By Sean Gunn,
as told to DigitalSports


Transcendentalist writer, Henry David Thoreau, once said, “Success comes to those who are too busy to look for it.”

Hereford's 112-pound wrestler, Max Rosen, epitomizes that notion.

The first time I saw Max was at soccer tryouts of my sophomore year. He was just a new freshman face to me.

The team began doing some drills and it wasn’t more than five minutes before Max made his presence felt. Max was always running around the field, but always in the right spot.

Max was 100 percent, the whole time -- so much the little ball of energy that other players would joke and ask, “Do you have an off button?”

As the soccer season was dwindling away, wrestling was just beginning.

The wrestling team was in desperate need of a 103-pound wrestler, so Max fit the bill, since only weighed about 100 pounds and was very athletic.

The coaches and I talked to Max about coming out for the team. Hesitant at first, Max didn’t know if he wanted to. But we were relentless in our methods of persuasion, so Max decided, finally, to give wrestling a try.

 
Max knew nothing about the sport. He didn’t know the difference between nearfall points and a reversal, a half-nelson or a headlock.

Max needed to play “catch-up” in order to get to the level of a varsity wrestler, or at least enough of one who could manage not to get pinned.

Everyday, Max would practice twice: He would go once with junior varsity, where he learned a lot of the basics; and then, once more, with varsity, gaining valuable mat time.

I often found myself working with Max throughout both practices, showing him different techniques and moves.

Max’s hard work paid off one winter evening, when, during his first match, he pinned his Western Tech opponent in the first period.

This was a sign of things to come, for as the year progressed, so did Max.

Max even earned the opportunity to wrestle in the state dual meet finals that year, when we were runners-up to Hammond of Howard County after pulling a semifinal upset of Stephen Decatur.

Then there was last year, when Max showed signs of improvement every second he was on the mat.

Not only had Max continue his extreme work ethic in the practice room, but he now had two new issues to deal with -- winning matches and losing weight.

It wasn’t as if Max hadn’t won before: Placing in the region your first year wrestling is a great accomplishment, but now Max was expected to win.

Coach Causey had developed a new level of belief in Max, who had come to develop an ability to wrestle with most kids.

But losing weight -- that was a new experience.

But through strict dieting, running and hard work in the practice room, Max was able to slim down to 103 for his sophomore year.

I had never seen anyone work as hard just to make weight. Max domonstrated himself to be a team player.

And by the season’s end, Max was turning into a pretty good wrestler. Max even qualified for the state tournament, finishing fourth at the Class 2A-1A North Region after totaling 22 victories.
    
This year Max is a force to be reckoned with. At 112 pounds, he seems like a man on a mission.

As evidenced by his recent win over John Carroll's Mitch Bodt, Max has demonstrated an incredible determination.

Max is quick, strong and relentless -- one of the toughest kids I know.

In his match with Bodt, he dislocated his pinkie finger, got it popped back into place, and then, went back out onto the mat and won.

I am truly honored and proud to say that I have been his practice partner and friend over the past few years.

I am certain that if Max continues at this pace, not only will he be a state place winner, but, potentially, a state champion.


Sean Gunn is Max Rosen's practice partener. The senior has returned to the 119-pound weight class, where, a year ago, he won 26 matches, was a Class 2A-1A North Region runner-up, and came within one bout of placing at the Class 2A-1A state tournament.