Transferring from Underwood high school in Iowa to Papillion La-Vista high school, junior Nick Hamilton has had a phenomenal high school wrestling career. Going undefeated all season, making him the first person since 2006 to win an individual weight class at state wrestling,  Papillion La-Vista has excitement soaring through everyone. 

The Papio wrestling team finished 5th as a whole with 105 points and had six people place. Ian Rudner 4th, Coleton Haggin 5th, Cole Price 5th, Jordan Bobier 6th, Jacob Campbell 6th, and 2x state champion Nick Hamilton 1st in the 152lb weight class. 

Transferring to a new school can sometimes be difficult for people involved in extracurricular activities because of the change in coaches, players, or atmospheres, but for Hamilton, he embraced it all. 

“The biggest difference between Iowa and Nebraska is the atmosphere,” Hamilton said. “Wrestling is a lot bigger in Iowa and the fans absolutely love wrestling, sometimes the event gets pretty loud.”

Districts and State for any athletic sport is a huge thing. All people think about is getting to the finals and having the urge to win. Along with that, emotions and adrenaline kicks in.

“You’re always going to go to an event like that with a bit of nervousness, but usually I focus on just having fun,” Hamilton said. “If I do that it doesn’t really matter what else happens.”

Having teammates and coaches who constantly push each other and form close-knit bonds is what motivates players to win.

“It’s an honor to be the first person since 2006 to win a state title for this wrestling program,” Hamilton said. “I know we’ve had a few people get close, but being able to get it done feels amazing.”

If you were one of the many people who won a state title, you would think that’s all you could think about. Not Hamilton, he’s just glad to play the sport he loves and being good at it.

As a junior, the recruiting process starts to happen and the next chapter of your life starts to begin. It is good to keep your options open and have a few schools to look at, especially when the recruiting process keeps changing due to COVID-19.

“I’m still in the recruitment process but my top 5 as of right now are Iowa State, University of Northern Iowa, Cornell, Wyoming, and Virginia,” Hamilton said.

Being a 2x state champion and having 98 straight wins is a very big accomplishment for Hamilton’s career. As his senior year comes up, he hopes to add another state title to the collection.