Peninsula’s Luke Golden continues hard work on and off wrestling mat
Where most people that celebrate Christmas Eve were off relaxing with their minds elsewhere, Luke Golden was running hills.
Golden, in his senior year at Peninsula High School, sees every moment as a moment where he can get better as a wrestler. Whether he is getting in time on the mats, running, lifting or anything that will set him apart from the competition, Golden is doing it.
And it’s paid off very well for him as he is seeing the improvement in his matches and his now 29-9 record this season wrestling in the 170 pound weight class.
“[The season] has been a lot of fun. I’ve definitely seen a lot of improvement from last year,” Golden said. “It’s been a little more rewarding and I’ve had more success. Just as an athlete, I’ve started to push myself more.”
Usually, Golden will practice with different partners to help him combat different styles on the mats. For example, Nolan Casey brings that forceful, overpowering style to the mat, where Brock Allen will grind out the match with Golden.
Not only is he practicing with his teammates, Golden is watching wrestling on television to pick up tips. Any way, shape or form he can get the edge, he is doing it.
“I spend a lot of time in the practice room wrestling with different partners because you wrestle different types of people,” he said. “You go out there with your ‘toolkit’, so you got a bunch of different things while you’re out there. Every day we work to expand that so we know how to react in different situations.”
Basically, these wrestlers are all trying to sharpen each other’s skills and that is what has inspired Golden throughout his wrestling career. He wants to become better and be the best on the mats.
Because of his constant effort in becoming better, Golden has excelled in building up his physical and mental toughness. That in turn has Golden believing in himself every time he steps onto the mat.
“Of our three seniors, Luke really has to believe in himself and get what he really wants,” said coach Gary Griffin. “He’s got to hustle, he’s got to outwork guys and he’s got to believe in himself… He’s explosive, that’s one thing that sets him apart from the other guys… He’s a little more cerebral than other kids about what happens in a match.”
Part of Golden’s process is that even though he has a plan when he goes out on the mat, he also has a level of comfortability in changing his strategy if need be. It’s part of the analytical nature of his wrestling.
It’s a definitive trait of how Golden ‘rises to the occasion’.
“Luke is starting to understand where to be big, where the team needs him, and when the moment needs him to step up and give that little extra,” Griffin said. “I think Luke looks for those moments… I think his confidence has grown through the season so he understands that when he’s wrestling, he understands where he’s at.”
Golden absolutely understands that there are big moments from winning and there are big moments from losing as well. Not every match is going to be spectacular and someone always has to lose.
It’s part of what keeps his motor running and pushed him to be the very best in his weight class and in the state.
“I do try to rise to the occasion. You got to put in work all the time; during practice, during warmups, even when you’re not wrestling,” Golden said. “You got to always be thinking about the sport and thinking about how to improve.”
The moment is no longer too big for Golden anymore. He is capable with going toe-to-toe with some of the top competition in the state as he prepares for a run at the Mat Classic at the end of the month.
In fact, it seems as the 170 lb. weight class has a more wide open path this year for Golden to get to the top. A feat he feels he is entirely doable.
“I feel like I [can go all the way]. At the beginning of the season, I looked at some of the kids who graduated last year and there were a lot of good guys who left,” he said. “Me and other kids around the state are filling those spots right now. I feel like I got a shot at it, but nothing is guaranteed.”
No matter what happens in the postseason for Golden, his efforts for the Seahawks this year have not gone unnoticed as he has been a proven example of the hard work young guys can put in and earn great success.
And that’s also something he’s real excited for in the future as well; how well the program will be after he, Casey, Allen and all the other seniors graduate.
“Every year, we have guys who graduate and leave spots open on the team,” he said. “I’m really excited to hear about what happens next year because we have some studs in the younger weight classes.”
The Seahawks’ regular season is over, but they are making the push in the post season to make it to the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome. However, they have to go through Sub Regionals first and that will be Feb. 7 at Capital High School.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 6:00 AM.