Waubonsie Valley senior Mason Kroening considers his height to be both a blessing and a curse.
The 6-foot-3 Kroenig competes at 195 pounds, but doesn’t exactly have a classic wrestler’s frame. Whatever he has, it works.
“He’s always on the prowl,” Waubonsie coach Brad Caldwell said of Kroening. “If he gets an opening, he’s ready to jump.”
He’s made the jump this season. Already a two-time sectional qualifier, Kroening (20-0) is ranked second at 195 by IllinoisMatMen.com and seems ready to go way beyond past performance.
So does Nick Sondag, his training partner who’s ranked sixth at 215. Sondag has just one loss, an overtime decision to Justin Akers of Crown Point, Ind., at the Stagg Invite.
“The two of them, Kroening and Sondag, are like two peas in a pod — they’re always together,” Caldwell said. “They both have aspirations to be on the medal podium at state. There is no reason they can’t.”
Indeed, Kroening and Sondag are tight, and have been training partners since the fourth grade.
Kroening first started wrestling to get himself ready for football. Six months later, his older brother Mitch started. He played football his first two years at Waubonsie, but gave it up to focus on wrestling.
“Football is tough, but wrestling is a different animal,” said Kroening, who plans to wrestle in college but is uncommitted. “It pushed me more.”
Kroening is closing in on 100 career wins, but has yet to reach the big stage. He’s come up a win short of qualifying for state each of the last two years.
Last season, he missed a month because of a torn medial meniscus in his knee. He’s shown no ill effects this year, and is wrestling more aggressively. Kroening counts two decisions over Wheaton Warrenville South’s Andrew Leonard as his best.
“You can’t go your whole life winning everything,” Kroening said. “I’ve taken my lumps and learned from them.”
More than any technical tweaks, Kroening credited his summer training at the Naperville-based Team Overtime.
Kroening took second at the Illinois Freestyle State Championships in May, competed at nationals in the summer in Fargo, N.D., and took fourth at the Cliff Keen USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals in November.
“I’m more in the mindset of not waiting for people,” Kroening said. “I’m going out there attacking and trying to pile up points, not stalling when I’m ahead and selling out for the easy win.”
More Top Picks Best Cordless Electric Lawn Edgers
Kroening wrestled at 182 last season and bulked up to 210 over the summer. He’s now a fit at 195, where his height alternates as a benefit and weakness.
“I try to take my height out of the equation,” Kroening said. “It gives me leverage and allows me to reach at different times. But I have to work a little harder and be a little more quick on my feet.”
He’ll need that quickness to maintain an unbeaten record, although Kroening doesn’t sound concerned.
“I didn’t come into this season thinking about my record,” Kroening said. “The goal was to do well, hit my technique and if I did that I should win. I haven’t faltered or got caught yet. I’m just trying to stay solid.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.