and score there.

“A lot of people would’ve stopped there and probably gotten taken down and lost,” Mark Krier, Z-M assistant coach and Jack’s father added. “He believed in himself, if you look at his body language, his body language was good. He got into that overtime, it wasn’t like, ‘Aw, I’m in overtime.’ I think he just had a positive attitude.”

Jack finished 6th in the 120-lb category at state last season. But with speed and smarts on the mat, a top-3 finish this time certainly seems within reach in a season chock-full of challenges.

“Jack is I think an extremely smart wrestler,” Mark further mentioned. “He really knows different positions, but I think his best quality is he can scramble. You might think he’s going to get taken down and he’ll find a way to come out on top. Pretty high-level for a 17-year-old kid.

Even as no match is easier than the last, the one loss Jack cannot afford to take is against himself which he’s been very mindful of. He knows not to get too ahead of himself and simply take charge of the match. As long as he stays the course, he’ll continue to be a force for a little while longer.

“Just getting one percent better every day,” Jack concluded. ” You just got to have that attitude going into practice. ‘How am I going to get better, how am I going to get to that — reach that goal that I want to get to?”