From the second sophomore Mikey Volkmar stepped onto the mat, he knew that wrestling was for him. Volkmar started wrestling when he was in third grade for the Lakeland Predators and the Wrestling Factory. He instantly fell in love with the sport.

“Mr. Schoenfelder, and my dad told me to try it one day,” Volkmar said. “So I tried it one day, and I really liked it.”

Volkmar has been wrestling with freshman Niall Schoenfelder and seniors Patrick Schoenfelder and George Bessette for many years now. With the help and motivation from his teammates and coaches, Volkmar was able to place third at this years regional meet, allowing him to qualify for sectionals.

“I really want to thank my coaches for pushing me,” Volkmar said. “Coach Karner and Borrero have been a huge help this season along with Mr. Schoenfelder.”

Last year, Volkmar was very close to qualifying for sectionals but fell just short. As a sophomore, he made it with a lot of hard work and dedication that is not going unnoticed. Freshman Elijah Reyes looks up to Volkmar when they are on the mats.

“He pushes me at practice everyday,” Reyes said.

Along with pushing Reyes to get to sectionals, N. Schoenfelder is also motivated by Volkmar.

“He is always pushing me to get better than I was,” N. Schoenfelder said.

Volkmar competes at sectionals this weekend for a chance to move on to the IHSA State meet.