Lincoln Woods has burst onto the high school wrestling scene with some stellar results.
The Mercer Island High School (MIHS) 126-pound freshman registered a pair of falls in dual meets and three more at the challenging Edmonds Invitational, where he placed second in a tight match against a talented junior.
Also at the Edmonds tourney, Islanders Gordon Gibson took fourth at 120 pounds and Jordan Benitez tied for seventh at 113 pounds. On the team front in duals, MIHS had a 2-1 record at post time.
Woods first hit the wrestling mat about five years ago, and has been taking the sport seriously for two years, he said. He previously grappled in middle school and nowadays splits his time between MIHS action and the Mat Demon Wrestling Club in Kent.
“Lincoln is a great wrestler, super hard worker and it’s shown in his early season matches,” said MIHS head coach Lee Jahncke.
Added Woods regarding the MIHS matches: “The duals have been fun. We’ve been really gathered together as a team. It’s been good to go out and show everybody what we’ve got. (We’ve) put a lot of time in on the mat practicing moves and everything. Our team’s looking nice and strong.”
In Edmonds, Woods registered those three first-period falls to begin the tourney and then notched a comeback one-point victory to advance to the final.
“It was great. I got to wrestle some kids that would definitely help me work on new moves and make sure that I have everything down 100 percent, so I can definitely execute better in these duals,” he said.
The Reporter asked Woods a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life:
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
“Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” and “Creed.”
Do you have any kind of a ritual before matches?
Maybe jump up and down a couple times, maybe jog back and forth. Just make sure my body’s warm, make sure I get a little bit of a sweat going. That’s good to go into a match warm instead of cold, have a little bit of a leg up on your opponent.
What about a go-to snack or meal before duals?
Carbohydrates are always good, sandwich is great, Goldfish are good. Probably want to stay away from a bunch of candy and stuff — those foods that just give you a little bit of energy, but not enough.
What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not wrestling?
I really like to hang out with friends, go on walks, talk, maybe eat with friends — go to a Subway or something. (He also watches TV, and recently completed “The Flash” trilogy and “Green Arrow.”)
What superpower would you like to have?
I feel like invisibility would be really good or super speed.
What would your dream vacation spot be?
I really would like to go to Iceland or Greenland. Really pretty, lots of stuff to see and it would be really cool to see the northern lights.
WRESTLING SCHEDULE
Dec. 17 vs. Foster and Tyee at Hazen, 6 p.m./7:15 p.m.
Jan. 6 ISSAQUAH and MOUNT SI, 6 p.m./7:15 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Interlake and Bellevue at Hazen, 6 p.m./7:15 p.m.
Jan. 18 HAZEN, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 vs. Skyline and Newport at Skyline, 6 p.m./7:15 p.m.
Jan. 27 vs. Juanita and Lake Washington at LW, 6 p.m./7:15 p.m.
Feb. 4 3A KingCo championships at Juanita, 4 p.m.
Feb. 5 3A KingCo championships at Juanita, 9 a.m.
LARRY BROWN INVITE
MIHS placed seventh out of 19 teams and had five varsity and three JV placers at the 2021 Larry Brown Invitational on Dec. 11 at Fife High School.
In varsity, Gibson took first at 120, Benitez took fourth at 113, Clark Koopman took fourth at 152, Chase Warnick took sixth at 145 and Daniel Bahner took sixth at 160. In JV action, Ethan Chang took third at 132, Drew Robine took fourth at 120 and Colson Rimmer took fifth at 170.
