By: Bryce Morrison
March 5, 2024
Joey Klein, who has been at JV for three years, finally gets brought up to varsity for what’s bound to be an unforgettable senior season for the red-headed 215-pounder. Joey’s breakout season on varsity was incredible for his first year on varsity. With a record of 27-12 to end the season, Joey won lots of matches for the Hawkeyes, which led to lots of big dual wins, including a 7-5 decision over Allendale Coleman Sparks, to help lead the Hawkeyes to their first victory over Allendale and conference title in a very long time.
Joey’s personal life outside of wrestling is very interesting. Joey’s favorite things he likes to do outside of wrestling are hunting and fishing, and he said he loves going to the gym, which he goes to almost every day after school. Joey’s favorite food and drink is the subway, and he likes to drink prime. He competes in football and track as well, but wrestling is his favorite sport. An interesting fact about Joey is that he wrestled 215 every single year of high school, unlike most kids who tend to move up weights. After every year, Joey has continued to get stronger and leaner while maintaining himself at 215 pounds.
Getting pulled up to varsity for your final year seems like it would be stressful, but for Joey, he made it look all natural. Joey knew about the pull-up after the end of his junior season, and he also knew he needed to get better and stronger going into next season. In order to do this, Joey spent lots of his time at the barn practicing, at the gym getting stronger, and also at the wrestling club in Grand Rapids. He said the coaches at Ares helped him grow and learn in the sport more than anyone else. When asked about his thoughts on getting pulled up, he said, “There was a lot more competition, but it made me a better athlete.” Then I asked Joey how he deals with the pressure to compete with a competitive team like Hamilton, and he stated, “Win or lose, if you tried your hardest, it doesn’t matter.” This type of mentality really helps athletes like Joey compete at higher levels. He said his friends and family helped support him throughout his entire wrestling career.
Another big part of wrestling at varsity is weight management. When you are on JV, you don’t have to weigh in at a specific weight; they just group you with people close to your weight. Weight-cutting is very hard physically and mentally, but Joey handled it very well for his first time having to cut weight. Coming out of the football season weighing in at 240 pounds, he needed to get down fast. When he started constantly practicing every day and hard-dieting, Joey lost 25 pounds to make 215. I asked Joey about the weight cut, and he said, “It sucked at first, but when I got my weight down and maintained it, it started to become very easy at the end of the season.” Joey never once missed a game for his team, and this selfless sacrifice really shows how dedicated he is to his team.
Joey also has plans for the future of college wrestling. Joey has plans to attend Michigan Tech to study forestry. He also plans to join the club team at Michigan Tech to continue his collegiate career. However, there are things at Hamilton he will miss. He says the things he will miss most are the intense dodgeball games at the beginning of practice, the practices themselves, and going to the meets with the whole team.
With Joey’s plan to continue his college career, he will continue to grow and get better at the sport while getting a degree in forestry. We only hope for the best for the 215-pounder, with an incredible breakout season and a huge role in one of the best seasons in Hamilton wrestling history.