BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Since December, Mahomet-Seymour’s Noah Schnepper has had his sights set on one thing: to advance out of the regionals in wrestling.
Schnepper will take the mat alongside his teammates on the 2019-20 Mahomet-Seymour wrestling team as the Bulldogs host an IHSA Class 2A Regional on Saturday. First-round matches start at 9 a.m.
This will be Schnepper’s last regional, as he graduates in May.
Ranked 22nd in the State by The Illinois Best Weekly, the Bulldogs take the mat with a 22-1 dual meet record, having captured the Marty Williams Invitational and the Prairie Central Invitational.
“I want to win regionals as a team and make it to dual team state,” Schnepper said. “Individually, I hope I make it out of sectionals this year.”
Wrestling at 126-pounds, Schnepper enters the tournament with an 18-8 record, five wins by pins. He comes in tied for second on the squad with 47 takedowns this season. Last year, Schnepper led the Bulldogs with 75 takedowns.
“I always want to wrestle my hardest and leave it all on the mat,” he said.
The three-year letter winner got his start in wrestling in kindergarten.
“I saw a flyer for the youth wrestling club,” he said. “I made my mom go to the meeting and she signed me up. I enjoy the sport and guys I wrestle with and have wrestled with.”
Noah’s mom, Stephanie, has been with him every step of the way.
Through the Mahomet-Seymour Youth Wrestling program, Schnepper learned what it meant to be a champion.
“My club coach pushed us really hard and we trained all the time,” he said. “Coach Ledin, Coach Acree and the other coaches treat us like family and push us to be the best.”
The support and hard work led him to two trips to the IESA state meet while he was at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School.
Schnepper decided to take his freshmen year off of wrestling, which he now regrets. After rejoining, he traveled with the team to Disney World two consecutive summers.
He also enjoyed being part of the 2019 Mahomet-Seymour squad that made it to dual team sectionals.
Leaving Mahomet-Seymour, Schnepper will carry more than just a list of accomplishments from wrestling.
“I will treasure the friendships I made and the brotherhood,” Schnepper said.
