Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Jed Blackwell

 

Often, a team’s senior leaders talk about progress requiring “a building project.”

Polk County wrestler Jacob Ed means it quite literally.

“I feel like we need more room,” he said. “We need a bigger mat room so more people can go at once. We have a lot bigger team than we did a few years ago, and it’s crowded in there.”

That one small disadvantage, though, is really an advantage for Polk County.

“It gives us a bunch of different looks we can show to people,” he said. “Having so many wrestlers is huge.”

It’s equaled a massive start for the Wolverines, who were undefeated this season before finishing third at Saturday’s Ugly Sweater Duals at Travelers Rest High School. Ed’s been a big part of that, as he claimed his 100th career victory earlier this month. He hopes the Wolverines are just getting started. 

“I think we’re getting better every day,” he said. “Every year, we’ve been coming back better, and I think this team is better than it’s been in a while. We have a really great future ahead of us.”

Ed’s happy to be included in that future. After starting wrestling in seventh grade at Polk Middle, he moved to West Henderson as a freshman and a sophomore before returning to Polk County last season. 

“Being back around the people I grew up around and back in the area that I’ve always been in is nice,” he said.

Ed’s also seen the growth of the program, and it’s something that he appreciates. 

“It’s a lot different than it was a few years ago,” he said. “I feel like then not many people knew about us, and now everybody’s talking about us. It’s just very different. I feel like we’ve worked a lot harder.”

Ed’s definitely working hard. He said he’s grateful for everything wrestling offers him.

“I feel like it builds a lot of character,” he said. “It helps keep me busy. It helps me stay healthy.”

Some of that character-building is tough. Last year, Ed missed the state meet by a single match. He said he’s taken a lesson from it.

“I try not to think about it a lot because I don’t like to break myself down too much on it,” he said. “I learned from it. I learned to stay more calm, not to overthink my matches.”

He also learned what he wants from his senior season. That includes a spot on a plaque beside that too-small wrestling room where Polk County legends are enshrined.

“I want to be remembered,” he said. “I want to put my name on the wall.”