Prep of the Week: Lucas Oldenkamp

(ABC 6 News) — When you think of a bulldog, perhaps you may also think of adjectives like fierce and intense.

These are the kinds of qualities you’ll find in Lucas Oldenkamp, an upstart and always pursuant wrestler for the Lake Mills Bulldogs. He’s fresh off winning the 106-lb category during the Dan Maher Invitational in Blue Earth on December 3.

“I’m still hungry,” Oldenkamp noted. “I want to do better than I did last season. Obviously, there’s room to improve everywhere.”

The sophomore continues to commit himself to the mat, especially after reaching state as a freshman back in February. But his dissatisfaction with finishing 1-2 in Des Moines has driven him to expand and adjust his offensive arsenal.

“Instead of just shooting the same takedown over and over again, [I] try to hit different set-ups and different shots,” Oldenkamp explained. “Fake shots and clubs, for example, like faking to the outside and then hitting a high crotch.”

“Last year, he mainly shot a single, outside single, and a fireman’s carry,” Bulldogs wrestling head coach Alex Brandenburg recounted. “But he’s working on a low single and on top, he’s been working on more moves, cradles, anything just so people can’t scout him as much.”

But just as important is not beating himself as wrestling is mental as often as it is physical.

“Something I do is I don’t look at who I’m wrestling,” Oldenkamp said. “[I] don’t care who I’m wrestling, just go out there and wrestle everyone the same.”

Nevertheless, Oldenkamp is proving to be the exact kind of Bulldog Lake Mills wrestling needs. His aggressiveness is an indication of his ceiling and an example that Coach Brandenburg wants to see across the board. The hope is that next February, it won’t be just a few Bulldogs, but a whole pack at State.

“He puts in so much more time than probably any kid we have,” Coach Brandeburg affirmed. “That eye-of-the-tiger mentality, it means a lot to him. And he wants to do well and you can see that.”