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Featured Athlete of the Week: Jacob Williams, Wrestling, South Putnam High School
Jacob Williams, 18, is a senior at South Putnam High School. He competes on the wrestling team, winning a county championship this season, and was a member of the sectional champion football team in the fall. He is "a hipster" when it comes to music, listening to a variety that includes several indie bands. His favorite class is construction. In his free time he likes to stay after practice to improve his wrestling.
Banner Graphic: Do you prefer wrestling to football? Why?
Jacob Williams: Oh yeah. I don't get injured in wrestling as much as I do in football. It's more of an endurance, one-on-one sport and I like the individual part.
BG: When did you start wrestling?
JW: I started wrestling in seventh grade.
BG: How did you get into it?
JW: (Varsity wrestling coach Josh) Hendrickson was my seventh-grade football coach and he told me I should try wrestling out. I've liked it ever since.
BG: Do you have a favorite athlete?
JW: My favorite wrestler would have to be Brent Metcalf and probably Brock Lesnar. Back when he wrestled at Minnesota he was a really good heavyweight.
BG: How do you follow wrestling?
JW: I usually follow wrestling on the Internet and I'll watch UFC and Olympic wrestling once it comes around every four years.
BG: You said you liked the individual part of wrestling, what's it like being on a team with that individual aspect?
JW: I like being on a team because, like with Rudy (Harris), Lane (Hacker) and Kyle Shaffer, you get good relationships. You get good friendships. You're not really scared of trying to make each other better. I've wrestled on summer wrestling teams and you're don't really know the people. I know Rudy's and Lane's intensity very well, so I know how our practices go. We usually have really good practices.
BG: What's your training like?
JW: Our coach calls it "mental toughness practices." He just keeps us moving fast and just really high-paced. We'll do matches where you're in for two minutes and then out for one minute. It's continuous with three-man groups.
BG: Do you know what you're going to study at Marion College after high school? Are you going to wrestle there?
JW: I may. They just got a wrestling team this year and I may wrestle. I'm going to study political science.