Recently, St. Louis High School’s own wrestler Justice Onstott took seventh place, April 3, at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division Four State wrestling tournament at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. 

Onstott stated, “Overall, I’m proud of my performance, but it was overwhelming.” He believes if he had wrestled different people that day he would have excelled better in his performance. He says confidently, “Next year, I will come back and I will take a dub home.” 

Throughout this year’s season, Onstott had a total of 17 wins and only seven losses! He had 21 takedowns, 15 escapes, eight reversals,  and 13 pins. Onstott has overall earned the team 57 points. 

St. Louis High School’s head coach, Kevin Kuhn states, “I’m definitely proud of the way he finished at the state tournament, but at the same time feel as if he was good enough to finish top four. At state, he struggled to put away two opponents that he led the match in the third period. That was the difference in where he finished. We fix that and Justice can be a state champion.” Kuhn speaks highly of Onstott and really believes in him.  

Onstott has been wrestling nearly all his life. It was his dad who originally got him into the sport. At first, Onstott believed he wouldn’t enjoy it as much as he does now. Since then, it has become his favorite sport. He has dedicated nearly 10 years of his life to wrestling and will continue. Coach Kuhn expresses, “I’ve watched Justice progress all the way through our youth program as well as our middle school program. He really turned the corner his eighth-grade year and has become our only wrestler to ever win a Michigan Youth Wrestling Association state title.”

Overall, Onstott loves this sport and enjoys the thrill and adrenaline he receives from winning and being out there on the mat. To him, when he is out there all that matters is winning and making his coaches plus his family proud. Onstott believes that his physical strength is his main asset while competing. Coach Kuhn stated, “I think Justice excels most from the bottom position on the mat, which is unusual because most wrestlers struggle to get out from that position.” He believes that Onstott struggles with coming up with a take-down and also has difficulty in the top position. However, Kuhn knows that the one thing Onstott does very well and makes him stand out while on the mat is that he is a dangerous wrestler and can catch and pin an opponent at any time. 

Of course, Onstott is only human so he is going to have his ups and downs and struggles while competing. His main struggle is overcoming his anxiety and having a clear mind. He struggles with staying focused and unnerved right before his matches. However, that all changes when his feet make contact with the mat. He prepares himself and gathers his thoughts then pushes himself to victory. Whenever Onstott needs guidance while competing the person he turns to is God. To him, God is very important when he needs someone. Onstott turns to Him to help clear his mind and push him to be his absolute best. Also when things tend to go not as planned, Onstott reminds himself of the fact that he has put 10 years into the sport so he deserves to win and be successful.