By Maddox Weddle
When you see a 98-pound freshman getting on the mat, you might look right by him. Little do you know, he will go on to become one of the best wrestlers in the state.
Senior Ayden Bollinger lived in Decatur, Ind., until first grade, then moved to Alexandria where he attended all through middle school. He then moved to Delta and has been here his whole high school career.
He came onto the Eagle wrestling team with many years of experience from the Central Indiana Academy of Wrestling, being coached by CIA’s Brady Eppert since fourth grade.
Bollinger credits his success largely to the endless hours he has spent being trained at CIA since fourth grade.
“It has been an absolute pleasure getting to coach Ayden and being able to have an impact on his wrestling and his life,” Eppert said. ”We are definitely going to miss him once he graduates.”
During the high school offseason Bollinger and teammates spend three to four days out of their week in Indianapolis at CIA practices perfecting their craft.
One of those teammates that makes the hour- long commute with Bollinger is practice partner and close friend Sam Mosier.
Mosier (30-4 at 132 pounds) is a fellow varsity wrestler who credits much of his success to his practice partner.
“Seeing (Ayden’s) mindset has really helped,” Mosier said. “You can just tell he wants to go out there and beat whoever’s in front of him.”
Bollinger’s journey started as just a little 98-pound freshman wrestling in the smallest high school wrestling weight class, 106 pounds.
When Delta wrestling coach Cody LeCount saw him step on the mat for the first time, he knew he had amazing potential.
“We knew (Ayden) was something special from the day he stepped in here,” Coach LeCount said. “He’s always continued to improve, and he’s always been the type of kid that you love to coach.”
LeCount was not wrong when he thought that he was going to be special. Ayden finished his first season going 34-5, qualifying in the state tournament as just a freshman.
During the semi-state finals of that season Bollinger got a really bloody nose. When this happens in wrestling, they put tape around your face to try to stop the bleeding, but the athletic trainer at the event did not want to do it. So Coach LeCount went out on the mat and taped it himself.
“It’s pretty funny, but we talk about that almost all the time,” LeCount said. “It comes up all the time. He’ll get a bloody nose and I’ll be like, “Hey, you want me to tape it for you?’”
Bollinger’s transition from freshman to his sophomore season was even more impressive.
He went 42-1 and finished third at the state finals in the 106-pound weight class.
That wasn’t the only feat he reached in his sophomore season, however. He marked himself in the school record book for most takedowns in a season with 234, passing Shannon Stout at 199.
“My sophomore year, I kind of dedicated the entire year to breaking that record, because I knew I could do it,” Bollinger said. “So, just going out there and getting lots of takedowns, a lot of time on the mat.”
Because he was letting opponents up and taking them down again, he wasn’t pinning them as quickly as he could have sometimes.
“The coaches got a little mad at me, though, for sometimes wasting time on the mat,” he said. “But ultimately, I got it done and it’s pretty cool to put your name in a record book with a school that has such a rich history with wrestling.”
During Bollinger’s junior season he had another outstanding season, ending with a 42-1 record wrestling at 113 pounds. His only loss came in the state tournament where he finished third in the state for the second season in a row.
Wrestling for as many years takes a lot of physical and mental control with cutting weight. It is hard to stick to a strict diet for a whole season and having to eat the same thing daily so you can hit your weight class.
“It’s the mental side,” Bollinger said. “It’s hard to stick to a strict diet and then whenever you’re in practice, thinking about weight, that usually doesn’t help much. You gotta keep eating the same thing every day which gets boring, but it helps in practice to not have to worry about weight.”
As Bollinger has gotten older his weight has continued to rise.
Cutting weight won’t end with his high school career, however. Bollinger plans to remain at the smallest college wrestling weight class all four years, 125 pounds.
To prepare him for college wrestling, Bollinger wants to end high school with the best outcome possible.
Going into this Saturday’s semi-state at the Allen County Coliseum in Fort Wayne, he has a 35-2 record and has high hopes of being on top of the podium for two more weekends.
“Ayden’s up there to be one of the best wrestlers to ever come through Delta, and that says a lot,” LeCount said.
He added: “(Ayden’s) one of the hardest workers in the room. From a coaching standpoint, it makes my job a lot easier when you have somebody that is always willing to put the work in, not just in season, but out of season as well.”
Bollinger has a high school career record of 153-9 and counting.
He received college offers from NAIA schools and a few NCAA Division 1 schools. He saw the best opportunity with Indiana University Bloomington so he took to it.
“I did a lot of emailing coaches, but IU actually emailed me, so it was pretty cool to not have to do all the work to try to get your name out there,” Bollinger said. “The team’s really cool. I know a lot of guys there, and I really wanted to stay in Indiana close to my family.”
Bollinger’s end goal is to win himself a state title and take home a championship medal, but only time will tell.
