Winner of 171 lb. weight class at the state finals, Levi Gruwell began his competitive wrestling career when he won the Junior Wrestling State Championships at age eight. From there he grew into a victorious wrestler, competing this past year at the State Wrestling Championships on February 17 and 18 at the Ponchatrain Center in Kenner and wrestling his way to number one in his weight class.”“I started wrestling at ten years old because my brothers were all into wrestling,” said HHS wrestler Levi Gruwell. “We really don’t know where the wrestling came from. No one in our family is a wrestler but all my boys have shown an interest in the sport and they have been very successful,” said Gruwell’s mother, Misty.
Gruwell truly began competitive wrestling at Hahnville High School. “My wrestling coach, Coach Dan Erwin, is very caring. He knows how to approach you as a person. He is always there for us whether we win or lose,” said Gruwell as he turned his Wrestling State Championship ring around his finger. As a team, the HHS Wrestling team took 7th place.
“It is challenging to stick with it and practice. It can be very hard. We practice five days a week and it does start to take its toll on you,” said Gruwell. He went on to say, “Losing is not fun, so you do what you have to do to keep winning matches.”
Gruwell qualified for the nationals last year but didn’t participate because he attended a month long wrestling camp in Minnesota. This year Gruwell won the Southeast Regionals in freestyle and at the end of July he will be attending the National Team Tournaments this summer in Oklahoma City. He then takes off to Fargo, North Dakota to compete in the Individual Nationals.
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